Arkansas heads into Saturday’s matchup with Tennessee staring up at a big spread and a bigger challenge, but the game still comes down to a few very clear pressure points.
Start with the line of scrimmage. Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop has turned into the SEC’s chunk-yardage machine, averaging more than 6.14 yards per carry on 88 attempts.
He’s piled up 540 yards and seven touchdowns this season, and he came off a monster performance against Auburn last week with a career-high 220 yards and three scores. That’s bad timing for an Arkansas defense that has been gashed by SEC opponents on the ground, giving up nearly 500 rushing yards and eight touchdowns and sitting last in the league in that category.
That’s why Arkansas has to be ready to sell out against the run, especially with backup quarterback George MacIntyre making his first start. The Razorbacks may have to trust their secondary to survive on the back end while they try to choke off Tennessee’s ground game. Silverfield said he expects Josh Heupel to lean into that strength.
"Yeah, I think Tennessee - listen - they’re a fast pace," Silverfield said on Monday. "Depending on whichever quarterback plays, they’re both very, very capable.
Like I said, they’re both still the highest rated quarterbacks in their program’s history and they’ve had a lot of great quarterbacks come through there. But I do think coach Heupel’s going to lean into the run game.
"You look at what they did versus Auburn, they lined up in a lot of 12-personnel, different personnel packages in the backfield as well, and they tried to run the ball down people’s throats. It looked like an inside run period.
They had a lot of success. Tennessee and Coach Heupel have won 31 straight games where they run for over 200 yards.
That’s going to be what they’re going to hang their hat on."
Defensive coordinator Ron Roberts didn’t exactly hide his feelings about that possibility.
"My God," Roberts said. "I’m going to throw up in the press box if they rush for 200."
"The two tight ends they’ve got are really good blockers too, physical at the point of attack. The tailback’s a really good player. So, it’s not a whole lot, I mean, they’re just really good at executing what they do and they’ve got good people doing it."
The other major issue for Arkansas is protection. What was supposed to be a strength up front has become one of the team’s biggest problems, with the offensive line allowing the second-most quarterback pressures in the SEC at 43, according to Pro Football Focus. Arkansas also ranks 12th in the conference in pass blocking efficiency at 88.7, ahead of Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Auburn.
The raw sack total tells part of the story - 14 through the first five games - but not all of it. Jackson has been forced to speed things up, with an average time to throw of 2.74 seconds, which ranks 10th among SEC quarterbacks with at least 60 dropbacks, according to PFF. Even then, he’s still been under constant duress, scrambling for his life with 4.37 seconds before being sacked.
That’s a dangerous place to be against Tennessee, which enters with the nation’s top sack total at 23 and grades out No. 21 in pass rush efficiency at 79.2. Silverfield made it clear he knows what’s coming.
"They lead the country in sacks right now. So let’s start with what they’re really good at," Silverfield said.
"They’re leading the country in sacks. I mean they are, they’ve got dynamic players everywhere.
"And I think you look at what [Tennessee DC Jim Knowles] did at Penn State, what he’s done at Ohio State, what he did at Oklahoma State and even all the way back to Cornell, right? He’s always had great defenses.
They play really sound. He’s always got answers for things."
There’s also the broader backdrop around Arkansas, which has dropped 13 straight games against SEC opponents and nine straight home games against Power Conference teams. Silverfield said the program has been trying to build around the pieces it can control: penalties, turnovers and effort.
"The biggest thing for us is some of the controllables," Silverfield said. "The one thing I’m disappointed in is ball security. That’s one of those things - again, not to harp on the past - teams I’ve coached have always been really, really strong at, is taking care of the football.
"We have not done a good enough job of that. But the effort is one of those things that, like… I don’t take small victories, but we try to find ways to get better every day and the effort is showing up. I would have major issues right now if we didn’t play with good effort and I felt like we weren’t building a culture every day."
He also pointed to Razorback Stadium as a place Arkansas wants to make harder for visiting teams to handle.
"Everybody talks about how big home field advantage is and the SEC and how hard it is to play on the road," Silverfield said. "I hope teams when they come here to Fayetteville and to Northwest Arkansas say, 'Man, it's really hard to play there.'
Obviously, winning will get more tails in the seats. I understand that.
Winning will allow us to continue to create a great home field advantage."
Arkansas still has a path to making Saturday night interesting if it can keep the crowd engaged and survive the two biggest stress tests: Tennessee’s rushing attack and its pass rush. If not, the Razorbacks could be staring at a 14th straight SEC loss.
In Other News...
Tennessee Brings A Quarterback Problem Arkansas Can Exploit Saturday
Quarterback uncertainty is nothing new in the SEC, but Tennessee is walking into Saturday with a situation Arkansas will be monitoring closely. Faizon Brandon landed on the latest injury report as questionable, and his status is clouded by both a shoulder issue and a recent benching, leaving the Volunteers without much clarity at the most important spot on the field.
For Arkansas, that kind of uncertainty can matter just as much as a headline injury. The Razorbacks know how quickly a game plan can change when a quarterback is not fully settled, especially against a defense looking for any edge it can get. Coaches have offered updates, but with final decisions still up in the air, Tennessees offense may not know exactly what version it will have until much closer to kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Faces A Brutal KJ Jackson Problem Against Tennessee
Arkansas heads into its matchup with Tennessee facing the kind of defensive front that can ruin an entire afternoon if an offense is even a step slow. Tennessee leads the nation in sacks and tackles for loss, and that puts a heavy burden on an Arkansas offense that has already had trouble stringing together steady drives and consistent points. For KJ Jackson, the challenge is less about making splash plays and more about surviving the first wave of pressure long enough for the offense to find some rhythm.
Offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey has made it clear the answer has to come through quicker completions, a more balanced run game and a broader cast of targets. Arkansas cannot lean too heavily on Chris Marshall and expect to keep Tennessee honest, especially if the pass rush starts dictating down and distance early. The Razorbacks need cleaner timing and better protection to avoid letting one of the SECs most disruptive defenses turn every snap into a scramble. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas-Tennessee Has Delivered Some Of The Razorbacks Wildest Moments
Few SEC series have packed as many swings and strange endings as Arkansas-Tennessee, especially for a matchup that does not happen all that often. The history stretches across games remembered for Matt Jones helping spark a comeback in a tight one, Orlando Waters turning a punt return into a touchdown, and Darren McFadden leaving his mark in a rivalry that has repeatedly found a way to get chaotic when the teams do meet.
For Arkansas, that is part of what makes Tennessee such a fascinating opponent: the games tend to leave behind one or two moments that linger long after the final whistle. The series has featured sudden momentum shifts, big individual plays and results that have tilted both ways, which is why any new meeting carries the sense that another odd chapter could be waiting just around the corner. [Read more 🡒]