Singleton scores a late TD as No. 4 Arkansas beats Tennessee 19-14

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

The Razorbacks (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) overcame a 14-3 third-quarter deficit to earn their first home win against a top-five opponent since defeating No. 3 Volunteers in 1999. Singleton, the starting backup quarterback Taylen Green, led the game-winning drive after the Boise State transfer left the game with an injury.

“Our kids and our coaches did a great job of preparing our guys and instilling in them the belief that we can win tonight,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “These guys are happy; You are not surprised. If we have the same number of turnovers, we can play with anyone.

“You start coaching for moments like what just happened and it’s about seeing the kids and the smiles on their faces and the hard work they do because there are a lot of teams that don’t have that feeling can achieve. That’s what we did tonight.”

Combined with No. 1 Alabama’s loss at Vanderbilt earlier in the day, October 6, 2012 marked the first time that two top-5 teams from the same conference lost on the same regular season weekend, as No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Georgia were beaten. It also marked the first time that two top-five teams were defeated by unranked opponents since defeats by No. 4 Miami and No. 5 Florida State on October 30, 2004.

Singleton completed two of three passes for 31 yards and ran four times for 12 yards and the go-ahead 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 take the lead. He’s been here for a long time and hasn’t been able to play. To go in there and score the winning touchdown – with the help of 10 other guys – must be really fulfilling for him.”

After Singleton’s score, Nico Iamaleava led Tennessee (4-1, 1-1) to the Razorbacks’ 20, but was forced out of bounds on fourth and fifth as time expired. Arkansas fans immediately stormed the field.

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

“When moments like this happen, the outside world will have a narrative for you. We talk about it when things are going well, and it didn’t go well tonight,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “You have to look your teammates in the eyes. These are the opinions that count.

“You have to keep pulling the rope harder. We have to keep growing. Good teams get better as the year goes on. (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.

Iamaleava was 16 for 28 passes for 156 yards and Sampson ran for a game-high 140 yards on 22 carries.

Behind early

When Arkansas capped a 16-play, 74-yard drive with a 20-yard field goal from Kyle Ramsey at the 5:48 mark of the first quarter, it was the first time Tennessee had lost since the 38-10 loss fell behind to best-placed Georgia last November. The Volunteers had not trailed in their last six games.

Impact on the survey

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

Arkansas could receive a significant number of votes.

The takeaway food

Tennessee’s defense was solid for most of the game, but the offense, which entered the weekend ranked No. 1 in the FBS in points per game, has some issues to work out.

Arkansas enters its bye week on a positive note after posting its 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

Tennessee returns home to host Florida next Saturday.

Arkansas has a bye week before hosting No. 13 LSU on Oct. 19.

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