Peyton Lewis rushed for two touchdowns, and the No. 12 Tennessee Volunteers broke a halftime tie to beat Arkansas 34-31 in Bobby Petrino’s return as interim head coach of the Razorbacks on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn.
Joey Aguilar was 16 of 25 for 221 yards and a TD for the Volunteers (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference), who scored 17 unanswered points after the break and had 485 yards of offense.
Tennessee’s DeSean Bishop rushed 14 times for 146 yards and a TD, and Miles Kitselman caught a score. Braylon Staley produced 109 yards on six receptions.
Volunteers defensive lineman Jordan Ross forced a fumble and recovered one. Arion Carter and Jadon Perlotte added fumble recoveries.
The head coach of the visitors from 2008 to 2011, Petrino was back on the sidelines leading the Razorbacks (2-4, 0-2), who had won the previous four matchups.
Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green was 21 of 31 for 256 yards and tossed TD passes to Rohan Jones and Kam Shanks. Mike Washington Jr. rushed 19 times for 131 yards and a score as Arkansas had 496 yards of offense.
A nearly two-touchdown underdog, Arkansas got a strong showing from Green, who led the visitors 75 yards in nine plays. Green’s 11-yard run less than five minutes in made it 7-0.
But the Volunteers had an answer on a 75-yard drive. Bishop burst through the left side and slashed his way for a 17-yard score to tie it.
The Razorbacks regained the advantage on Scott Starzyk’s field goal from 28 yards before the first quarter ended, but Max Gilbert’s 37-yard kick knotted it early in the second.
Washington’s short TD run put Arkansas up 17-10 at 4:36 before Aguilar connected with Kitselman from 8 yards with 2:52 remaining in the half.
On the second half’s first drive, Gilbert gave the Volunteers their first lead with a booming 50-yard field goal to make it 20-17. The defense then stopped Arkansas with a fumble recovery and then on downs on the next two possessions.
The orange-clad side went up by two scores, 27-17, when Lewis bulled in to end a 74-yard drive at 2:11 of the third quarter. His second TD, a 3-yard run, made it 34-17 at 13:14 of the fourth.
Green threw TDs to Jones and Shanks, the latter with 2:55 left.
