FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Tennessee sophomore receiver Radarious Jackson didn’t have a single catch during Saturday’s 24-17 win at Arkansas.
The 6-foot-2, 208-pounder did have the game’s most memorable tackle, likely saving the contest and potentially more than that for the Volunteers.
With 12 seconds before halftime and Tennessee leading 7-0, the Vols had third-and-2 at the Arkansas 19-yard line. Staring at a worst-case scenario of a 10-0 advantage at the break, Vols quarterback MacIntyre dropped back to pass and lost control of the ball, resulting in a fumble that Razorbacks defensive end Quincy Rhodes was able to scoop up and ramble all the way down to the Tennessee 20 before Jackson tripped him up.
Three seconds remained, but Arkansas came away empty when former Vols kicker Max Gilbert pulled a 38-yard field-goal attempt wide to the left.
“That was a huge, huge play,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “It changes the game, and it can change your season. It’s actually something that through our experience we’ve talked about, and it’s shown to our players. That’s why our offensive guys are going to be involved in tackling at some point during the course of the offseason.
“It was a big-time play. It’s a guy just continuing to compete, getting a guy down. It was a seven-point play, because it ends up negating all of it.”
Rhodes is 6-6 and 273 pounds, so Tennessee 6-2, 305-pound defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam certainly appreciated Jackson’s efforts in bringing down someone noticeably bigger.
“Looking at that moment, that actually meant a lot, because you never know what can happen,” Gilliam said. “Even a field goal there means something in a game that was so tight, and looking back at it, that was a big play that wound up changing the game.”
Inge’s ‘true miracle’
Heupel provided an update on third-year linebackers coach William Inge, who has been hospitalized since conference play started and has missed the past four games overall.
“Coach Inge has faced a ton of adversity and was really fighting for his life, and that kind of came out of nowhere,” Heupel said. “There are a lot of people who have been praying — our football family, the university and our fans, too. Sometimes it’s rare in this world that you get to see a true miracle right before your eyes, but that’s truly what we’ve been able to see.
“That’s what his family has seen, too. He’s doing really well, and he should be able to get out of the hospital here in the middle of next week and hopefully begin his rehab process. If you ever question the power of prayer, anybody who has seen this can attest to the power of prayer. I want to thank our Vol family and for people across the country.”
Quarterback decision
Heupel never revealed his starting quarterback publicly during the week leading up to the game, but he named MacIntyre to the team on Monday.
Five-star freshman Faizon Brandon started the first five games but sustained a shoulder injury in the fourth contest against Texas and was replaced by MacIntyre last week against Auburn.
“With what he was dealing with, he really didn’t rep during the course of the week,” Heupel said. “George knew on Monday that he was going to start this week, and we’ll continue to play it by ear as we keep going. The strength of one room can never be one guy, and I know most of you guys are tired of me saying that, but that’s the truth of it.”
Odds and ends
Tennessee improved to 15-7 against Arkansas and now owns consecutive victories over the Razorbacks for the first time since the 2001-02 seasons. … The Vols won their 899th game on the field, but the NCAA recognizes them with 888 due to 11 vacated victories in the Jeremy Pruitt era (2018-20) because of NCAA sanctions. … Saturday was Heupel’s 50th win with the Vols against 21 defeats. … The Vols are 18-0 under Heupel against teams under .500 at the time they played. … Sophomore running back and Chattanooga resident Daune Morris had 33 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards. … Junior kicker Cooper Ranvier’s 49-yard field goal in the third quarter was his season long.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.