Arkansas
'You got to get the ball up': What Josh Heupel said about Tennessee's final play in loss at Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Josh Heupel said Tennessee’s defense let Arkansas score the go-ahead touchdown with one minute, 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter Saturday night to give the Vols a chance to win the game on the following possession.
Arkansas backup quarterback Malachi Singleton ran for an 11-yard touchdown on the first play after a timeout to put the Razorbacks up for good in the 19-14 stunner against the fourth-ranked Vols.
“Yeah, at the very end of it, just with the clock timeout situations that we had,” Heupel said during his postgame press conference, “trying to give ourselves a chance to go answer.”
Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) had two timeouts left when Singleton scored. The Vols used their first timeout on the opening possession of the second half.
The Arkansas game-winning drive went 59 yards in just four plays, with Singleton throwing for 13 yards on first down and Braylen Russell running for 24 yards on second down. Russell rush for 11 yards on the next snap, getting the Hogs down to the 11 before they took a timeout.
Singleton scored on the following play.
‘That situation, you can’t keep the ball in your hands’
Tennessee got the ball at the 25 after the ensuing kickoff. Nico Iamaleava threw incomplete on first down, ran for eight yards on third down and threw a 42-yard pass to Dont’e Thornton on third-and-2.
Dylan Sampson ran for five yards after he caught a bobbled snap on second down, after an Iamaleava incompletion on first-and-10 at the Arkansas 25. He threw incomplete to Chas Nimrod on third-and-five.
On fourth-and-five with six seconds left, Iamaleava was flushed left out of the pocket and was ran out of bounds at the 16-yard line as time expired.
Heupel said the final play was “a full concept read” for Iamaleava.
“He ended up scrambling off of it,” Heupel said. “End of the day, in that scenario, you got to get the ball up and give one of your guys an opportunity to go make a play. Nico, just like me, and just like our football team, wishes that we had played better.
“That situation, you can’t keep the ball in your hands. You want to give somebody an opportunity to go make a play.”
Up Next: Tennessee vs. Florida, Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Iamaleava completed 16 of 28 passes for 156 yards. The Vols rushed 36 times for 176 yards, with Sampson going for 140 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
Tennessee trailed 3-0 at halftime after gaining just 76 total yards in the first half. The Vols went on a 75-yard scoring drive to start the second half, sparked by a 53-yard Sampson run. They went 60 yards on six plays for another Sampson touchdown after forcing an Arkansas three-and-out.
From there, the Vols ended the game with four straight punts and turnover on downs when time expired.
“(Iamaleava is) disappointed with it,” Heupel said, “but he’s got to come back and bounce back from it. He’s played way too good not to respond the right way. And I know he will.”
After a cool/chilly morning that started in the 40s and 50s, Tuesday will warm to the upper 70s and low 80s with nothing but sunshine all day long.
There will be a weak front passing through Arkansas on Wednesday. There will briefly be a few clouds along the time the front actually passes through. But once the front clears, it will once again become sunny.
Starting Friday and lasting through the weekend and into next week a strong south wind will set up. That will warm Arkansas into the mid and upper 80s and introduce a higher level of humidity. It will feel a little like Summer this weekend. Rain chances will return to Central Arkansas starting on Sunday.
With a big upper-level system and cold front approaching early next week, the rain and thunderstorm chance will go up Monday, Monday night and Tuesday. Some strong to severe storms may occur Monday evening. The front will become stationary on Tuesday which will prolong the rainy period and overall help the drought situation Arkansas is facing.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Purple is the color of the month in Arkansas, and Lupus Awareness Month is bringing a busy stretch of events, including a mayoral proclamation and a smooth jazz concert featuring acclaimed saxophonist Merlon Devine.
A proclamation for Lupus Awareness Month is set for 6 p.m. in North Little Rock, with Mayor Hardwick expected to present it. Organizers encouraged lupus warriors and supporters to come out.
Anita Boone, President of the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas Inc. and a former lupus warrior, described the day-to-day reality of living with the disease: “One minute you’re feeling amazing, the next minute your body is saying we can’t do this.”
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, described during the interview as a condition where the immune system attacks the body “inside out.” It can affect organs throughout the body, including the brain, lungs, heart and kidneys. Boone also shared personal impacts, saying, “I am losing, actually, ear from hearing, just because of lupus.”
The Lupus Foundation of Arkansas is also inviting the community to a Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert this Sunday, May 17, at 3:30 at The Space with Grace event venue, 2005 Main St., North Little Rock.
Gale Davis, committee chair for the Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert shared details about the concert.
Davis said guests are encouraged to “dress to impress,” though formalwear isn’t required. The event will include a photo backdrop, light hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and sponsored tables aimed at networking. It’s also a chance for people to meet other lupus warriors, learn more about the foundation’s work, and watch a video presentation highlighting events from the past year.
The featured artist, Merlon Devine, was described as an acclaimed saxophonist known for a soulful, smooth jazz sound, with a career spanning more than two decades and performances across the country and around the world. He’s also an Arkansas native who attended Little Rock Central High School. He now lives in Southern Maryland, outside Washington, D.C.
Davis said Devine’s connection to lupus is personal. She said his father had lupus and has since died, though he didn’t die from lupus. They also said Divine had a sister who died from lupus in 1981 and that he currently has two sisters living with lupus.
She also shared that, according to his doctors, Devine was born with acute asthma and underdeveloped lungs. His latest single, released last year, is called “Mercy.”
Tickets must be purchased online and will not be sold at the door. They’re available online by clicking on the flyer. Prices are $40 for individual tickets, or $400 for a table of nine, with an option to sponsor a table.
Organizers also noted another proclamation is planned for the Little Rock side with Mayor Frank Scott tomorrow, and encouraged people to follow the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas on social media for updates.
The concert will take place this Sunday at the Space With Grace Venue in North Little Rock.
ASHLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — An Arkansas man died after crashing a dirt bike on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Arkansas man, formerly from Newaygo, crashed into a tree while riding a dirt bike on private property in Ashland Township near Grant on Sunday before 2:30 p.m., according to Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers.
Emergency responders tried to save his life but he died at the scene.
Troopers are still investigating but do not suspect drugs or alcohol as factors in the crash.
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MSP did not initially release any additional information.
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