Coming off their bye week, Tennessee traveled to Fayetteville for their second SEC matchup of the season against Arkansas. Despite a strong defensive showing, the Vols’ offense struggled early, leaving them scoreless at halftime.
The Tennessee defense held its ground, limiting Arkansas to just a field goal before the break, as the Razorbacks failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities. The Vols’ offense, however, finally came to life in the second half. A 53-yard run by Dylan Sampson ignited the team, followed by a 4-yard touchdown run to put Tennessee up 7-3 with 12:33 left in the third quarter.
After a defensive stop, Sampson struck again, scoring another 4-yard touchdown to extend Tennessee’s lead to 14-3. But Arkansas responded, with Ja’Quinden Jackson finding the end zone to cut the lead to 14-10. Arkansas then added a field goal to close the gap to 14-13.
The Razorbacks completed their comeback in the fourth quarter with an 11-yard touchdown run by Malachi Singleton, taking a 19-14 lead after a failed two-point conversion. Tennessee had one final opportunity, but their drive ended with Nico Iamaleava running out of bounds, sealing the Vols’ first loss of the season, 19-14.