Scoring summary
Tied 14–14 at halftime, then Arkansas won the second half 17–7. Vanderbilt's only second-half points came on its first drive after an Arkansas missed field goal.
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 0 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
| Vanderbilt | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Qtr | Time | Scoring play |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 0:19 | Sedrick Alexander 4-yard run (Brock Taylor XP) — VAN 7–0 |
| Q2 | 6:18 | Joker Johnson 25-yard interception return TD (Max Gilbert XP) — tied 7–7 |
| Q2 | 2:00 | Jared Curtis 24-yard pass to Junior Sherrill (Taylor XP) — VAN 14–7 |
| Q2 | 0:42 | Cam Settles 11-yard run (Gilbert XP) — tied 14–14 |
| Q3 | 11:21 | KJ Jackson 8-yard run (Gilbert XP) — ARK 21–14 |
| Q3 | 5:47 | Makhilyn Young 3-yard run (Taylor XP) — tied 21–21 |
| Q3 | 0:09 | Cam Settles 3-yard run (Gilbert XP) — ARK 28–21 |
| Q4 | 0:28 | Max Gilbert 39-yard field goal — ARK 31–21 |
Team stats
Arkansas controlled the ball (33:47), moved it on the ground (187 yards, 4.6 per carry), and won third down 8-of-16. Vanderbilt's yards came in chunks, but its two turnovers produced 10 Arkansas points.
| Stat | Arkansas | Vanderbilt |
|---|---|---|
| Final score | 31 | 21 |
| First downs (pass / rush / penalty) | 24 (11 / 12 / 1) | 20 (12 / 8 / 0) |
| Total plays | 72 | 60 |
| Total yards | 438 | 390 |
| Yards per play | 6.1 | 6.5 |
| Passing (comp / att) | 21 / 31 | 19 / 31 |
| Net passing yards | 251 | 274 |
| Sacks allowed (count / yards) | 0 / 0 | 1 / 7 |
| Rushing (att / yards) | 41 / 187 | 29 / 116 |
| Third down | 8 / 16 | 5 / 11 |
| Fourth down | 1 / 1 | 0 / 0 |
| Red zone | 3 / 3 | 2 / 2 |
| Turnovers (INT / fumbles lost) | 0 | 2 (2 / 0) |
| Penalties (count / yards) | 5 / 64 | 5 / 35 |
| Time of possession | 33:47 | 26:13 |
| Punts | 5 | 5 |
| Return touchdowns | 1 (INT) | 0 |
Player stats
Every passer, rusher and receiver who recorded an attempt or catch, plus the defensive leaders on both sides. Box score via Sportradar.
| Team | Player | Comp | Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARK | KJ Jackson | 21 | 31 | 251 | 0 | 0 |
| VAN | Jared Curtis | 19 | 31 | 274 | 1 | 2 |
| Arkansas | Att | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| KJ Jackson | 11 | 58 | 1 |
| Braylen Russell | 14 | 51 | 0 |
| Cam Settles | 11 | 45 | 2 |
| Sutton Smith | 4 | 29 | 0 |
| Jasper Parker | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Vanderbilt | Att | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedrick Alexander | 10 | 57 | 1 |
| Makhilyn Young | 9 | 45 | 1 |
| Jared Curtis | 8 | 13 | 0 |
| Jamezell Lassiter | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Arkansas | Rec | Tgts | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Jordan | 5 | 7 | 74 | 0 |
| Jamari Hawkins | 2 | 2 | 44 | 0 |
| Monte Harrison | 1 | 2 | 37 | 0 |
| Chris Marshall | 1 | 2 | 28 | 0 |
| Ty Lockwood (TE) | 3 | 4 | 26 | 0 |
| Sutton Smith (RB) | 2 | 3 | 12 | 0 |
| Donovan Faupel | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Jaden Platt (TE) | 1 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Ismael Cisse | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| CJ Brown | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Cam Settles (RB) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Braylen Russell (RB) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Vanderbilt | Rec | Tgts | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Sherrill | 8 | 11 | 99 | 1 |
| Ja'Cory Thomas | 3 | 4 | 57 | 0 |
| Maurice Veney (TE) | 1 | 1 | 45 | 0 |
| Sedrick Alexander (RB) | 3 | 3 | 40 | 0 |
| Brycen Coleman | 1 | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Cole Spence (TE) | 1 | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| Makhilyn Young (RB) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Cole Adams | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Jayvontay Conner (TE) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tristen Brown | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamezell Lassiter (RB) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | Player | FG | XP | Punts | Yds | In 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARK | Max Gilbert | 1/2 (made 39, missed 51) | 4/4 | — | — | — |
| ARK | Gavin Rush (P) | — | — | 3 | 96 | 0 |
| ARK | Jesse Ehrlich (P) | — | — | 2 | 93 | 1 |
| VAN | Brock Taylor | 0/0 | 3/3 | — | — | — |
| VAN | Tyler Ebel (P) | — | — | 5 | 215 | 2 |
Rush was benched mid-game for Ehrlich, whose 42-yard punt pinned Vanderbilt at its own 8 with 9:57 left. Gilbert missed a 51-yarder in the third quarter before hitting the game-clincher from 39.
| Arkansas | Tkl | Solo/Asst | Sack | TFL | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ja'Quavion Smith (LB) | 9 | 7/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shelton Lewis (DB) | 6 | 5/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miguel Mitchell (DB) | 5 | 5/0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Khmori House (DB) | 4 | 4/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steven Soles Jr. (LB) | 4 | 2/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joker Johnson (DB) | 2 | 2/0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (25-yd pick-six) |
| Vanderbilt | Tkl | Solo/Asst | Sack | TFL | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Longwell (LB) | 13 | 4/9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nick Rinaldi (LB) | 9 | 5/4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| CJ Heard (S) | 9 | 5/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davin Chandler (S) | 9 | 6/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Talan Carter (DL) | 6 | 2/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Vanderbilt recorded zero sacks and three tackles for loss as a team — back-to-back SEC games with virtually no backfield disruption. Ian Williams (ARK) forced a fumble, but the Commodores' recovery was wiped out by a defensive holding penalty.
Key takeaways
What decided a game the preview had going the other way.
- 01
Two Curtis interceptions were the 10-point swing. Joker Johnson's 25-yard pick-six tied it 7–7 in the second quarter, and Miguel Mitchell's diving interception of a shovel pass at the Arkansas 29 with 3:46 left set up Max Gilbert's game-clinching 39-yard field goal. Vanderbilt scored 10 of Arkansas's 31 points off those turnovers; Arkansas committed zero turnovers all night.
- 02
Arkansas ran for a season-high 187 yards. The Hogs entered averaging 99.0 rushing yards per game (130th-ranked ground game) and got 4.6 per carry from three players: Jackson (11–58–1), Russell (14–51) and Settles (11–45–2). Vanderbilt held Arkansas to −1 rushing yard in the third quarter — but the damage was done elsewhere.
- 03
Jackson's cleanest game as a Razorback. 21-of-31 for 251 yards, no interceptions, no sacks taken, and a rushing touchdown — against a Vanderbilt pass rush that had logged a sack in 10 straight games. The offense went 8-for-16 on third down and held the ball 33:47.
- 04
Done without the star receiver. Chris Marshall managed one catch for 28 yards before leaving early, and Arkansas still won — Antonio Jordan (5–74, including a 32-yarder to set up the go-ahead score) and Jamari Hawkins (31-yard grab on the sealing drive) filled the void.
Against the call
How the preview's projection stacked up against what actually happened in Nashville.
Vanderbilt by four. The preview tipped the Commodores on home field, the steadier kicker, and pressure against Arkansas's leaky line.
Arkansas by ten. The Hogs ended a 14-game SEC losing streak (first league win since Oct. 26, 2024) and left Vanderbilt as the SEC's only winless team (0–4).
The preview got the winner, the margin and the total wrong — 52 actual points blew past the 50.5 O/U line, and Vanderbilt never covered as a 6-point favorite. The swing was turnovers: the preview script needed Arkansas to force at least one, and it forced two.
Sources & caveats
Final score cross-checked across seven outlets: Sportradar, the Tennessean, Southwest Times Record, Vanderbilt athletics (vucommodores.com), Sports Illustrated, 247Sports and Field Level Media. Stats below compiled October 18, 2026.
- Sportradar game pageFinal score, quarter scoring, complete team stats, full player box score, play-by-play.
- Vanderbilt athletics: "Turnovers Sink Dores"Official recap; confirmed the pick-six tied the game 7–7 and named the returner Joker Johnson.
- Tennessean live updatesScoring flow, Mitchell's late interception, Gilbert's field goal with 24 seconds left.
- Tennessean: Grading Jared CurtisCurtis line 19/31, 274 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; rushing and sack detail.
- Tennessean: Vanderbilt defensive failuresArkansas 438 yards / 187 rushing / 8-for-16 on third down; Lea quotes.
- Southwest Times Record live recapSettles' two TDs, Mitchell INT, streak-ending context.
- Southwest Times Record report card4.6 yards per carry, zero turnovers, Johnson pick-six, Marshall's early exit.
- SI: Arkansas snaps streakSilverfield's first SEC win; Jackson 21/31, 251 yards; Jordan 5–74; Russell/Settles splits.
- 247Sports Arkansas recapMitchell's second INT in two weeks, Hawkins' 31-yard catch, Ehrlich replacing Rush, OT-line shuffle.
- 247Sports: Inside the numbersJackson 11–58–1 leading rusher; 12 players caught a pass; 192 third-quarter yards.
- Field Level Media recap438–390 yardage; Mitchell INT at the Arkansas 29 with 3:46 left; Alexander's 76-yard opening drive.
- Vanderbilt Hustler: three takeawaysSherrill 8–99–1; Vanderbilt 0 sacks, 3 TFL; Arkansas four rushes of 10+ yards split three ways.