After a 4-1 start to the season, the Tennessee Volunteers return to action from an open date with a home game against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday afternoon in Neyland Stadium. The Vols found their first SEC win two weeks ago in an overtime contest at Mississippi State, and will look to build on that this weekend with the Razorbacks rolling into Rocky Top.
The game will be played at 4:15 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon.
As things currently stand, Tennessee is a point favorite over Arkansas heading into the weekend. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Vols an 82.6% chance to defend it’s home field against the Razorbacks.
Here’s a look at some of the other intriguing odds for the game on Saturday:
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Tennessee vs Arkansas
The Razorbacks are 2-3 on the season with wins against Alabama A&M and Arkansas State, and losses to Ole Miss, Memphis, and Notre Dame. Arkansas is currently on a three-game losing streak, but is coming off an open date after a 56-13 beatdown at the hands of the Fighting Irish two weeks ago in Fayetteville.
That loss wound up being the final nail in the coffin for Sam Pittman’s tenure with the Razorbacks. Arkansas fired Pittman after the loss, turning things over to interim head coach Bobby Petrino, who has served as the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator since the 2024 season.
Petrino’s offense hasn’t been the problem for Arkansas this season. Aside from the 13-point showing against Notre Dame, the Razorbacks have scored 31 points or more in their other four games this season. Arkansas currently ranks No. 5 in the SEC in total scoring with 37.40 points per game. The issue has been the defense. The Razorbacks have the worst defense in the conference through the first six weeks, giving up an average of 425 yards per game.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is back to its high-scoring ways behind the arm of quarterback Joey Aguilar. The former App State/UCLA quarterback has been a nice fit for Josh Heupel’s offense and has impressed with what he’s shown on the field so far. Behind Aguilar’s orchestration of the offense, the Vols boast the SEC’s highest passing mark at 337.20 yards through the air per game.
One of the big reasons for Tennessee’s passing game getting back on track has been thanks to the explosive play. Tennessee wide receiver Chris Brazzell is in the midst of a true breakout season this year, ranking second in the SEC in total receiving yards at 531 through the first five games. He also has a conference-leading seven touchdown receptions to his name.
While Tennessee’s defense hasn’t been near the numbers it put up in a big season last year, there’s optimism that it could turn a corner soon. The Vols have been riddled with injuries this season, but they did get star defensive lineman Jaxson Moi back for the Mississippi State game two weeks ago. Tennessee will also receive a big boost when it gets back defensive lineman Daevin Hobbs from injury, whenever that might be.
No. 12 Tennessee will host Arkansas at 4:15 p.m. ET on Saturday in Neyland Stadium. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for complete game-week coverage leading to the contest this weekend.
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