Not all steps forward are seamless. For Tennessee, winning on the road at Arkansas had been the Vols' bugaboo for quite a while. It had been 25 years since UTK was victorious in Fayetteville. That being said, Arkansas is still among the worst teams in the SEC, while Tennessee came into Week 6 ranked No. 15. While the Vols should go up in the rankings, this team has a lot of work to do now.
That is because they will be hosting the rival Alabama Crimson Tide in the Third Saturday in October next week. Kalen DeBoer's team is coming off a controversial three-point home loss to emerging rival Georgia in this border war of sorts. Tennessee may be 5-1, but has some major issues to be rectified at the quarterback position. George MacIntyre played decently in his first start, but was that enough?
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Tennessee' 24-17 cathartic road victory over Arkansas.
Winner: DeSean Bishop put Vols on his back when they needed him most
If we were to circle one player who decided this game's outcome more than anyone else, it would have to be Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop. While it took a long time for the ground game to get rolling, Bishop helped deliver the knockout punches to seal Arkansas' fate. His 59-yard run from deep in Tennessee territory helped set up the game-sealing touchdown. He was terrific in the fourth.
With Tennessee's passing game coming and going because of its inconsistent quarterback play, being able to rely on its featured back is crucial. Bishop had 19 carries for 138 yards and a trip to pay dirt on the evening. Although Tennessee definitely let Arkansas hang around for far too long, Bishop showed everyone who was watching that this Volunteers team has some tremendous grit about it.
Games are won and lost in the SEC at the line of scrimmage, as Bishop proved that once and for all.
The Lord smiles down on DeSean Bishop. pic.twitter.com/TsHXqWDdLA
— Joey Petersen (@joeypetersen8) October 10, 2026
Winner: George MacIntyre played well enough to get another start
So much will be made about MacIntyre's first career start for Tennessee. On the day, he completed 18-of-29 passes for 247 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He also had a fumble on the ledger, but that was not entirely his fault. A bad exchange in the backfield resulted in him putting it on the turf. Regardless, MacIntyre made many nice throws and handled any adversity he faced quite well.
Faizon Brandon may have the higher upside over him, but only MacIntyre was going to win that game today. Yes, this may have been against one of the worst teams in the Power Four, but it was at their place, and it had been 25 years since the Vols last beaten the Hogs in Fayetteville. MacIntyre was not even alive the last time it happened. It just goes to show that his poise shined gloriously on Saturday.
While it may not be up to him, MacIntyre showed he can play in the SEC as a starting quarterback.
Loser: Josh Heupel's bad first-half play-calling nearly cost Tennessee
Admittedly, it is hard to encapsulate what made this game closer than it needed to be. It never really felt like the players were putting Tennessee into a less-than-advantageous spot. Arkansas did play over its head for quite a while in this one. However, the one constant that drew all of Vol Nation crazy was Heupel's first-half play-calling. While it did improve after halftime, it nearly cost UTK the game.
Tennessee could not get the ground game going for the better part of three quarters. This put MacIntrye into a difficult spot to make something happen in a game that hung in balances for far too long. To be frank, Heupel may have gotten out-coached by Ryan Silverfield for extended stretches in this game. For Tennessee to be all it can this season, Heupel needs to level up. Does he have it in him?
Right now, Heupel is struggling to take the next step from a good SEC head coach into a great one.
Winner: DaSaahn Brame provided Vols offensive spark in fourth quarter
Down 14-10 in the fourth quarter, Tennessee tight ened DaSaahn Brame showed up in winning time in a big way. He was on the receiving end of a 68-yard pass from MacIntyre. He would be rewarded for his efforts on a one-yard run to pay dirt to lift Tennessee to a 17-14 lead. Brame led the way for the Tennessee receiving game with three catches for 87 yards, averaging 29.0 in his impressive showing.
While Bishop's heroics on a later drive is what put the nail into Arkansas' coffin, Tennessee would not have had the necessary momentum to do that without Brame's big game. His efforts felt emblematic of the entire game. Keep putting in the work and give it time. Good things will happen to those who try. In years past, Tennessee would have lost games such as this. Instead, the Vols proved victorious.
The trio of Bishop, Brame, and MacIntyre are why the Volunteers offense did just enough to win this.
Winner: Xavier Gilliam was a menace in the trenches all day for Tennessee
No, it was not all about the offense on Saturday. The Tennessee defense showed up in a big way to allow the offense enough time to get its stuff together. The big standout on that side of the football for the Vols was none other than Xavier Gilliam. He had four total tackles, three solo, 1.5 tackles for a loss of yardage, a sack of KJ Jackson, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup. He was everywhere!
Other players had more tackles than him, but this was one of those performances where everything Gilliam did popped on television. Every play he made was impactful, proving that Tennessee was going to be the more physical team in this one throughout. Eventually, the levees broke in the Vols' favor. Had it not been for Gilliam's committed effort defensively, maybe the Vols would have lost it?
Instead, Tennessee enters the Third Saturday in October with a great deal of confidence defensively.
Loser: Jim Knowles' defense could not keep Arkansas offense of the field
While Heupel gets most of the ire in Tennessee's close call with Arkansas, Jim Knowles is not getting off easy either. Although his defense only gave up 17 points on the evening, the Volunteers were not able to get the Hogs offense off the field that easily. Arkansas won the time of posession battle 32:04 to 27:56. That may not seem like much, but being four minutes behind Arkansas nearly cost the Vols.
Even though Knowles' defense showed up on crucial downs and situations --allowing only two third-down conversions on 11 attempts-- it did not take away the run or the pass as easily as it could have. Arkansa still got 133 yards on the ground, while Jackson did more than expected through the air with his 155 yards. Again, Arkansas is not a good team, but Tennessee made them look like one for a bit.
Simply put, if Tennessee loses the time of possession to Alabama, it is not winning next weekend.
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