If Arkansas is to beat Tennessee, it will happen in only one way

Great teams in any sport are able to win in different ways. They can win by playing up-tempo ball or slow-tempo. They can win high-scoring games or low-scoring games. They can lean on their offense sometimes, and they can depend on their defense on other occasions. Arkansas football is, of course, not a great team. The Razorbacks are limited and flawed. They don't have a Plan C. They might not even have a Plan B. They have a Plan A and not a whole lot else. As the Tennessee game approaches, they have to be realistic and smart about what they can achieve versus the Vols.

Arkansas is not going to win a 38-35 ballgame versus Tennessee. Arkansas has Chris Marshall and a little of Sutton Smith and not a whole lot else on offense. Tennessee can key on these core players and contain the Razorbacks' offense. Nothing has happened this season against quality competition which would indicate that KJ Jackson will have a big day, or that Ryan Silverfield can trust him to air it out down the field and look for any non-Marshall receiver. If Marshall is able to do what he has been doing, it will enable Arkansas to score 17 points, but not 31. This offense hasn't scored more than 17 points against high-end opponents. Tulsa is not a high-end opponent, and neither is North Alabama. Versus Utah, Georgia, and Texas A&M, Arkansas has had no real answers on offense beyond Marshall. Tennessee will see this on film and do everything it can to take Marshall away. Until a non-Marshall WR2 emerges, it's hard to trust the Arkansas passing game to do much of anything.

If Arkansas is going to win this game, the Hogs have to control the ball and establish field position. They need to put Tennessee and its struggling offense in a position where the Vols have to drive 80 or more yards and don't get too many possessions. This is how Arkansas can shape the game the way it wants to. Tennessee does not have an explosive offense. The Vols don't have the offensive line which can easily take control of a game. The Arkansas defensive line should be able to be competitive versus UT's front and put the squeeze on the Vols. If Tennessee is not getting many possessions and is constantly pinned inside its own 20, UT might cobble together a few field goals, maybe only one touchdown.

Arkansas gets a few big plays from Marshall, maybe one more from Smith.

Hogs 17, Vols 16. That's the kind of game the Razorbacks have to play. They can't win if Tennessee scores 27 or more, maybe even 24. UA has to keep this game in the teens and make the clock run, shortening this game as much as possible. Oh, and a takeaway or two would really help as well to give the offense a few short fields.

This game can't be pretty. It can't have a lot of possessions. It can't be long. It can't be high-scoring. Arkansas is going to win only one way against Tennessee. Now let's see if UA can create the scenario it needs.