The standings say Arkansas and Tennessee aren’t that far apart.
The Hogs have two wins. The Vols have four.
That’s a two-game gap in early October, which doesn’t sound like much.
Then you watch them play, and the math stops helping.
No. 15 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) visits Fayetteville on Saturday for a 3:15 p.m. kickoff against a Razorbacks team (2-3, 0-2 SEC) that hasn’t been competitive in league play.
Both conference losses got out of hand, and Arkansas is giving up 39.5 points per game against SEC opponents.
The program has dropped 13 straight league games, and Ryan Silverfield hasn’t won one yet as the Hogs’ coach.
You can blame play calling for some of that. Most of it is the roster.
Gap starts on the ground
DeSean Bishop is the easiest place to see it.
The junior ran for 220 yards and three scores on 34 carries in a 24-14 win over Auburn.
He’s at 540 yards and seven touchdowns on 88 attempts through five games.
Tennessee runs for 240.6 yards a game at 5.3 per carry, and Josh Heupel is 37-2 when his team reaches 200 on the ground.
The Vols have won 31 in a row when they get there.
They’re also 7 for 10 on fourth down, which tells you how much Heupel trusts his blockers.
The Razorbacks haven’t slowed the run against any of the three power conference teams they’ve played.
You can guess what’s coming.
Tennessee has flaws Hogs haven’t shown it can use
What should bug Hogs fans is that the Vols aren’t a finished product.
Their quarterback spot is unsettled. Freshman Faizon Brandon hurt his throwing shoulder against Texas and got pulled against Auburn after throwing a pick, the first of his career.
Sophomore George MacIntyre came in and went 8 of 10 for 86 yards.
Tennessee throws for only 174.4 yards a game, even with Mike Matthews turning 18 catches into 318 yards and three scores.
The Vols convert just 36.9% of their third downs.
They draw seven flags a game for 60 yards and have fumbled 10 times, losing four.
A team with enough good players cashes those in. Arkansas has forced four turnovers all year, and three came against North Alabama and Tulsa.
The only one in a loss was a Christian Harrison pick at Utah.
Players decide it, like they always do
The other side of the ball isn’t any friendlier.
Xavier Gilliam has four sacks among his 8.5 stops behind the line from the nose. Mariyon Dye has added four more and Tyree Weathersby is at 3.5.
Arion Carter’s 33 tackles are the most on the roster.
Opponents have thrown two touchdown passes against that group and been intercepted five times.
If the Razorbacks want to help KJ Jackson, the place to start is 132.2. That’s how many rushing yards Tennessee gives up a game, and Tim Cramsey’s play sheet should reflect it.
Arkansas gives up 340 yards a game on defense, which is better than last year. The 28.4 points a game says it still isn’t good enough.
The Hogs have taken four of the past five meetings, including the 19-14 upset of a seventh-ranked Tennessee team in 2024. That was two years ago.
Schemes don’t decide games like this one. Players do, and right now Tennessee has more of them.
