No. 4 Tennessee and Arkansas desperately want to win in an underrated showdown Saturday featuringf two of the SEC's most electric quarterbacks.
The stakes are clear, but so different for the teams: Tennessee is fighting for an SEC title; Arkansas is fighting for its season. The Razorbacks (3-2, 1-1 SEC) have failed to pick up season-turning wins, building leads against nationally ranked Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, only to falter late with turnovers and offensive miscues. Meanwhile, the Volunteers (4-0, 1-0) are rolling on schedule with the nation's top scoring offense and No. 1 defense, a development that has kept them well above the fray of close games.
Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava and Arkansas' Taylon Green are among the most entertaining quarterbacks in the country. Iamaleava's powerful arm and top-tier receivers make for a prolific offense averaging 54 points per game. Green does a little bit of everything for Bobby Petrino's offense, averaging 313.4 yards per game, but turnovers and costly penalties have sunk his highlight-reel performances.
Tennessee travels to Fayetteville following a bye week, providing more uncertainty for the Hogs, who expect the Vols to add a few new wrinkles into their already-explosive schemes.
No. 4 Tennessee vs. Arkansas: Need to know
Tennessee's defense is elite: Tennessee's offense isn't just amazing. The defense is off to its best start since 1966, allowing only 7 points per game through four games. The unit is allowing only 176.9 yards per game, the best mark by an SEC team since 2007 LSU, which won the national title. The key is the defensive line, which rotates three deep. Twelve defensive linemen played in the 25-5 demolition of Oklahoma and 10 players combined for 11 tackles for loss.
"If we let them just tee off on us, it's going to be a difficult challenge to block them at times," Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. "They're not going to have a tired guy out there — they don't need to — because they're very talented and have a lot of depth there."
Turnovers killing the Hogs: It's not just turnovers that have been a killer for the Hogs this season, it's the timing of those fumbles and interceptions. The Hogs rank 89th in turnover margin (-0.4 per game) and have also been charged with penalties in big moments, ranking 76th. Green fumbled with 90 seconds remaining last week in a comeback attempt and threw an interception near the end of the first half, ending a promising 10-play drive. The Hogs lost 21-17. Tennessee has forced three turnovers in its last three road or neutral site games.
Dylan Sampson is running with the best: Boise State's Ashton Jeanty is the best running back in the country, but Tennessee's Dylan Sampson is at least matching him in one category: touchdowns. Sampson is averaging 112.3 rushing yards to go along with 10 scores, making him and Jeanty the only running backs with at least 10 touchdowns this season. Sampson is slippery between the tackles, making him problematic for any defense he faces. Oklahoma's defensive line is among the nation's best, but he carved them up with 92 yards and a touchdown.
How to watch No. 4 Tennessee vs. Arkansas live
Date: Saturday, Sept. 27 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium – Fayetteville, Arkansas
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
No. 4 Tennessee vs. Arkansas prediction, picks
Tennessee held back against Oklahoma, opting to lean on the running attack instead of pouring it on after building a 22-3 lead two weeks ago. Arkansas presents a different challenge, however, particularly with a mobile quarterback. This should be a solid test for Tennessee's elite and deep defensive line, particularly against the run. The Hogs struggle in pass pro but they're solid with the run, ranking 21st nationally with 212 yards per game. Ja'Quinden Jackson averages 6.4 yards per carry and quarterback Taylen Green is the second-leading rusher at 66.2 yards per game. The Hogs, however, try too hard to make plays when things break down and it leads to costly turnovers, which led to losses to Oklahoma State and Texas A&M in one-possession games. The Hogs are among the worst in the SEC in turnover margin (14th), and Tennessee's defense is among the nation's best in every category. Pick: Arkansas +13.5
SportsLine's proven computer model is calling for seven outright upsets in Week 6 of college football. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times.