Tennessee coach Josh Heupel during a college football game between Tennessee and Arkansas at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee on Oct. 11, 2025. Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Did Arkansas Expose Tennessee Football's Weaknesses?

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Caleb Sisk | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The Tennessee Volunteers wrapped up another in-conference game inside the SEC on Saturday. The Vols played against the Arkansas Razorbacks, who got the best of the Tennessee team last year, but roles definitely reversed in this one as the Tennessee Volunteers walked away with a narrow victory over the Razorbacks, who had a four-game win streak over Tennessee previously.

The Tennessee Volunteers were expected to beat Arkansas by more than what they did, but walking away with a three-point victory has many concerns, as it seems to show that maybe Arkansas exposed some of the Tennessee football weaknesses.

What Weaknesses Did Arkansas Expose?

The Arkansas Razorbacks showed the fact that the Vols have yet to completely be able to limit a QB and his legs. The Razorbacks quarterback, Taylen Green, showed that he is one of the better rushing quarterbacks in the nation, but the Vols just simply couldn't stop him to the degree that they wanted. The Vols allowed a total of 63 yards rushing, which may not seem like a lot but the things that it opened made this feel like the determining factor of why they were able to pick apart the Tennessee defense.

The Vols allowed a total of 256 yards passing, but the Vols had to focus on the QB run and the rushing attack due to how the Razorbacks were scheming up the Vols. This helped the wide receivers get open due the fact that the Vols had to loosen up their grip on the coverage, especially from a linebacker/slot standpoint.

The Vols will be taking on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. This will be a game that the Vols will need to make little to no mistakes. The Vols' back is against a wall in this one, as they are backed up into a corner before it even starts, but even in a corner, you can fight your way out of it, which is what this defensive system will need to do, as they are going to have to contain the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy award, Ty Simpson.

The Vols will be the underdogs in this one, and they will hope to have Jermod McCoy back for this one, but nothing is for certain. They may have a few injuries they have to work past, but that has been the story all season long for the Vols, as they have been getting narrow wins after narrow wins.