Tennessee walked out of Fayetteville with a 24-17 win on Saturday afternoon, and the Vols snapped their losing streak thanks to a late surge finished by a DeSean Bishop touchdown. The result counts, but the performance left plenty to pick apart.
For a team in year six under Josh Heupel, this was the kind of game that should make Tennessee uncomfortable. Even on the road, hanging around that tightly with Arkansas - a team the source calls the worst in the SEC - is not the standard.
The offense had stretches where it sputtered, and the defense came out flat after halftime. Against Alabama, that kind of showing would turn dangerous fast.
There is still a path forward, though, because Tennessee has shown it can play much better football. The defense was sharp against Texas and Auburn, and had moments in this game too.
Offensively, the picture has been more uneven, but with George MacIntyre at quarterback the ball has moved better at times. That doesn’t erase the concerns.
It just means the season isn’t beyond repair yet.
MacIntyre, at least, did enough to earn another shot. His stat line - 18-of-29 for 247 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions - tells the full story, including three turnovers that were all at least partly on him.
Still, Tennessee’s offense looked more functional in the first half with him than it did against Texas or Auburn with Faizon Brandon at quarterback. The Vols also got more out of the run game once MacIntyre forced Arkansas to respect the passing attack.
That mattered because Arkansas spent most of the game with one high safety, which made life tougher for Tennessee on the ground. When MacIntyre hit throws and changed the picture, DeSean Bishop had room to work. Bishop’s role in the finish was obvious, but the passing game helped set that up.
The late-half sequence, though, was another familiar headache. Tennessee got the ball at the Arkansas 45 with 1:45 remaining and once again had a chance to do damage before the break.
Instead, the drive stalled into a mixed bag of execution problems and clock management questions. MacIntyre’s short completion to Braylon Staley was followed by a Bishop run for a loss, and Josh Heupel took his first timeout before third-and-11.
That decision is open to debate. Given how little Arkansas had done on offense, Tennessee could have tried to push the drive further and kept its options open.
The Vols did move the chains when MacIntyre found Mike Matthews, then got another Bishop run and another timeout. But the possession still unraveled when MacIntyre missed under pressure, and the next third-and-short turned into a disaster when the ball was jarred loose on a screen look.
It nearly became a touchdown the other way before former Vols kicker Max Gilbert missed a 38-yard field goal. Tennessee escaped without paying for it, but the end result was another empty trip when it needed points.
Up front, Tennessee may have found something worth keeping. The offensive line has been shuffled all season, with injuries and rotation forcing constant changes.
Sam Pendleton’s suspension altered the opening-night group, then Pendleton returned at center at Georgia Tech. Donovan Haslam and Sham Umarov rotated after that, and Moe’s season-ending injury against Texas forced more movement.
By the end of that game, Tennessee had even turned to Perry at left guard and Ory Williams at right tackle.
Against Auburn, the Vols settled on a new five with Moore at left guard. At Arkansas, they kept that same combination even though Umarov was cleared to play.
From left to right, it was Sanders, Moore, Pendleton, Haslam and Perry, and that group held up well enough. At this point, there doesn’t seem to be a strong reason to shake it up, with Umarov next in line at guard and Williams the top tackle option off the bench.
In Other News...
Arkansas Let Another Winnable SEC Game Slip Away Again
Arkansas had enough in front of it Saturday to make No. 15 Tennessee sweat, and for stretches it looked like the Razorbacks were positioned to cash in on one of those conference games they have to turn into a win. The defense gave them a real chance, forcing three turnovers and keeping the Vols within reach long enough for Arkansas to hold a lead during the game.
But the familiar ending arrived anyway, with the offense unable to sustain enough drives or finish enough opportunities in a 24-17 loss. Third-down struggles and missed chances left the Razorbacks searching for answers again, and the defeat stretched their SEC skid to 14 straight as the gap between competitive and finished keeps showing up at the worst possible time. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Heads To Vanderbilt With One Bigger Problem Looming
Arkansas left its game against No. 15 Tennessee with something it has been searching for much of the season: a performance that felt competitive from start to finish and offered a clearer glimpse of what the Razorbacks can be when things are clicking. Even in a late loss, it stood out as their best showing of the year, the kind of night that can steady a teams confidence heading into the next stretch of SEC play.
Now comes Vanderbilt, a matchup that looks manageable if Arkansas keeps trending in the right direction. The bigger challenge may be less about the opponent and more about what the Razorbacks are still trying to become, as a roster full of new faces and a staff still taking shape works to build cohesion fast enough to turn one encouraging effort into something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Fans Still Wont Agree On Silverfields Late Punt Logic
Ryan Silverfields late-game punt against Tennessee is still the kind of call Arkansas fans are replaying long after the final whistle. Faced with a fourth-and-10 situation, the Razorbacks coach chose field position over a risky try at the line to gain, and the decision immediately lit up social media and the broader fan base watching a game that already had enough tension on the sideline.
Silverfield said the choice came down to the distance, Arkansas struggles on previous third-down snaps, and the danger of handing Tennessee a short field and an easy path to points. He also made it clear the calculus would have changed with a shorter situation, which only sharpens the debate for fans who wanted more aggression in the moment and others who saw the punt as the safer football call. [Read more 🡒]