October 19, 2026 at 2:06 p.m.
by Tom Murphy
FAYETTEVILLE — The first SEC win of the Ryan Silverfield era at Arkansas earned the first-year coach an appearance on the SEC Network on Monday morning.
Silverfield had a 9-minute conversation with co-hosts Peter Burns and Chris Doering and reiterated some of the themes he has harped on since the Razorbacks upset Vanderbilt 31-21 on Saturday night in Nashville.
Burns referenced a get-together the three had at Silverfield’s house during the summer and the broadcast showed a picture of the trio as Burns asked the 46-year-old Silverfield what he would have told himself back then based on the first seven weeks of the season.
“Just tell yourself, listen, keep pushing, keep trusting,” he said. “Tough times don’t last, tough people do. It seems like a corny mantra, but it’s so true.
“Our players are bought in, and I’ve been so proud of that, and no different from our staff. Just keep pushing and getting everybody involved and finding ways to improve this entire place.”
WholeHogSports’ Daily Podcast: Looking back at Arkansas’ win over Vanderbilt
Arkansas improved to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the SEC with the win, which snapped a 14-game losing streak in league play.
Silverfield had been hammering home similar points in his media appearances the last few weeks, adding last week on his radio show, “I don’t want to sound like a broken record but the guys have continued to work. They’ve been great. I think that’s what’s been so inspiring for me is the dudes show up, they work hard, they believe and they keep fighting. That’s what you want.”
Razorback fans get to savor the win for a couple of weeks, as the Razorbacks have an open date on Saturday leading up to a 6:45 kickoff against Missouri at Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Halloween night. The Tigers (5-2, 2-2 SEC) also have a bye week this week.
Silverfield said the running game, which produced a season-high 187 yards against Vanderbilt was an element of the offense the team had to keep repping and tinkering with.
“You go back to the Georgia game, even the A&M game and the Utah game and it’s hard to find your identity when you’re getting your teeth kicked in,” Silverfield said. “What are we? Who are we? But you got to see the guys work.”
Silverfield noted his teams at Memphis were successful running the ball and the coaching staff felt it was only a matter of time before the offensive front would settle in and the intricacies of executing blocking schemes with the proper running lanes for the backs would take hold.
The Razorbacks bumped their season rushing average to 111.6, which is still 15th in the SEC and 123rd in the nation.
But they also finally got out from being underwater on a critical statistic: turnover margin. By forcing two against Vanderbilt and cashing them in with 10 points, and not committing any for the first time under Silverfield, Arkansas now owns a plus-1 turnover margin. That’s nine takeaways versus eight turnovers, a stat bolstered by a 5-1 in that department over the last two games.
“The ability to run the football and be opportunistic on defense, I think we’ve seen those things show up, and those are things we have to be able to hang our hat on,” Silverfield said.
He is also well aware the Razorbacks have other shortcomings, which were addressed in film study on Sunday and will be examined more thoroughly during the bye week.
“What else can we continue to improve upon?” he asked rhetorically during the SEC Network appearance. “We know the deficiencies we have as a team, so focusing on and improving those. But I think that’s a part of this thing. You have to be able to run the ball in this league, and you have to do it at a high level.”
Silverfield said quarterback KJ Jackson’s quality running against the Commodores, when he led the team with 58 yards on 11 attempts, showed his continued improvement.
Jackson also had one of his most efficient passing games, with no sacks taken and completions on 21 of 31 passes for 251 yards. With leading receiver Chris Marshall sidelined, Jackson found a season-high 12 different pass catchers against Vanderbilt.
“Every game he gets the opportunity to see those live bullets he’s getting better and better and that’s what you want in that quarterback position,” Silverfield said. “There’s no such thing as a finished product. We all know that.
“He’s seeing the field better. He has a great confidence in this offense. … He’s able to trust [the process], getting his eyes where they need to be. The offensive line continues to give him more and more time.”
Silverfield said at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville on Saturday night he was looking forward to a joyous plane ride home and then coaching up the players on Sunday.
“We’re going to coach the guys even harder,” he said. “Because they’ve seen the results that have come from this process. … So, we’re going to go back and, believe it or not, tomorrow we’ll say, ‘Guys, look at these things. Imagine what we could have done if we continued improved on this.’
“We’ve got a lot of football left to be played … but it is nice to have a flight home where you can have smiles on our face, enjoy this, and then go into the bye.”
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