Tennessee football welcomes Arkansas to Neyland Stadium on Saturday in what will be a revenge game for most fans and returning players.
After last season’s matchup in Fayetteville saw the unranked Razorbacks upset the Vols 19-14, Tennessee will look to settle the score against an Arkansas program in turmoil.
As the Vols get healthier, this game is one they should control. However, a few Hogs could give head coach Josh Heupel and Tennessee some issues.
Quarterback Taylen Green
The Razorbacks’ redshirt senior quarterback boasts the fourth-most passing yards in the SEC this season, sitting just behind Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar. Green is 98-for-158 passing this season with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.
While his passing numbers are similar to Aguilar’s, Green possesses one notable advantage over Tennessee’s gunslinger – his legs. He has rushed for 441 yards on 54 attempts this season, including 115 yards in Arkansas’s 41-35 road loss to Ole Miss earlier this season.
Green is top in the SEC in total yards, racking up 1839 of them for the season while averaging 367.8 all-purpose yards per game, which is also best in the SEC. As a dual-threat quarterback, the Vols’ defensive line will have its hands full with Green, who will be looking for an upset victory.
Saturday will be Green’s second true road game under center this season, having already gone toe-to-toe with the Rebels in the Hogs’ shootout loss. Tennessee must keep an eye on Green if it wants to take down Arkansas this time around.
Running back Mike Washington Jr.
Behind Green, Mike Washington Jr. is the most experienced player on the Razorbacks’ team, and his numbers this season so far back it up. Washington is second on the team in total offensive production, collecting 393 rushing yards through five games.
The senior tailback gets the majority of snaps for Arkansas and will continue to be featured in the team’s offensive scheme come Saturday. He is averaging 78.6 yards per game with three touchdowns this season.
Washington’s longest run this season was a 53-yard sprint in a win over Arkansas State. In the team’s loss to Ole Miss, he tallied 65 yards on 13 carries, averaging five yards per carry against a stout Rebels defense.
Tennessee’s defensive line is no slouch either, and Arkansas will need Washington to find a way through it if it hopes to upset the Vols this weekend.
Wide receiver O’Mega Blake
Arkansas’ receiving corps has not been stellar this season, but O’Mega Blake continues to emerge as the lead wideout for the Razorbacks so far in 2025.
The 6-foot-2 redshirt senior leads the Hogs with 399 receiving yards through the first five games, placing him fifth in the SEC. Blake notched six receptions for 81 yards and a score against Ole Miss, his only receiving touchdown of the season so far.
Blake’s presence alongside Green and Washington leads the Arkansas offensive unit to average 37.4 points per game, a strong mark that lands it fifth in the conference for overall offense this season. The Razorbacks will need Blake to remain a consistent offensive factor both Saturday and moving forward this season as they navigate the rest of the year.
