Malachi Singleton scored on an 11-yard run with just 1:17 left in the game, helping Arkansas beat No. 4 Tennessee 19-14 on Saturday night.
The Razorbacks (4-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) came back from a 14-3 deficit in the third quarter to achieve their first home win against a top-five team since they defeated the No. 3 Volunteers in 1999. Singleton, who is the backup to starting quarterback Taylen Green, led the game-winning drive after Green had to leave the game due to an injury.
“Our kids, our coaches did a wonderful job of preparing our guys and making them believe that we can go win tonight,” said Arkansas coach Sam Pittman. “These guys are happy; they’re not surprised. If we have the same amount of turnovers, we can play with anybody.
“You get into coaching for moments like what just happened, and it’s to see the kids and the smiles on their face and the hard work that they do, because there are a lot of teams that can’t get to that feeling. We did tonight.”
Along with No. 1 Alabama’s loss at Vanderbilt earlier that day, it was the first time two top-5 teams from the same conference lost on the same weekend since October 6, 2012, when No. 4 LSU and No. 5 Georgia were defeated. This was also the first time two top-5 teams lost to unranked opponents since No. 4 Miami and No. 5 Florida State lost on October 30, 2004.
Singleton completed 2 of 3 passes for 31 yards and ran four times for 12 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown. Ja’Quinden Jackson contributed 57 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, while Andrew Armstrong led Arkansas with nine catches for 132 yards.
“The last two drives, he was phenomenal,” Pittman said about Singleton, a redshirt freshman. “He ran (the offense) very, very well and scored the touchdown to go ahead. He’s been here a long time and hasn’t gotten to play. To go in there and score the winning touchdown — with the help of 10 other guys — has to be really fulfilling for him.”
