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    • Josh Heupel explains that he let Arkansas score a touchdown in the loss to Tennessee
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    Josh Heupel explains that he let Arkansas score a touchdown in the loss to Tennessee

    Vaseline Posted on

    Vols safety Jakobe Thomas stepped aside as Arkansas quarterback Malachi Singleton ran into the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown Saturday.

    Tennessee football intentionally surrendered the touchdown to Arkansas late in the fourth quarter, Vols coach Josh Heupel said.

    “At the very end, with the clock and timeout situations we had, we tried to give yourself a chance to answer,” Heupel said.

    The touchdown turned out to be the score that handed Tennessee its first loss this season. No. 4 UT (4-1, 1-1 SEC) lost 19-14 to Arkansas (4-2, 2-1) in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

    Why Tennessee Football gave up the winning touchdown in Arkansas

    The Vols had two timeouts left at the start of Arkansas’ final drive, which started at the Arkansas 41-yard line with 3:20 to play.

    The Razorbacks gained 13 yards on a screen pass and then 24 yards on a Braylen Russell run to reach the UT 22-yard line. Russell again rushed for 11 yards to put Arkansas on the Tennessee 11, forcing the Vols and Heupel to make a pick.

    UT could either allow a touchdown and get the ball back with a chance to win or tie the game, or they could hope that Arkansas missed a short field goal attempt. Heupel opted for the former, allowing the touchdown and getting the ball back for the Tennessee offense.

    Tennessee stopped the two-point conversion after Singleton’s touchdown run, meaning UT would have a chance to win the game.

    Nico Iamaleava ran out of bounds on the final play after Tennessee threatened to win

    Tennessee got the ball with 1:17 to play and a pair of timeouts.

    Quarterback Nico Iamaleava gave UT a chance to win when he rolled right and launched a third-down pass for a 42-yard gain to Dont’e Thornton. That play got Tennessee to the Arkansas 25, but the drive lost momentum. Iamaleava seriously missed a tight wheel route to Miles Kitselman. A quick hit from Iamaleava’s hands and running back Dylan Sampson caught it, running for a five-yard gain.

    NICO: Nico Iamaleava stats: Tennessee QB’s best and worst moments in stunning loss to Arkansas

    UT called timeout with 13 seconds left. Iamaleava threw an incompletion to wide receiver Chas Nimrod. UT called another timeout with 6 seconds left to play. Iamaleava ran out of bounds on the final play as he scrambled to the right looking for a potential pass.

    Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @By MikeWilson. If you like Mike’s reporting, consider a digital subscription that gives you access to it all.

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