Arkansas stunned No. 4 Tennessee on Saturday night as the Razorbacks clawed back from an 11-point deficit in the second half to upset the Volunteers 19-14 in a thrilling SEC battle.
Playing in place of injured starter Taylen Green, Arkansas backup quarterback Malachi Singleton scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:17 remaining on an 11-yard rush for the Razorbacks. But even then, the Arkansas defense had to make one more stand as the Volunteers made a final surge into Hogs territory.
Ultimately, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava chose to simply run out of bounds with the football at the Arkansas 16-yard line instead of attempting a pass to the end zone that could have potentially produced a game-winning score. The head-scratching decision was part of a frustrating offensive night for the Volunteers.
The outcome capped an improbable rally for the Razorbacks, who entered as 13.5-point underdogs against a Tennessee team coming off a bye week. When Dylan Sampson surged in from four yards out to put Tennessee ahead 14-3 midway through the third quarter, it seemed the Volunteers might be finding their stride.
But that's when the Razorbacks finally made a long-awaited breakthrough. After moving the football but struggling to finish drives in the first half, Arkansas went 75 yards on 10 plays late in the third quarter for a touchdown that was fueled by a series of big passes from Green.
The Razorbacks' star quarterback then went down after taking a big hit to the knees early in the fourth quarter, which forced Singleton into the lineup. Green attempted to return on the Razorbacks' next series but was clearly limping, which meant Singleton had to finish the job.
He did it by leading a 59-yard touchdown drive to make the Razorbacks the second unranked SEC team to take down a top-5 opponent on Saturday, joining Vanderbilt after the Commodores took down No. 1 Alabama.