FAYETTEVILLE -- The new-look Arkansas Razorbacks gave No. 12 Tennessee a big scare, but the Volunteers pulled away in the third quarter and hung on late to subdue the Hogs 34-31 on Saturday.
Arkansas (2-4, 0-2 SEC) dropped its fourth straight game but showed a tougher streak in its first competition under interim Coach Bobby Petrino, including a furious fourth-quarter rally before a crowd of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium. The Razorbacks' past nine road losses have all been one-score setbacks.
Petrino said the Razorbacks, who outgained Tennessee 496-485 in total offense and became the first team this season to hold the Vols to less than 40 points, were well-prepared.
"We played physical and we played tough," Petrino said. "They're a good, good football team."
The Volunteers (5-1, 2-1) trailed 17-10 late in the second quarter after a 1-yard touchdown run by Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. before rallying for 24 consecutive points to lead 34-17 with 13:15 left in the game.
Arkansas had two trending bugaboos crop up again. The Razorbacks lost the turnover battle 3-0, with Tennessee cashing in one of its takeaways for a touchdown, and they struggled to gain offensive traction in the second half until late.
"We came out with the loss, but we played a decent game," Washington said "If we're able to eliminate the turnovers, we're able to finish off four quarters ... the outcome would have been different."
Petrino pointed to the turnovers and his decision to go for it in fourth-and-3 from the Tennessee 25, when a field goal would have forged a 20-20 tie with about six minutes left in the third quarter, as the biggest factors in the outcome.
"We got hurt with some protections and negative plays, and obviously the turnovers ended up killing us," Petrino said. "And then I made the decision to go for it instead of kick the field goal and that ends up killing us, too."
Arkansas got the pace of the game to its liking by holding a 34:55-to-25:05 edge in time of possession and they showed discipline in the hostile environment with just one penalty for 10 yards.
After Arkansas ran for 157 yards in the first half, 100 of them by Washington, Tennessee tweaked its defensive scheme to crowd the box and it paid off with a critical shutout in the third quarter.
"They came down and got in more of an eight-man front, and then they were rocking and rolling their safeties and just said, 'Throw the ball,' basically," Petrino said. "And it took me, took long to get to throwing it. I wish I had done it a series earlier."
In addition to losing the ball on downs at the Tennessee 25 on Taylen Green's incomplete pass, Arkansas also lost a fumble by Braylen Russell after his 15-yard run to the Vols' 14 during the decisive third quarter.
Tennessee defensive end Joshua Josephs knocked the ball loose from a scrambling Green on the second snap of the fourth quarter and linebacker Arion Carter recovered at the Hogs' 19 to create a short-field touchdown.
Peyton Lewis' 3-yard touchdown run, his second score in a span of four minutes, gave Tennessee its 34-17 advantage.
But the Razorbacks did not go slip-sliding away at that point, even after Green endured three consecutive sacks to open the fourth quarter to give the Vols five for the game.
Green overcame a 5-yard sack back to the Hogs' 14 to move the sticks on his 18-yard throw to O'Mega Blake on third-and-9.
Green drove Arkansas 81 yards in 10 plays and fired a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Rohan Jones with 8:17 remaining to pull the Razorbacks within 34-24.
Tennessee quickly drove to midfield, but the Arkansas defense stiffened there and forced a punt, which bounced into the end zone for a touchback with 4:51 to play.
Green put the quick-passing game to good work at that point, finding Raylen Sharpe for 30 yards, CJ Brown for 12 and then completing a sideline throw to Brown for 20 yards to get into the red zone.
On third-and-10, the offensive line provided good protection as Green had time to find an open Kam Shanks crossing near the front of the end zone for a 12-yard score with 2:55 left that got Arkansas within a field goal.
Petrino elected to kick deep with two timeouts remaining rather than try an onside kick. But Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar's keeper for 28 yards opened the series. The Hogs had one more shot to get a stop and force a late punt, but Lewis gained 7 yards over the left side on third-and-1 and the Vols kneeled it out from there.
Green completed 21 of 31 passes for 256 yards and 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Green lost two fumbles, both of them when he was hit while trying to draw back and pass while on the run.
The Razorbacks rushed for 240 yards, including a season-high 131 for Washington.
Aguilar went 16-for-25 passing for 221 yards and o1ne touchdown and was not sacked.
The Volunteers' frequent blitzing led to the 5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss and 6 quarterback hurries. Conversely, Arkansas was credited with just two tackles for loss and one hurry by defensive tackle Cam Ball.
Petrino said he wanted the Arkansas offense to stay aggressive and it paid off early as the Hogs converted a fourth-and-1 from their 34 on the first drive, leading to Green's 11-yard touchdown run over the left edge.
Scott Starzyk's 28-yard field goal gave the Hogs a 10-7 edge with 20 seconds left in the first quarter. After holding the Volunteers to a tying field goal early in the second quarter, Arkansas la9unched a time-consuming 75-yard drive that featured a 20-yard catch by Blake and Green's 22-yard scramble. Sharpe's 10-yard catch set up Washington's 1-yard score with 4:36 left in the half.
Arkansas running back Braylen Russell is hit by Tennessee's Endrees Farooq (left) and Jordan Ross on Saturday. Russell fumbled on the play and the Volunteers recovered. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)Arkansas wide receiver Kam Shanks catches a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Taylen Green in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game at Tennessee. The touchdown pulled the Razorbacks to within 34-31 with 2:55 left in the game, but they could draw no closer. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)