Arkansas beats Vanderbilt 31-21 to end 14-game SEC losing streak
A late interception by Miguel Mitchell and a Max Gilbert field goal secured Arkansas’ first conference victory since 2024 in Nashville.
Arkansas beat Vanderbilt 31-21 in Nashville on Saturday, Oct. 17, ending a 14-game Southeastern Conference losing streak and earning its first league victory since 2024. Miguel Mitchell’s late interception stopped a potential tying drive, and Max Gilbert’s field goal secured the Razorbacks’ road win.
How Arkansas stopped Vanderbilt’s late drive
Vanderbilt trailed 28-21 when quarterback Jared Curtis drove the Commodores to the Arkansas 29. Mitchell intercepted his pass on second-and-12, giving the Razorbacks possession with 3:46 left, according to the Associated Press. Arkansas then ran more than three minutes off the clock before Gilbert made a 39-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
A 31-yard completion to Jamari Hawkins on third-and-10 helped sustain that final Arkansas possession, according to the Democrat-Gazette. Earlier, Joker Johnson returned another Curtis interception 25 yards for a touchdown, tying the game 7-7. Curtis finished with 274 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, the local report said.
Rushing attack helps end Arkansas’s SEC skid
Arkansas gained a season-high 187 yards rushing, with Cam Settles scoring twice on the ground. Quarterback KJ Jackson added 58 rushing yards and an eight-yard touchdown run that put the Razorbacks ahead 21-14 early in the third quarter. Jackson also completed 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards. Arkansas outgained Vanderbilt 438-390 overall, according to the Democrat-Gazette.
The win gave Arkansas a 3-4 overall record and a 1-3 mark in SEC play. Vanderbilt fell to 3-4 overall and 0-4 in the conference, leaving the Commodores as the SEC’s only team without a league victory, the Democrat-Gazette reported. Both teams had entered Saturday’s game seeking their first conference win of the season.
Arkansas’s conference losing streak began with a 58-25 defeat to Mississippi State on Oct. 26, 2024, and included seven losses by one possession, according to the Democrat-Gazette. Saturday’s result was the Razorbacks’ first SEC win under coach Ryan Silverfield. Arkansas has a bye week before a scheduled home game against Missouri on Oct. 31; Vanderbilt is scheduled to visit Kentucky on Oct. 24, according to the Associated Press.
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Sources and context
- Arkansas snaps 14-game SEC skid with 31-21 road win over VanderbiltAssociated Press, republished by Yahoo Sports
- Arkansas football beats Vanderbilt to snap 14-game SEC losing streakArkansas Democrat-Gazette / WholeHogSports
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.