No. 15/14 Tennessee left Fayetteville with a 24-17 win over Arkansas on Saturday, and the finish carried plenty of weight beyond the scoreboard. The Vols had to rally from a 14-10 deficit after three quarters, then leaned on a late surge to keep their road run going and snap a long wait in this building.
Tennessee’s fourth-quarter push featured senior RB DeSean Bishop doing the heavy lifting. The Knoxville native finished with 19 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown, his second straight 100-yard game and third this season.
His night included a career-long 59-yard run late in the fourth quarter, followed by an 8-yard touchdown that sealed it. Bishop now has seven career 100-yard games, including two against Arkansas after running for 146 against the Razorbacks on Oct.
11, 2025. His touchdown was the 27th rushing score of his career, moving him into a tie for sixth on Tennessee’s career rushing touchdown list with Andy Kozar (1950-52) and Beattie Feathers (1931-33).
Sophomore QB George MacIntyre made his first career start and came through with career highs across the board: 18 completions, 29 attempts and 247 passing yards. He also matched his career high with one passing touchdown, finding senior TE Trent Thomas for a five-yard score in the second quarter. That was the first touchdown of Thomas’ 32-game career.
MacIntyre also helped set up one of the game’s biggest moments with sophomore TE DaSaahn Brame. Brame turned a career-long 68-yard catch-and-run down the left sideline into a drive that ended with his first career touchdown, a 1-yard rushing score that put Tennessee in front 17-14 after Cooper Ranvier’s PAT.
Brame posted career highs with three receptions, 87 receiving yards and one rushing touchdown. He also tied a career high with three catches.
The Vols finished with 414 total yards, including 247 through the air and 167 on the ground. It was the 52nd time Tennessee has topped 400 yards of offense during the Josh Heupel era.
Heupel also reached a major personal milestone. The win was his 50th as Tennessee’s head coach, moving him past College Football Hall of Famer Bowden Wyatt for sole possession of fifth on the program’s all-time wins list.
Heupel is 50-21 since arriving in 2021, and he reached the mark in 71 games, making him the fourth-quickest Tennessee coach to get there behind Gen. Robert Neyland (55 games), Phillip Fulmer (60) and Bill Battle (67).
The road result added to a strong stretch away from home. Tennessee has now won four straight road games dating back to last year’s Kentucky contest and has taken three straight SEC road games. The Vols also improved to 18-0 against teams under .500 at the time of the game under Heupel.
On the defensive side, Tennessee set the tone early and made Arkansas work for everything. The Razorbacks were held scoreless in the first half and managed just 99 total yards, including four rushing yards on 13 attempts. Tennessee piled up four tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, three QB hurries and two pass breakups before halftime.
Junior DL Xavier Gilliam created the first takeaway of the day when he stripped and recovered Arkansas’ first offensive drive in the first quarter. Gilliam finished with four tackles, 1.5 TFLs, one sack, one pass breakup, two QB hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Senior DB TJ Metcalf led Tennessee with a season-high nine tackles, while five different Vols recorded a pass breakup: senior LB Amare Campbell, Gilliam, Metcalf, sophomore DB Ty Redmond and senior DL Nathan Robinson.
Special teams also delivered a key number when junior PK Cooper Ranvier drilled a season-long 49-yard field goal with 1:35 left in the third quarter. Ranvier went 3-for-3 on extra points and is now 25-of-25 on the season.
Saturday’s crowd at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium was 69,038, and the game marked the 22nd meeting between Tennessee and Arkansas and their third straight season facing off.
The Vols improved to 15-7 all-time against the Razorbacks and picked up their first win in Fayetteville since Sept. 8, 2001.
Paired with last year’s 34-31 win in Neyland Stadium, Tennessee has now beaten Arkansas in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2001-02.
Tennessee also had a new face under center to start the day. MacIntyre, a Franklin, Tennessee, product, became the first Tennessee native to start at quarterback for the Vols since Murfreesboro native Jauan Jennings opened the Oct. 26, 2019 game against South Carolina as a wildcat QB.
The last Tennessee native to start at quarterback in a traditional role was Sevierville native Joey Mathews against Southern Miss on Sept. 2, 2000.
The last Nashville-area native to start at quarterback in a traditional role was Nashville native Jim Maxwell, who started against Arkansas in the 1971 Liberty Bowl.
Saturday also pushed Tennessee’s list of first-time starters to 15 this season, with six on offense and nine on defense.
Vol captains for the game were LS Bennett Brady, DL Xavier Gilliam, WR Mike Matthews and DB TJ Metcalf. Tennessee won the toss, deferred to the second half, and defended the north end zone.
In Other News...
Tennessee's Quarterback Situation Just Got More Uncertain Before Arkansas
Tennessees quarterback picture has become even murkier heading into the trip to Arkansas, with Faizon Brandon now dealing with an injury and listed as questionable for the game. The uncertainty adds another layer to a position that was already under a spotlight after Brandon was benched in the previous game against Auburn, when George MacIntyre stepped in and gave the Volunteers a steadier look through the air.
Josh Heupel acknowledged Brandons injury status but stopped short of mapping out how Tennessee will handle the position this week. That leaves the Volunteers waiting on two fronts: whether Brandon can get healthy in time, and whether the staff chooses to lean back toward MacIntyre after his efficient relief work against Auburn. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Playoff Margin Could Shift Before The Alabama Game
Tennessees early surge has the Volunteers sitting at 4-1 and hovering near the College Football Playoff bubble, which means the margins around them matter almost as much as what happens in Knoxville. Before Tennessee even gets to its Week 7 meeting with Alabama, a handful of high-profile games elsewhere could reshape the picture around the Vols and the teams theyre being compared against.
UCLAs trip to Oregon, Houstons matchup with Kansas State and, most notably, Alabama against Georgia all carry ripple effects for Tennessees playoff standing. The Vols do not play Georgia this season, so the Bulldogs remain part of the broader conversation only from a distance, but Alabama is still very much in front of them on the schedule and in the committee conversation. By the time Tennessee gets its shot at the Crimson Tide, the playoff margin could already look different. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Has A Clear Arkansas Opportunity If The Vols Can Deliver
Tennessee heads into its SEC matchup with Arkansas with a blueprint in hand, and the film from the Razorbacks loss to Texas A&M points to an opening the Vols will want to press. Tennessees spread offense and run game have been the focus of the prep work, with DeSean Bishop set to be a central figure as the Vols try to stress a defense that showed vulnerabilities in its most recent outing. It is the kind of game plan that can travel well if Tennessee can stay on schedule and force Arkansas to defend the full width of the field.
George MacIntyre is expected to make his first career start, which adds another layer to a game Tennessee already views as an opportunity. Arkansas still brings a defense coordinated by Jim Knowles, so the challenge is not hard to identify, even if the tape suggests some cracks to attack. For the Vols, the question is whether they can turn those areas into a real advantage on the road, and whether MacIntyres debut can stay steady enough to let the rest of the offense do its work. [Read more 🡒]