The Arkansas Razorbacks didn’t derail Tennessee’s 2024 football season, but they sure provided an unexpected pothole.
Tennessee headed to Fayetteville with a 4-0 record last October, having dispatched of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, North Carolina State, Kent State and Oklahoma by the average score of 54-7. The Volunteers then had an open date before suddenly falling flat against the Razorbacks, getting outgained 434-332 in total offense in a 19-14 loss.
The two teams will meet again Saturday (4:15 p.m. on the SEC Network) in Neyland Stadium, with Bobby Petrino serving as the Arkansas interim head coach this time around after being the offensive coordinator of the Razorbacks last season.
“You always go back and watch the year before and put that in all your breakdowns and all your cutups and everything like that,” Petrino said Wednesday during the weekly Southeastern Conference teleconference. “We did do a nice job of playing defense, and the key to always playing Tennessee is to have a way to be able to stop the run and not give up explosive plays running the football.
“They do such a good job of spreading you out and throwing it, but it’s the run that is really the major concern. We’ve definitely spent a lot of time on what we did in that game and then who they are this year, because they’re always a little different year to year on what they emphasize and what they do.”
Tennessee recovered from last year’s loss at Arkansas by defeating Florida, Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi State, which served as the key stretch of a 10-3 season that ended with a 42-17 loss at Ohio State in the College Football Playoff’s first round.
The Vols entered last year’s meeting at Arkansas with a No. 4 ranking and are No. 12 now, having compiled a 4-1 record that includes a 1-1 mark in SEC play. They have averaged 51.0 points through five contests and have scored at least 41 points each game, becoming the first team in Tennessee history to surpass 40 points on five consecutive occasions.
“I think everybody certainly remembers the disappointment of that night,” Vols coach Josh Heupel said on the SEC teleconference, “and it’s a part of how you move forward as a program and a focal point in the offseason of being able to control what we can control and continue to push to ultimately become our best. It’s a new season every single week, and last year is last year.
“We need and want to play our best brand of football. That’s what it takes to win in this league, and that’s what it will take against Arkansas.”
Petrino is coaching in his first game since replacing Sam Pittman, who was fired on Sept. 28, one day after the Razorbacks (2-3, 0-1) were demolished 56-13 at home by Notre Dame. He would shake things up immediately by firing defensive coordinator Travis Williams and promoting defensive line coach Chris Wilson.
The Razorbacks have allowed an average of 43.0 points in consecutive losses to Ole Miss, Memphis and the Fighting Irish, but Heupel is expecting to see an improved unit in Knoxville.
“It can change a bunch in two weeks,” Heupel said. “Last year, we saw a different defensive structure from anything they had shown, and they certainly have the opportunity now to be a lot different than they’ve been. For us, we’ve seen a lot of different structures, and we’ve got to adjust and target guys the right way in our run game and in protections.”
Tennessee is leading the nation in scoring, and the Vols are also first with 2.82 plays per minute, so they obviously hope to keep the Razorbacks reeling defensively with their frenetic pace that never could get going in last year’s encounter.
“It’s something they’ve obviously been good at for a long time,” Petrino said. “They’re good at executing, and they’re good at moving fast. It’s important for us that we have great communication and that we get in the right stances and get our eyes where they belong. It’s something we’ve been working on these last two weeks.
“We’re going in to play a very good football team in Tennessee in all three phases in front of a hostile environment. It presents quite a challenge, but our players have had great attitudes and have worked extremely hard. I feel good about where we’re at, and I’m looking forward to going in there and playing good football.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.