Tennessee
Tennessee vs. Arkansas prediction: Who wins, and why?
SEC football is back this weekend as No. 4 Tennessee hits the road a second-straight week in a matchup against Arkansas in college football’s Week 6 action on Saturday night. Let’s check in with our latest prediction for the game.
Arkansas is 12 combined points away from being undefeated, holding leads against Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, but ultimately losing those games as a result of ill-timed ball security issues and some offensive mistakes, resulting in a 3-2 mark.
Tennessee is angling for an SEC title and more, sitting at 4-0 behind the nation’s No. 1 ranked total defense, 1 of 2 teams to allow under 200 yards per game and under 800 yards total this season.
What can we make of the matchup?
Here’s what you should watch out for as Arkansas hosts Tennessee in this Week 6 college football game with our updated prediction.
1. Hogs on the ground. Utah transfer back Ja’Quinden Jackson has been key to the Razorbacks’ offense, running for more than 100 yards in his first 3 games, and he leads the SEC with 509 rushing yards and is second with 9 touchdowns.
Tennessee is 2nd in FBS against the run, allowing just under 51 yards per game on the ground. And while Jackson is 1 of 3 SEC backs to average more than 100 yards per game, his output against conference teams is limited, averaging 56 yards despite playing against 2 of the league’s worst run defense teams.
2. Turnovers. Arkansas has suffered some very badly-timed turnovers this season, as quarterback Taylen Green threw a pick-six that allowed Oklahoma State to mount a comeback, and he threw another pick and then fumbled late in regulation last week.
The Hogs are 89th in turnover margin and are second-worst in the SEC with 9 giveaways. The Vols have recovered 5 fumbles this season, and have forced 3 takeaways in their last three 3 games away from Rocky Top.
3. At the line. Stopping the run is Arkansas’ strength on defense thus far behind a decent front seven rotation, ranking 21st in FBS by allowing just 93 yards per game rushing.
Tennessee is 4th nationally with 290 rushing yards per game and lead back Dylan Sampson is averaging more than 112 yards himself and is 1 of 2 backs in the country with 10 rushing touchdowns.
Most analytical models favor the Volunteers against the Razorbacks in this matchup.
That includes the College Football Power Index, a computer prediction model that uses data points from both teams to simulate games 20,000 times to pick winners.
Tennessee is projected to win the game in the majority 82.1 percent of the computer’s most recent simulations.
That leaves Arkansas as the expected winner in the remaining 17.9 percent of sims.
Tennessee is projected to be 14 points better than Arkansas on the same field in both teams’ current composition, according to the model’s latest forecast.
More … Tennessee vs. Arkansas prediction: What the analytics say
Tennessee is a 13.5 point favorite against Arkansas, according to the lines at FanDuel Sportsbook.
FanDuel set the total at 56.5 points for the game.
And it listed the moneyline odds for Tennessee at -525 and for Arkansas at +400 to win outright.
A decent majority of bets are projecting the Vols will get the better of the Hogs.
About 58 percent of bettors are expecting that Tennessee will win the game and cover the spread.
The remaining 42 percent of wagers suggest that Arkansas will either win in an upset, or, more likely, will keep the game under two touchdowns.
There isn’t a phase in this game where Tennessee’s defense should be at any major disadvantage, especially when generating pressure from the nucleus of this unit, its elite front seven rotation.
And while Arkansas has struggled in pass protection during stretches this season, it is a relative strength when blocking for the run, resulting in the team’s strong rushing numbers to date.
The presence of mobile quarterback Taylen Green is a plus, as he can spice up the offense with a battery of scripted and unscripted runs to throw tacklers out of place, even if there are times when he forces a play that results in a turnover.
His scrambles and Jackson’s physical rushing style will find the Vols’ tacklers on the back foot often enough to keep it close, but the Razorbacks do have one marked weakness for UT to exploit.
Arkansas is third-worst in the SEC in pass defense, allowing just under 227 passing yards per game, and that’s despite playing against some substandard passing offenses so far.
Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee’s superb skill threats are another animal, and this feels like the game where Josh Heupel opens up the playbook a little more.
College Football HQ picks …
More … Tennessee vs. Arkansas score prediction by expert football model
When: Sat., Oct. 5
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | 6:30 p.m. CT
TV: ABC network
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BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The poet laureate of Tennessee has just died. Margaret Britton Vaughn was 87-years-old. Friends knew Vaughn as hilarious, talented, and deeply unique.
Visiting Bell Buckle, Tennessee over the years, I’ve just found this little place has so many artists. A proud addition to that is Vaughn.
“When Maggi was your friend, you knew you had a friend,” said longtime friend Annie Rooney. “It wasn’t if you’re rich or poor or have four matching tires on your car, she was your friend.”
Going way back, Vaughn was a songwriter for some country greats.
“Loretta Lynn, yes!” said friend Carla Webb.
To understand the uniqueness of Vaughn, listen to this story.
“Maggi says, ‘honey, you wanna go to the movies with me?’” friend Billy Phillips remembered.
Phillips was nine when he and Vaughn became friends and took a trip to the Carpi Theatre in Shelbyville.
“When I get into the car, there were 200 empty boxes of chocolate bunny rabbits!” Phillips laughed.
“She loved chocolate,” Rooney agreed.
“It couldn’t be hollow milk chocolate,” Phillips continued. “It had to be solid milk chocolate.”
That was just one of many loves. One of the times I got to talk to Vaughn was in 2023. She was selling eclectic things she’d collected. They included a typewriter built out of clothes hangers and a lamp made of forks and spoons.
“Maggi had a lot of stuff!” Phillips said.
She’d call around to antique shops.
“Got anything that looks like me, honey?” Rooney laughed, remembering Vaughn’s calls.
Talking to Vaughn, you came to understand something. She had a deep appreciation for the art and the artist who made it. That’s something that sprang from Vaughn being an artist herself.
“My mother looked down and said, ‘are you sure you don’t want to be a nurse?’” Vaughn told me in 2023. “I said, ‘no, momma. I wanna be a songwriter and a poet.’ People say, ‘Maggi, these books. You’ve written my life.’”
“Maggi had front porch books, not coffee table books,” Webb said.
“She was a poet of the people,” Rooney continued.
Vaughn took on prejudice in her work. She also wrote about all things she loved.
“She covered rural life, southern things,” Phillips said.
That writing carried her to become the poet laureate of Tennessee in 1995. The next year, she wrote Tennessee’s bicentennial poem.
“I gave her her last kiss the other day,” Webb said.
“I’m on the verge of tears,” Phillips added. “This will be a real gut punch.”
Asking around town, people seemed to agree on their favorite of Vaughn’s works.
“Is That You Mama?” Phillips said, naming one of Vaughn’s poems.
Webb read me an excerpt of the poem. It ended with these lines;
“Well, mama, I’m okay now. You tell the Lord I said hi. Was that you, mama, that just kissed me bye?”
“Maggi was a true original, and Bell Buckle was proud to call her our own,” Phillips said.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
Tenn. seniors make a splash on a giant slip-and-slide
A slip-and-slide for seniors?! Who knew it could stir laughter and tears. Photojournalist Angie Dones captures a story filled with so much joy and one that will tug at your heartstrings.
– Carrie Sharp
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — As millions of people are expected to travel through Tennessee to celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is suspending all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes.
The suspension will begin at noon on Thursday, July 2, through 6:00 a.m. on Monday, July 6. Workers may still be on-site during the suspension, and reduced speed limits in work zones will remain in effect. TDOT added that drivers could still be impacted by some long-term lane closures for ongoing construction projects. Drivers are still urged to use caution.
“With so many people driving on and around the Fourth of July, we want to do all we can to ensure they reach their destinations safely and without delays,” said TDOT Commissioner Will Reid, P.E. “We are suspending lane closures during this busy holiday travel time. Be mindful that our HELP Trucks will be on patrol in urban and rural areas and drivers must obey the law by moving over and slowing down for all emergency vehicles on the side of the road.”
AAA predicts more than 1.6 million Tennesseans will travel at least 50 miles from home for the Independence Day between Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, July 5. The company added that this will set a record for Fourth of July travel in Tennessee.
“For many families, traveling for Independence Day isn’t just a trip; it’s a tradition,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Vacations are one category where consumers are still willing to spend, even if that means cutting back on something else. With an extended holiday travel period, we expect busy roads, steady demand for flights, and continued interest in cruises across many parts of the country.”
For those looking to travel over the weekend, join 6 News anchor Bo Williams for our Upcoming Road Work stream on WATE6+ at 2:30 p.m. on Fridays. He will break down traffic conditions, construction projects and events that are expected to impact drivers in East Tennessee over the weekend.
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