Football: Vanderbilt suffers fourth straight loss, 31-21, to Arkansas – The Vanderbilt Hustler

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The Vanderbilt Commodores lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks, 31-21, marking the ’Dores’ fourth straight loss. Head coach Clark Lea’s squad was once again crushed by costly mistakes and disciplinary issues, along with a poor defensive performance overall. 
Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4 SEC), fresh off a soul-crushing loss to Ole Miss, was back home to host Arkansas (3-4, 1-3 SEC) on Saturday, Oct. 17, for Homecoming Weekend. 
A cool fall night in Nashville, Tennessee, started with Team Fastrax and a special skydiving performance minutes before kickoff. With hundreds of alumni returning to their alma mater, the seats of FirstBank Stadium were full of excitement ahead of an important game for the Commodores. 
The Black and Gold, following three straight losses to open their SEC slate, were hoping to get back in the win column against the Razorbacks, who also began their campaign in lackluster fashion. Regardless of what happened on the field, one team would be earning their first conference win this evening. 
And that team was Arkansas, who gashed the Commodores for nearly 200 yards on the ground and made more impactful plays when it mattered most. Razorback fans who traveled to Nashville for this one were certainly going to be going home happy.

“I’m disappointed for our team, and that we didn’t do enough in an effort to come up with a result,” Lea said. “Unfortunately, it’s going to be the same story. [We] can’t turn the ball over. [We have] to play a clean game. The pre-snap penalties again showed up. The turnovers showed up. The pick-six in particular was a tough moment, and then not enough detail defensively.”
First Quarter 
Arkansas won the coin toss, electing to defer and kick off to Vanderbilt and Junior Sherrill, who watched the ball soar over his head and through the back of the end zone. MK Young immediately ripped off a 14-yard rush up the middle before catching a pass from Jared Curtis for a 4-yard gain. The true freshman signal-caller then found Cole Spence on 3rd-and-5 for a 12-yard completion to move the sticks and push into Arkansas territory. 
Curtis nearly threw an interception on a pass intended for Sherill, and after a couple of false start penalties, Jayvontay Conner dropped a pass on third down that would’ve moved the chains. Vanderbilt was forced to bring Tyler Ebel out to send possession to the Razorbacks, who would be starting their drive from the 8-yard line with 10:59 on the clock. 
KJ Jackson gained 5 yards on a designed quarterback run, then nearly found Chris Marshall down the right sideline for a big gain, but Marshall dropped the pass. A quick three-and-out sequence for Arkansas led to punter Gavin Rush kicking the ball back to Martel Hight, who called a fair catch in enemy territory. 
Sedrick Alexander turned his first two carries of the game into two 2-yard gains, but Curtis couldn’t find Spence on third down, resulting in Ebel’s second punt in as many drives. 
Snapping the ball from his own 3-yard line, Jackson handed it off to running back Braylen Russell twice in a row for minimal gains. On 3rd-and-7, Jackson found Jaden Platt over the middle for an 8-yard completion to move the sticks. Jackson then hit Sutton Smith on a screen, which Smith turned into a 12-yard gain. The junior quarterback picked up another 13 yards through the air to Jamari Hawkins before using his legs to gain 3 more. Platt was called for offensive pass interference on third down, pushing Arkansas back 15 yards and forcing a punt with 3:46 remaining in the quarter after an incompletion from Jackson. 
Sherrill picked up 8 yards on a short catch-and-run, and Alexander one-upped him with a 14-yard gain on an outside run. Curtis scrambled for 3 yards before airing it out to Ja’Cory Thomas down the right sideline for an impressive 39-yard completion. Curtis picked up another 8 yards on a quarterback keeper, and Alexander got into the end zone for 6 points on the following play. The ’Dores took a 7-0 lead with 13 seconds left in the first quarter.
On the final play of the quarter, Russell was swarmed and taken down for a loss of a yard by Nick Rinaldi. 
Second Quarter 
Jackson hit Donovan Faupel on a curl route for an 8-yard gain and tried to move the chains with his legs but came up about half a yard short. Arkansas’ offense stayed on the field for fourth down in their own territory and easily converted with a 3-yard gain by Russell. Russell continued to carry the football for the Razorbacks, picking up 9 yards on his next two carries before catching a 6-yard pass from Jackson and moving the chains again. 
Jackson connected with Ty Lockwood for 7 yards, setting up another 3rd-and-1 that Russell converted once more. Marshall was called for an illegal blindside block, pushing Arkansas back 15 yards and slowing their offensive momentum. Russell was lit up in the backfield by Bryan Longwell on the next play, and on 3rd-and-25, Cam Settles gained 10 yards. Rush’s punt soared high in the air, but not very far, going down as just a 22-yard boot. 
On the second play of the drive, Curtis tried to find Sherrill on a slant but threw it directly into the hands of Joker Johnson, who took it back to the end zone untouched. The Razorbacks tied the game at 7 points apiece with 6:16 left to go in the half. 
Sherrill coughed up the football on the subsequent kick return, but Gabe Fisher was fortunately there to recover it for the Commodores. A pair of 3-yard rushes by Young and Curtis, interspliced with a 6-yard completion from Curtis to Thomas, gave Vanderbilt a fresh set of downs. Curtis connected with Sherill for a 9-yard gain before Alexander found a hole on 2nd-and-1 to pick up 8 more yards. Young then rushed for 9 yards on each of his next two carries before the clock ran down to the two-minute timeout. 
The Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” fired up the crowd during the break, with Arkansas and Vanderbilt fans alike singing along. Then, with the ball at Arkansas’ 24-yard line, Curtis slung a beautiful ball down the right side of the field for a touchdown to Sherrill, bringing the score to 14-7 in favor of the ’Dores. 
Marshall opened the Razorbacks’ next drive with a 28-yard gain on a catch-and-run from Jackson. Jackson then used his legs to pick up 9 yards before Settles moved the chains with a 2-yard rush. A couple of plays later, Jackson hit Antonio Jordan over the middle for a 12-yard gain and then an 11-yard gain on the next play. Settles found paydirt on the next play, getting into the end zone from 11 yards out to knot the score at 14-14 with 38 seconds left to play. 
Curtis found Alexander over the middle for a 17-yard completion before sailing a pass out of bounds to stop the clock at 14 seconds. Alexander picked up 4 yards, and the clock ran down to double zeroes, as both teams ran to their locker rooms hoping to find somewhere to gain an edge in an otherwise even game. 
Third Quarter 
Jackson and the Razorbacks’ offense came out of the break fired up, as Monte Harrison reeled in a 37-yard catch to quickly set Arkansas up in scoring position. Russell ripped off two runs for 19 yards to move into the red zone before Jackson took it himself into the end zone a couple of plays later. Arkansas gained the lead, 21-14, with 11:17 remaining in the quarter. 
Sherrill broke off a nice return on the kickoff, picking up 33 yards to start the drive at the 40-yard line. That didn’t last long, though, as Jamezell Lassiter lost two yards on a rush attempt, and Curtis was sacked by Miguel Mitchell, resulting in a quick punt from the Commodores. 
Smith got the Razorbacks started with a series of jukes en route to an 18-yard carry up the middle. Jackson picked up 20 yards with his legs after an Arkansas timeout, but a 1-yard rush from Smith and an incomplete pass set the Razorbacks up with 3rd-and-9. Jackson could only manage to pick up a yard, setting up Max Gilbert for a 51-yard field goal attempt, which ultimately hit the left upright and bounced off. 
Curtis quickly had the ’Dores rolling with a deep pass attempt to Maurice Veney on a bootleg play design. Veney bobbled the football as he ran for about 6 yards before reeling it in for a 45-yard gain. The Curtis-to-Sherrill deep ball found success once again, going for 19 yards this time down to the 3-yard line. Young punched it in on the next play, tying the game at 21 each with 6:21 left on the clock. 
That touchdown drive certainly made Commodore Faithful want to “Shout,” as The Isley Brothers’ classic song blasted through the speakers of FirstBank Stadium. 
Malachi Breland was called for holding on Arkansas’ first play of this drive, but they gained 12 yards of that back after a nice catch from Jordan. Jackson fumbled the ball on a designed quarterback run to the left side of the field, but Miles Capers’ recovery was called back due to a defensive holding penalty on him. Jackson hit Lockwood for 11 yards to pick up a first down and nearly completed a deep pass to Ismael Cisse, but Ricardo Jones was there to break it up. Jackson’s pass went incomplete on third down, and Jesse Ehrlich came out for his first — and Arkansas’ fourth — punt of the game. 
Following a touchback, Vanderbilt’s offense couldn’t get much going outside of a 4-yard completion from Curtis to Cole Adams. Ebel was back out now for his fourth punt of the game, which went just 27 yards before flying out of bounds. 
Settles picked up 10 more yards to add to his total on the day before Jackson aired it out down the left sideline for a 32-yard completion to Jordan. The Razorbacks went right back to Settles near the goal line, and he punched in his second touchdown of the night. Arkansas regained its lead, now up 28-21 with 9 seconds to go in the third quarter. 
Young picked up just two yards on the final play of the period as the game entered its final quarter. Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” played during the break to get fans amped up for what was sure to be an exciting and intense ending. 
Fourth Quarter 
A 3-yard rush from Young and a drop by Spence led to Ebel coming onto the field for his fifth punt of the night — this time sailing 57 yards deep into Arkansas territory. 
Settles rushed up the middle for 2 yards before Jackson hit Jordan for a quick 7-yard gain. Russell converted on third down with a 2-yard rush of his own before a timeout by head coach Ryan Silverfield. The Razorbacks continued to pick up short yardage gains until they were set up with a 3rd-and-6 situation, and Jackson’s pass attempt was broken up by Longwell. Ehrlich’s punt was fair caught by Hight at Vanderbilt’s 8-yard line with 9:57 left in the game. 
Brycen Coleman came down with a huge catch on third down to pick up 13 yards and move the chains to keep Vanderbilt’s hopes alive. Thomas then brought in a 12-yard reception before Curtis kept it on the ground and gained 3 more. A screen to Sherrill picked up 6 yards, and Curtis ran for the first down up the middle. Alexander got loose for a 17-yard rush, followed by a gain of 4 yards, to get deeper into Arkansas territory. 
Lyndon Cooper was called for an illegal snap — Vanderbilt’s third offensive pre-snap penalty of the game — but Curtis was able to hit Sherrill in tight coverage anyways, picking up 10 yards and the first down to continue the drive. Under immense pressure from Arkansas’ defensive front, Curtis flipped the football in the direction of Young, but it was picked off by Mitchell. 3:46 remained on the clock with the ’Dores still down 7 points. 
Settles lost a yard on first down but picked it back up on second down, setting up Jackson to go deep to Hawkins on 3rd-and-10 for a 31-yard reception. Jackson then kept it on the ground and picked up four yards with his legs, as the clock ran down to the two-minute timeout. Russell picked up a first down on his next carry, all but ending the game. 
Russell rushed it a couple more times for short gains before Gilbert came out to attempt his second field goal, this time making it through the uprights from 39 yards out. With 24 seconds left to play, the Commodores were down 31-21. And after a few completions from Curtis to Sherill and Alexander, that was the final score of the game.
“I’m frustrated, and yet, I’m going to coach this team, and we’re going to find a better performance,” Lea said. “I’m going to keep pushing this staff, and we’re going to find answers, and I’ll be excited to go to work on Kentucky tomorrow and take the the first steps towards a better result.”
The ’Dores will look ahead to a road matchup against Kentucky next Saturday, Oct. 24, as they still hope to pick up their first SEC victory. 
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