How To Watch: Tennessee Football vs. Arkansas

Tennessee Football is back home after the bye week, hosting Arkansas and interim head coach Bobby Petrino on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff between the Vols (4-1, 1-1 SEC) and Razorbacks (2-3, 0-1) is scheduled for 4:15 Eastern Time on SEC Network.

The Vols won 41-34 in overtime at Mississippi State before the open date. Arkansas, which is also coming off a bye, lost 56-13 to Notre Dame in Fayetteville last week. It was the team’s third straight loss and led to the firing of head coach Sam Pittman a day later.

Petrino, who Pittman hired as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach last season, fired three members of his defensive staff last Monday.

How to Watch: No. 15 Tennessee vs. Arkansas

When: Saturday, 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time | Where: Neyland Stadium

TV: SEC Network

Radio: WNML 99.1 and WIVK 107.7 FM in Knoxville (Mike Keith, Ramon Foster, Brent Hubbs, Jayson Swain). The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.

Arkansas starting over with two new coordinators

Pittman fired defensive coordinator Travis Williams, defensive line coach Deke Adams and co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson. He then promoted assistant defensive line coach Chris Wilson to defensive coordinator and running backs coach Kolby Smith as offensive coordinator. Petrino will continue calling plays from the sideline as interim head coach.

Pittman’s firing came after Arkansas trailed Notre Dame 42-10 in the second quarter last week, giving up 420 total yards in the first half alone. The Razorbacks also gave up a 28-10 lead in a 32-31 loss at Memphis, after a 41-35 loss at Ole Miss.

Tennessee is 13-7 all time against Arkansas, dating back to 1907, but the Vols have lost four straight and have not beaten the Razorbacks since 2007.

Arkansas upset Tennessee 19-14 in Fayetteville last season, won 24-13 at home in 2020 and 24-20 at Neyland Stadium in 2015. The run started with a 49-7 home win over the Vols in 2011. 

Tennessee won 34-13 in Knoxville in 2007 and won nine of the first 10 in the series. 

Bobby Petrino won 34 games in four seasons at Arkansas

Petrino was the head coach at Arkansas from 2008-11, winning 10 games in 2010 and 11 in 2011 before being fired in 2012 in the midst of an off-field scandal with a former Arkansas volleyball player. 

He had taken the Arkansas job after one year with the Atlanta Falcons. After being fired by the Razorbacks, Petrino was out of coaching until being hired at Western Kentucky in 2013.

Petrino returning to a previous job isn’t new. He was head coach at Louisville from 2003-06, before parlaying a 12-win season into the Falcons job, then returned to Louisville from 2014-18, a stint that ended with a two-win season in 2018.