Razorbacks stun Vols, end drought vs. top-5 teams

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Malachi Singleton scored on an 11-yard run with 1:17 left to lead Arkansas to a 19-14 win over No. 4 Tennessee on Saturday night.

The Razorbacks (4-2, 2-1 SEC) overcame a 14-3 third-quarter deficit to earn their first win over an AP Top-5 team since 2007 against No. 1 LSU. They had lost 18 straight against such teams entering Saturday.

It was their first home win against a top-5 opponent since defeating the No. 3 Volunteers in 1999. Singleton, backup to quarterback Talen Greene, led the game-winning drive after the Boise State transfer left the game with an injury. .

“Our kids, our coaches did a great job of preparing our guys and getting them to believe we could win tonight,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “These guys are happy; they're not surprised. If we have the same amount of turnovers, we can play with anybody.

“You go to coaching for moments like that that just happened, and it's seeing the kids and the smiles on their faces and the hard work they put in, because there's a lot of teams that don't get that feeling. We did tonight.”

In addition to No. 1 Alabama's loss at Vanderbilt the previous day, it was the first time two top-5 teams from the same conference had been beaten in the same regular-season weekend since Oct. 6, 2012, when No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Georgia were defeated. It was the first time two top-5 teams lost to unranked opponents since No. 4 Miami and No. 5 Florida State were defeated on Oct. 30, 2004.

Singleton completed 2 of 3 passes for 31 yards and ran four times for 12 yards and a touchdown. Ja'Quinden Jackson added 57 yards rushing and a touchdown on 20 carries, and Andrew Armstrong led Arkansas with nine receptions for 132 yards.

“The last two drives, he's been phenomenal,” Pittman said of Singleton, a redshirt freshman. “He ran (the offense) very, very well and scored the touchdown to go ahead. He's been here a long time and hasn't played. To go out there and score the winning touchdown — with 10 other guys helping — it's going to be really fulfilling for him. “

Following Singleton's score, Niko Imaleva drove Tennessee (4-1, 1-1) down to the Razorbacks' 20, but was pushed out of bounds on fourth-and-5 as time expired. Arkansas fans immediately stormed the field.

Dylan Sampson scored two third-quarter touchdowns in a 4:14 span to give the Volunteers a 14-3 lead, seemingly turning the game around. But Arkansas, in front of the sixth-largest crowd in its stadium's history, scored the game's final 16 points and held on late on another defensive stop.

“When moments like this happen, the outside world creates a narrative for you. We talk about it when it's going well, and tonight didn't go well,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “You have to look your teammates in the eye. That's the opinion that matters.

“You've got to pull tighter. We've got to grow. Good teams get better all year long. (We) still have a chance to be a really good football team.”

Green completed 19 of 27 passes for 266 yards before leaving the game.

Imleva was 16 of 28 for 156 yards and Sampson rushed for 140 yards on 22 carries.

hurry back

When Arkansas capped a 16-play, 74-yard game-opening drive with Kyle Ramsey's 20-yard field goal at the 5:48 mark of the first quarter, Tennessee trailed for the first time since a 38-10 loss. to top-ranked Georgia last November. The Volunteers had not faced a deficit in their previous six games.

Effect of voting

Tennessee is certain to drop in the upcoming AP poll after its first loss since last November.

Arkansas could get a healthy amount of votes.

Takeaway

Tennessee's defense was stout for most of the game, but its offense, which entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in FBS in points per game, struggled to function.

Arkansas enters the bye week on a positive note after recording the biggest win of the Sam Pittman era. The Razorbacks matched their win total from last season and took a big step toward bowl eligibility.

Next up

Host Tennessee returns home to Florida next Saturday.

A week before Arkansas hosts No. 13 LSU on Oct. 19.

This report uses information from The Associated Press.