FAYETTEVILLE — Before Saturday, Arkansas backup quarterback Malachi Singleton had played three snaps of SEC football. The redshirt freshman quarterback had made a brief appearance against Auburn in Week 4, taking three snaps and attempting one pass. His only other playing time this season had been in the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
But by the end of the night, Singleton had scored the game-winning touchdown to lift the Razorbacks over No. 4 Tennessee, 19-14. His 11-yard run capped a four-play, 59-yard drive that gave Arkansas its first home win over a top-five opponent since 1999, five years before Singleton was born.
Singleton, a former 4-star out of Georgia, had entered the game in the fourth quarter after starting quarterback Taylen Green left the game with an apparent leg injury. The Razorbacks, down 14-10, were in the red zone when Green took a big hit to the legs from Volunteers lineman Omarr Norman-Lott and came off the field. Singleton entered the game and Arkansas was ultimately forced to kick a 23-yard field goal to cut Tennessee’s lead to 1.
Green tried to come back in the game on Arkansas’ next drive, but after one play, it was evident he was still hobbled. In went Singleton.
Arkansas went three-and-out. Then they did it again on their next drive.
The Razorbacks’ defense just kept holding, and finally, Singleton and the offense had the ball starting at their own 41-yard line with 3:20 left to play.
First play: A 13-yard completion to Isaiah Sategna. The tense Razorback Stadium crowd erupted.
“My emotions were definitely running high,” Singleton said. “Just to get a quick screen to get me settled in, something quick just to get everybody calm, get a first down and move the sticks, I think it settled down everybody.”
Next play: A handoff to freshman running back Braylen Russell, who broke free for a 24-yard gain. The crowd noise built again.
Third play: Another handoff to Russell, this time for a gain of 11.
“Wasn’t that something?” coach Sam Pittman said. “I thought it was great, especially when we were a little bit out of field goal range and he ran the inside zone. He got moving, now, and he’s hard to stop.”
And finally: A Singleton keeper around the outside and into the end zone for the 11-yard score.
“It was just a read option,” Singleton said. “One of my earlier possessions, I handed it off. I thought I could've pulled it, so the next time he called it, I pulled it. It was there. I went to go make a play.”
Arkansas’ two-point conversion attempt failed, but it didn’t matter. The defense held, the clock ran out, and the fans poured onto the field to celebrate the massive upset win.
Green, who had gone to the locker room after exiting the game a second time, had come back to the sideline to cheer on Singleton and the offense.
“He helps me with everything,” Singleton said. “Every time I came off the field, he was coaching me and just giving me pointers. Just telling me to settle down, 'You got this, we have all the confidence in the world in you.' I love that boy right there.”
Confidence was what enabled Singleton to close out the historic upset. Pittman said no one needed to give Singleton a motivational speech; he was ready for the moment.
“[Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino] and I had great confidence when he went into the game,” Pittman said. “I didn’t pull him aside. I’m sure Bobby just coached him up like he does every day at practice and said, ‘Hey, let’s go.’ I don’t think it was one of those ‘We believe in you’ things. It’s just, ‘Alright, bro, it’s your time. Let’s go get it.’ And he did.”
Arkansas and its fans have next week off to recover from the celebrations that lasted into the early hours Sunday and prepare to face LSU. Green will have the time off to get healthy: The specifics of his injury weren’t clear immediately after the game.
The Razorbacks will go back to work before long, but they will always have the upset win over Tennessee. Green might be back at quarterback the next time Arkansas takes the field, but Singleton will always have that game-winner.
“He believes in himself as much as anybody can, which is a great trait,” Pittman said. “He's a competitor.”