Silverfield's Razorbacks Finally Land A Punch, Promise to Keep Swinging

NASHVILLE — For 721 days, Arkansas football had been searching for something that used to be taken for granted around the Razorback football facility.

Arkansas took the lead late in the third quarter and never relinquished it after that, putting an end to nearly two-years of misery bound up in a 14-game SEC losing streak with a 31-21 victory. A team that has found an unimaginable amount of ways to lose a gall game were finally able to close a long, winding chapter of program history.

Of course, the transition under first-year coach Ryan Silverfield hasn't been an easy one to this point in his tenure.

There's been NIL budget concerns the athletic department didn't appear to be completely upfront about upon his hiring. Perhaps he didn't have quite the amount of available funding, at least for this roster, but he never used it as an excuse why this team struggled early on.

"It's awesome, it's, for these fans, and these players have trusted the process to keep believing and show up every day fighting," Silverfield told the SEC Network after the victory. "For great teams who showed up, we're great fans back home. Trust it, we're gonna keep working on getting this thing better and better every single day.

His message about being "ALL IN" about the process proved true Saturday night at Vanderbilt, especially when it's star wide receiver Chris Marshall left the game after a big catch and run in the first half. Looking down the sideline, quarterback KJ Jackson was looking for answers about who he could depend on and there were more than two handfuls of guys who found a way to contribute.

There was a time not too long ago when losing a player such as Marshall would've crippled Arkansas' offense. Instead, the unit discovered something Saturday night that Silverfield has spent months trying to instill in his program.

It was about everyone else refusing to let the opportunity of winning slip away. The Razorbacks had 12 different players catch a pass against Vanderbilt on Saturday, including receivers such as AJ Jordan, Jamari Hawkins, Ty Lockwood and Monte Harrison made big plays in the passing game.

"That's awesome, yeah. We did discuss it. Who's gonna step up next if Chris isn't the guy," Silverfield said. "So many guys showed up, offense, defense and special teams, what a great night. Again, I'm so proud of the guys. Their resiliency. It's all about the players."

One week after losing to Tennessee in heartbreak fashion at home, the Razorbacks weren't willing to be denied it's first SEC victory under Silverfield.

He has repeatedly praised his team for continuing to show up each day for practice and fight through adversity even when things aren't quite going the way they hoped coming into the season.

There was fight from the Hogs even in defeat last week, but they were still able to stay the course by not letting go of the rope. They didn't lose belief and are being asked to keep showing up, improving and putting in the work to truly get the program turned around.

Seven days ago, the conversation surrounding Arkansas football was about another opportunity wasted. The Razorbacks had watched a winnable game against a top-15 Tennessee team slip through their fingers, leaving fans wondering whether this program would ever figure out how to finish.

Saturday night provided a different ending. Silverfield didn't have to look for an explanation as to why he punted on fourth-and-10 with less than two minutes to go. That's because his team figured out a way to execute what was being asked of them and be put in a spot to succeed.

That's the definition of reilience. The Razorbacks kept fighting and were able to enjoy the fruit of their labor one week after visiting Brokenheartsville again.

"Well, listen, we always believe it," Silverfield said. "I'm telling you, even when we've got our teeth kicked in early in the season, the guys kept showing up working, and I can't tell you how proud I am with them. The resiliency of these young men. This is the foundation we're building here at Arkansas.

"I'm just telling you, I'm so darn proud of them, and they deserve everything. We got long season left to go. We're going to keep coming out swinging."

The Razorbacks will have a BYE next Saturday, and will return to the gridiron on Oct. 31 for the Battle Line Rivalry Game against Missouri at Razorback Stadium with another opportunity to show the state that they are continuing to scrap and claw toward respectability once again.

Sign up to our free newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter) for the latest news.