No. 4 Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) at Arkansas (3-2, 1-1), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Tennessee by 13 1/2.
Series record: Tennessee leads 13-6.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Tennessee appears to have the potential to make a run at a berth in the SEC championship game. A win here would keep the Vols unbeaten in the league as they try to keep up with Texas, Alabama, Missouri and LSU. Arkansas appears close to a breakthrough. Its two losses were close calls against Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. In both games, the Razorbacks outgained both by significant margins but lost the turnover battle.
KEY MATCHUP
Arkansas RB Ja'Quinden Jackson vs. Tennessee's defense. Jackson has emerged as one of the nation’s most effective backs. He leads the SEC with 509 yards rushing and is second with nine rushing touchdowns. He faces a Tennessee defense that ranks second nationally in rushing defense, giving up just 50.8 yards per game. Opponents are averaging just 1.6 yards per rush against the Vols.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tennessee: QB Nico Iamaleava. This will be his sixth career start and second straight on the road in the SEC. He is 5-0 with three of those wins coming over ranked opponents. He is averaging 223 yards passing per game completing 69.3% of his passes. He has thrown seven TD passes with only two interceptions.
Arkansas: QB Taylen Green. In five games, Green has passed for 1,236 yards and rushed for 331. He can be spectacular, but he sometimes struggles with accuracy and ball security — he has thrown five interceptions.
FACTS & FIGURES
Arkansas has won the last three in the series and the last three in Fayetteville. ... Arkansas seeks its first home win against a top 5 team since beating Tennessee in 1999. ... Tennessee is 4-0 for the second time in three seasons under coach Josh Heupel. That's the program's first time since 1991-92. ... The Vols also have won six straight dating to last season's regular-season finale over Vanderbilt. That is the fourth-longest active streak nationally, trailing only Missouri and Army (eight) and Duke (seven). All of Tennessee's win in this streak have come by double digits. ... Tennessee is one of four FBS programs yet to trail in a game this season along with Texas, Indiana and Army. ... The Vols are outscoring opponents 149-6 in the first half this season. ... Heupel is 8-1 coming off an open date as a head coach, including 3-0 with the Vols.
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Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green looks to pass against Texas A&M during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. Find the AP’s top photos of the day in Today’s Photo Collection. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.
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ONLY ON AP
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TOP STORIES
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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES
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NYC-MAYOR-BLACK REPRESENTATION — The indictment of New York City mayor Eric Adams on federal bribery charges has sparked debates among Black leaders and community advocates about whether to stand behind a figure who, for many, represents a milestone of Black representation in government. Nearly two years ago, New York voters elected Black leaders to a historic number of local and statewide offices. Some Black leaders now fear that Adams’ indictment may tarnish the broader political representation that was achieved. By Aaron Morrison and Matt Brown. SENT: 1,140 words, photos, video.
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RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR
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MORE NEWS
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FRANCE-OBIT-PERAHIA — Victor Perahia, the president of the French Union of Auschwitz Deportees and a Holocaust survivor, has died. He was 91. SENT: 410 words, photos.
BRITAIN-DEAF-CINEMA — A new initiative will allow UK deaf audiences to see captioned films before general release. SENT: 480 words, photos.
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WASHINGTON/POLITICS
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NATIONAL
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TYRE-NICHOLS — The future of three former Memphis officers charged with violating Tyre Nichols’ civil rights in a beating that proved fatal is in the hands of a jury after a nearly monthlong federal trial. SENT: 590 words, photos. Developing.
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INTERNATIONAL
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BRITAIN-MAURITIUS-CHAGOS-ISLANDS — The British government agreed Thursday to hand sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, in a deal to secure the future of a strategically important U.K.-U.S. military base. SENT: 910 words, photos
THAILAND-BUS FIRE — A small town in central Thailand is holding a mass funeral for the 23 students and teachers who died in a bus fire while on a school trip earlier this week. Families and friends of the dead, who tearfully recalled the children’s short lives, were joined at their funeral in the small central Thai town of Lan Sak by a representative bearing a wreath from King Maha Vajiralongkorn. SENT: 830 words, photos, video, audio.
GEORGIA-LGBTQ-RIGHTS — The speaker of the Georgian parliament has signed into a law a bill that severely curtails LGBTQ+ rights in the country and mirrors legislation adopted in neighboring Russia. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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BUSINESS
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GOOGLE-AI-EXPANSION — Google is injecting its search engine with more artificial intelligence that will enable people to voice questions about images and occasionally organize an entire page of results, despite the technology’s past offerings of misleading information. SENT: 590 words, photos.
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ENTERTAINMENT
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MUSIC-GRAMMY'S — For years, the Grammy Awards have been criticized over a lack of diversity — artists of color and women left out of top prizes; rap and contemporary R&B stars ignored — a reflection of the Recording Academy’s electorate. An evolving voting body, 66% of whom have joined in the last five years, is working to remedy that. SENT: 670 words, photos.
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SPORTS
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BILES-SUPPORTING MEN — Gymnastics star Simone Biles is giving the men’s side of the sport a welcome boost. Several members of the U.S. men’s Olympic team that captured bronze in Paris have joined Biles for her post-Olympic tour. SENT: 800 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris greets people who were impacted by Hurricane Helene in Augusta, Ga., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, as from left, Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., FEMA deputy direct Erik Hooks and Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson watch. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Mourners take the last look at the body of Sameh al-Asali, 38, a Palestinian worker from Gaza who had been stranded in the territory since the war broke out and was killed by a rocket during Tuesday's night's Iranian strike toward Israel, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Jericho, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
