The Arkansas Razorbacks are set to take on the 4th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (CT) at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium in Fayetteville. Here are the 3 ‘Musts’ for the Hogs if they have any plans on pulling an upset.
Arkansas MUST Establish The Run Game
After getting bottled up on the ground last weekend against Texas A&M, Arkansas will hope to get the rushing attack back on track at home on Saturday.
The only problem is the Razorbacks will have their hands plenty full as the Volunteers come to town boasting the 2nd-ranked run defense in the country, allowing just 50.8 rushing yards through four games.
Tennessee is giving up 1.57 rushing yards per carry to this point in the season, so the task is tall, but Arkansas will need to lean on the dynamic duo of Ja’Quinden Jackson and Taylen Green to sustain drives.
The script for Tennessee is likely to load the box and try to force Green to beat them through the air. Green will have to do his part to keep the Vols honest and be willing to take shots down field, but Arkansas’ offense still has to start on the ground.
Arkansas abandoned the run at times last week and inexplicably only gave Jackson 10 carries against the Aggies. His touches should double Saturday night. Petrino can get creative in how those happen, but Jackson is too valuable to not be toting the rock often.
[You may also be interested in Arkansas-Tennessee Midweek Injury Report]
Arkansas MUST Shut Down Dylan Sampson
Tennessee has a star running back of its own in Dylan Sampson, who has racked up 449 rushing yards on 69 carries with 10 touchdowns through four games.
While Jackson leads the SEC in total rushing, Sampson paces the league at 112.25 yards per game to spearhead a Tennessee rushing attack that ranks fourth in the nation at 290 yards per game on the ground.
The defensive script will be similar for Travis Williams: Emphasize containing the run game and dare young — albeit immensely talented — quarterback Nico Iamaleava to try and beat you through the air.
Arkansas has the pieces, theoretically, to put the plan into action. The Razorbacks are rolling into this game with a top 25 rushing defense nationally only giving up 93 yards per game.
The Hogs limited Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon to only 49 yards on 17 carries. Auburn’s Jarquez Hunter only hurt Arkansas for 67 rushing yards. Texas A&M’s Le’Veion Moss went for 117 on the ground last week, but 90 came on just six touches in the fourth quarter.
Arkansas MUST Create Havoc On Defense
Let’s be honest here… It is more likely that Arkansas creates some havoc and comes up with a couple takeaways than it is that it plays a clean game with no turnovers against Tennessee.
The Razorbacks will need to create disruptions defensively against the Vols to pull off an upset Saturday night, and the big plays could come at any level.
Perhaps the opportunistic secondary that feasted against Auburn — shout out to TJ Metcalf — can take advantage of a youthful mistake or two from Nico Iamaleava.
Maybe defensive end Landon Jackson doubles down on his disruptive performance against the Aggies and jars one loose or impacts a throw.
Sometimes there is just a little luck involved. A tipped ball that falls into the right hands. A helmet in the right place the forces a fumble. A ball that hits the turf and bounces the right way. Regardless, the recipe for a win included takeaways as an ingredient.
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