The Southern Line
Tennessee 24, Arkansas 17: DeSean Bishop's late run settles it in Fayetteville
DeSean Bishop ran for 138 yards and the winning 8-yard score with 1:57 left as No. 15 Tennessee survived three turnovers at Arkansas.
No. 15 Tennessee needed nearly the whole afternoon to put away Arkansas. DeSean Bishop broke the 17-17 tie with an 8-yard run at 1:57 of the fourth quarter, and the Volunteers left Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium with a 24-17 win and a 5-1 record.
Bishop finished with 138 yards on 19 carries. He was the steadiest part of an offense that outgained Arkansas by 126 yards but kept handing the ball back.
How it was won
The first quarter was scoreless. Tennessee broke through at 10:03 of the second when George MacIntyre found Trent Thomas for a 5-yard touchdown, and Cooper Ranvier's kick made it 7-0 at the half.
Arkansas took over the third quarter. Braylen Russell ran 9 yards to tie it at 11:04, and KJ Jackson hit Jaden Platt from 4 yards out at 4:28 to give the Razorbacks a 14-7 lead. Ranvier cut it to 14-10 with a 49-yard field goal at 1:35.
The fourth quarter went back and forth. DaSaahn Brame scored on a 1-yard run at 12:52 to put Tennessee ahead 17-14. Max Gilbert answered with a 55-yard field goal at 7:20 to tie it. Then Bishop finished the decisive drive with his 8-yard run, and Arkansas could not respond in the final two minutes.
The box score shows how lopsided the yardage was and how close the game stayed anyway:
- Total yards: Tennessee 414, Arkansas 288
- Rushing: Tennessee 167, Arkansas 133
- Passing: Tennessee 247, Arkansas 155
- First downs: Tennessee 20, Arkansas 15
- Third down: Tennessee 4-13, Arkansas 2-11
- Turnovers: Tennessee 3, Arkansas 1
- Possession: Arkansas 32:04, Tennessee 27:56
MacIntyre went 18 of 29 for 247 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Brame caught three passes for 87 yards, and Mike Matthews added four for 78. Daune Morris had 33 yards on eight carries behind Bishop.
For Arkansas, Jackson was 15 of 27 for 155 yards and a touchdown without a turnover. Cam Settles ran eight times for 50 yards and Sutton Smith 11 times for 40. Chris Marshall led the receivers with seven catches for 56 yards, and Monte Harrison had one for 29.
Three giveaways kept Arkansas in it. Tennessee's defense held the Razorbacks to 2 of 11 on third down, which kept the deficit from getting worse.
Against the number
Tennessee closed as a 13.5-point favorite, and a seven-point win meant Arkansas covered. The Volunteers were -575 on the moneyline with Arkansas at +425, so the favorite paid off straight up, but only just.
The total closed at 51.5. With 41 points scored, the under came in comfortably; the teams combined for just seven points in the first half.
Full pricing history is on the game page.
What's next
Tennessee is 5-1, with the only loss a 20-17 decision against No. 1 Texas. The Volunteers host No. 6 Alabama on Saturday, October 17, on ABC. Ball security will be the first question after three turnovers here.
Arkansas falls to 2-4, losing a third straight SEC game after defeats to No. 2 Georgia and Texas A&M. This was its closest result against a ranked team this season. The Razorbacks visit Vanderbilt on Saturday, October 17, on ESPN2.