Inside Arkansas lists “3 Musts” for the Razorbacks prior to each game. Here is how the Hogs navigated the non-negotiables in Saturday’s epic 19-14 upset over No. 4 Tennessee in Fayetteville.
Arkansas MUST Establish The Run Game
It was always going to be a tall task, but the Hogs needed to establish the run game in order to have a chance against the Vols. The Razorbacks didn’t run wild, but they did enough to keep Tennessee’s defense guessing, keep the sticks moving and keep their vaunted offense off the field.
The run game was cooking early as Arkansas had 28 rushing yards on a 9-minute, 16-play drive that resulted in a field goal. The Razorbacks had to fight to earn every yard from there, but each of them mattered tremendously.
Eventually, the consistent effort softened things up and the dam broke late in the fourth quarter when true freshman running back Braylen Russell broke a 24-yard run off to set Arkansas up the offense for the eventual game winning touchdown run by Malachi Singleton.
The Razorbacks finished the game with 137 rushing yards — nearly triple what Tennessee allows this season on average. Russell finished the game with 62 yards on 8 carries and starter Ja’Quinden Jackson toughed his way to 57 yards on 20 carries.
[You might be interested in Razorbacks React To Thrilling Upset Of No. 4 Tennessee]
Arkansas MUST Shut Down Dylan Sampson
Tennessee entered play averaging 290 rushing yards per game with Dylan Sampson being the No. 1 bell cow in the operation. Shut down might be a strong term, although Arkansas did exactly that in the first half, but he ultimately broke loose for a 53-yard run early in the third quarter that quickly led to one of his two rushing touchdowns on the night.
Sampson finished with a solid 140 yards on 22 carries, but his chunk plays were limited to just one. Tennessee finished with 176 rushing yards on 4.9 per carry, far less than its season average.
Arkansas MUST Create Havoc On Defense
Who had turnover-free game on their bingo card for Arkansas-Tennessee? Probably not too many folks out there if we are being honest…
While Arkansas did not come up with a takeaway, it created plenty of havoc defensively, finishing the game with a season-high four sacks as the defensive line put together its best overall performance of the season.
Defensive coordinator Travis Williams mixed up his coverages and formations to keep Nico Iamaleava flustered throughout the game, and the Razorbacks flew around and made plays with a stellar showing that was instrumental in Sam Pittman picking up arguably the biggest win of his tenure.
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