Image – Whole Hog Sports
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cam Settles ran for two touchdowns and KJ Jackson threw for 251 yards as Arkansas snapped a 14-game SEC losing streak with a 31-21 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday night.
Settles’ 3-yard touchdown run put the Razorbacks (3-4, 1-3 SEC) ahead 28-21 with nine seconds left in the third quarter. Arkansas sealed its first conference victory since Oct. 25, 2024, on Max Gilbert’s 39-yard field goal with 24 seconds remaining.
Safety Miguel Mitchell’s interception with 3:46 left set up Arkansas’ final possession. Jackson then connected with wide receiver Jamari Hawkins for a 31-yard gain to help set up Gilbert’s kick.
Jackson completed 21 of 31 passes and rushed for a team-high 58 yards and a touchdown. The Razorbacks outgained the Commodores 438-390 and finished with a season-high 187 rushing yards. Braylen Russell added 51 yards on the ground, while Settles finished with 45.
Vanderbilt (3-4, 0-4 SEC) opened the scoring on Sedrick Alexander’s 4-yard touchdown run with 13 seconds left in the first quarter, capping a 76-yard drive that lasted three and a half minutes.
Arkansas tied the game at 7 when cornerback Joker Johnson returned an interception for a touchdown with 6:16 remaining in the second quarter. Vanderbilt quarterback Jared Curtis responded on the next possession, finding wide receiver Jordan Sherrill for a 24-yard touchdown on the first play after the two-minute timeout.
The Razorbacks answered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive capped by Settles’ 11-yard touchdown run, tying the game at 14 with 38 seconds left before halftime. It was the first career touchdown for the sophomore from Little Rock.
Arkansas receiver Chris Marshall exited late in the second quarter after a 28-yard reception on that drive. Marshall appeared hobbled as he went out of bounds and reached for his hamstring on the sideline. He did not appear again in the game.
Jackson gave Arkansas its first lead on an 8-yard touchdown run with 11:17 left in the third quarter. Vanderbilt tied it again on Makhilyn Young’s 3-yard scoring run with 5:42 remaining in the period.
After both teams came up empty on their next possessions, Antonio Jordan hauled in a 32-yard pass down the sideline to set up Settles’ go-ahead 3-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. The 6-foot-6 sophomore receiver from Warren finished with five catches for 74 yards.
Curtis completed 19 of 31 passes for 274 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Notes:
Arkansas moved to 5-0 all-time when playing at Vanderbilt on Saturday night, their first victory in Nashville was a 7-6 victory against the Commodores in 1949. Before Saturday’s game, the Razorbacks had not played there since October 29, 2011, when they defeated Vanderbilt 31-28 in Bobby Petrino’s final season as head coach.
Next Up:
Arkansas enters its open week in a three-way tie for 13th place in the SEC with South Carolina and Texas A&M.
The Razorbacks are slated to host Missouri on Oct. 31 in either an afternoon (2:30 to 3:30 p.m.) or night window (5 to 7 p.m.) showdown. The SEC will announce Week 9 kickoff times and television networks on Monday.
The No. 13 Tigers (5-2, 2-2 SEC) lost to No. 9 Ole Miss 31-3 on Saturday.
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