October 17, 2026 at 11:11 p.m.
by Ethan Westerman
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For the first time in 721 days, Arkansas won an SEC football game Saturday night.
The Razorbacks scored 10 unanswered points to defeat Vanderbilt 31-21 at FirstBank Stadium in a matchup between what were the SEC’s final two teams without a league victory.
Arkansas’ (3-4, 1-3 SEC) first conference win under coach Ryan Silverfield snapped a 14-game SEC losing streak that began with a 63-31 loss to Ole Miss on Nov. 2, 2024. The skid spanned parts of three seasons and featured seven losses by one possession.
“We always believed,” Silverfield said postgame on the ESPN2 broadcast. “I’m telling you, even when we got our teeth kicked in early in the season, the guys kept showing up and working. I can’t [tell you] proud I am with them.
“The resiliency of these young men … this is the foundation we’re building here in Arkansas. I’m just telling you, I’m so darn proud of them, and they deserve everything. We’ve got a long season left to go. We’re going to keep coming out and swinging.”
Arkansas finally changed its fortunes, making winning plays down the stretch to win a close game.
With the Commodores down 28-21 and a chance to tie the game late, Miguel Mitchell intercepted Vanderbilt freshman quarterback Jared Curtis on an ill-advised second-and-12 shovel pass from the Arkansas 29. It set up a game-securing final possession for the Razorbacks.
Arkansas milked over three minutes off the clock due to clutch playmaking, and put the game away with a 39-yard field goal by Max Gilbert with 22 seconds to play. Jamari Hawkins reeled in an underthrown pass for a 31-yard completion on third-and-10 during the key drive.
“You have to find a way to make the plays in big moments,” Silverfield said. “I think that kind of shows being ready whenever your number is called. Whether the ball is thrown to you and you’ve got to go make a play on it with a fantastic fingertip catch, or a fantastic catch by Jamari. I think just showing up underneath the lights in a showcase game is huge.”
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Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4) will enter the second half of its league schedule as the SEC’s only team without a conference victory. The Commodores lost back-to-back home games after their 10-game winning streak at home ended last week with a 52-17 loss to Ole Miss.
“I’m disappointed for our team that we didn’t do enough in an effort to come up with a result,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. “It’s unfortunate. It’s going to be the same story. You can’t turn the ball over. You’ve got to play clean game. Some of the pre-snap penalties again showed up. The turnovers showed up.”
It was a back-and-forth game until late.
The Commodores took a 7-0 lead with 13 seconds remaining in the first quarter when Sedrick Alexander capped a 6-play, 76-yard drive with a 4-yard rushing touchdown. It came two plays after Ja’Cory Thomas reeled in a 39-yard pass from Curtis while falling to the ground to set up Vanderbilt at the Arkansas 12.
After the Razorbacks stalled on their next drive, cornerback Joker Johnson gave the team a jolt when he intercepted Curtis and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. It was the first defensive touchdown for Arkansas this season and tied the score 7-7 with 6:16 remaining in the first half.
“[Defensive coordinator Ron Roberts] called a great play for that situation,” Johnson said. “He put me in cloud … and I just read it.”
Turned all the way 🆙 @1_jahiem https://t.co/9nSIciM0AC
Vanderbilt answered with a methodical 71-yard drive that ended with Curtis hitting Junior Sherrill for a 24-yard touchdown pass that put the Commodores ahead 14-7 with 1:54 left in the half. Curtis placed the ball perfectly past the diving arms of Arkansas safety Christian Harrison to hit Sherrill in stride, showcasing the true freshman’s arm talent that made him a 5-star recruit.
In the two-minute drill, Arkansas marched down the field and knotted the game 14-14 when Settles ended a 9-play, 75-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. It was the first career touchdown for Settles, a sophomore from Little Rock, and came 38 seconds before halftime.
“Right before half [we were] just trying to be smart with the time and trying not to give them the ball back,” Silverfield said. “And to go out there and put together a drive, that’s huge.”
The Razorbacks kept the mojo going offensively after receiving the second-half kickoff.
KJ Jackson orchestrated a 7-play, 75-yard go-ahead drive capped by an 8-yard quarterback keeper to put Arkansas ahead 21-14 with 11:17 remaining in the third quarter. During the drive, Jackson found 31-year-old former MLB player Monte Harrison for a key 37-yard gain to get into Vanderbilt territory. It was the longest career reception for Harrison, a junior.
Arkansas came up with a quick stop and had a chance to extend its lead after a 40-yard drive stalled at the Vanderbilt 33, but a 51-yard field goal by Max Gilbert missed wide right.
The Commodores answered with a 3-play touchdown drive that took 1:31 and tied the game 21-21 with 5:42 left in the third quarter. The possession was highlighted by a 45-yard bobbling catch for tight end Maurice Veney down the sideline, and it ended with a 3-yard rushing score by Makhilyn Young.
After the teams traded empty possessions, Antonio Jordan set up a go-ahead 3-yard rushing touchdown by Settles when he reeled in a 32-yard catch down the sideline late in the third quarter. It was part of a 5-catch, 74-yard performance for the 6-foot-6 sophomore wideout from Warren.
It was also one of many key throws for Jackson, who turned in one of his most accurate games as a Razorback. Jackson was 21 for 31 (68%) passing for 251 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.
“It was man coverage,” Jackson said. “He got a little double move. Coach Crams called it up, and he was the guy, and I had a good feeling it was going to him pre-snap, and he did what AJ does.”
With the score, Arkansas led 28-21 entering the fourth quarter. And after getting a quick three-and-out to begin the period, the Razorbacks stalled at midfield on a drive that gave them an opportunity to go ahead by multiple possessions.
Vanderbilt looked to be on its way to tying the game before Curtis threw his interception to Mitchell, which was the quarterback’s second giveaway of the game. Mitchell just got his hands under the ball before it hit the turf, and the interception was upheld after video review.
Curtis was 19 for 31 (61%) passing for 274 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.
“We had to find ways to affect him,” Silverfield said. “We knew he was a young quarterback, and we knew how talented he was. If you give him time back there he can certainly pick you apart. Getting to him made him push the ball out of his hand a little bit quicker, which was huge for us.”
The Razorbacks outgained the Commodores 438-390 in total yards, and recorded a season-high 187 yards on the ground. Jackson led Arkansas with 58 rushing yards, followed by Braylen Russell (51) and Settles (45).
Arkansas improved to 5-0 all-time when playing at Vanderbilt, dating to a 7-6 nonconference victory in 1949. Prior to Saturday night, the Razorbacks had not played in Nashville since October 2011.
Up Next
Arkansas enters its bye week in a three-way tie for 13th place in the SEC with South Carolina and Texas A&M.
The Razorbacks are scheduled to host Missouri on Oct. 31 in either an afternoon kickoff window (2:30 to 3:30 p.m.) or night window (5 to 7 p.m.). The SEC will announce Week 9 kickoff times and TV networks Monday.
The 13th-ranked Tigers (5-2, 2-2) lost 31-3 at ninth-ranked Ole Miss on Saturday.
Correction: An earlier version incorrectly stated the date when Arkansas’ SEC losing streak began. The story has been corrected.
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