FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman saw some long faces in the locker room at halftime on Saturday night, so he saw part of his role as being a psychologist.
The Razorbacks were trailing visiting Tennessee 13-0 at the time, but it wasn't just the deficit that was disheartening. It was how the game got there.
Tennessee had scored on three of its first four series, had churned out 135 rushing yards on 30 carries and had dominated in time of possession by nearly a 2-to-1 margin at 19:56 to 10:04.
Pittman's pep talk included the prediction that the Razorbacks would come out and score on their first possession, hold the Volunteers, then score again, and "we're gonna be up before you know it."
Lo and behold, the Razorbacks did just that, scoring on Mike Woods' 1-yard slant after a 17-play drive to open the half, holding the Vols with a three and out, then driving 67 yards for Blake Kern's 6-yard touchdown strike from Feleipe Franks.
Arkansas seized its first lead with 6:35 remaining in the third quarter and never let it go en route to a 24-13 victory.
"I told them the mind is so powerful," Pittman said. "The mind needs to tell you that we're gonna go win the game and just how we're gonna do it. I didn't want to see any negative. I didn't want to see any heads hanging or anything like that because it was only a 13-point game."
Receiver Mike Woods said the players were not discouraged at halftime.
"Coach Pittman always tells us a problem is only a problem until you fix it," Woods said. "So we don't harp on things that happen. We just come in at halftime, we fix the problems, and we just go execute in the second half. So we just came in, fixed the problems and y'all saw what happened in the third quarter."
INT central
Arkansas added two more interceptions against Tennessee -- diving grabs by Eric Gregory and Jalen Catalon after tipped passes -- to regain the national lead with 12 picks through six games.
Kentucky and Wake Forest have 11 interceptions through six games, while Pittsburgh has 11 through eight games. Appalachian State and Louisiana-Lafayette, with 10 interceptions each, are the only other FBS teams among the 111 who have played games to reach double figures.
The Razorbacks and Volunteers had played a turnover-free game until late, as Arkansas notched its picks on Tennessee's final two drives. Gregory's first career interception came when he turned and dove for a pass that had been swatted away by Arkansas nickel back Greg Brooks Jr.
Catalon's second interception came after cornerback Hudson Clark batted a pass in the end zone on the game's final play to protect Arkansas' second half shutout.
More jukebox
Sam Pittman got to shout out "turn that damn jukebox on!" once again after the Razorbacks rallied past Tennessee with a 24-0 second half.
Asked to describe the postgame locker room, Pittman joked around at first.
"The locker room was kind of morbid, you know," he said. "Nobody was excited."
After laughing a moment, Pittman added, "The locker room was fun. That's why you coach. You want those moments. You want that time. You want to be with your kids and see their faces. It's one of the reasons why you coach. It was awesome. Did we turn the jukebox on? Absolutely."
Video clips of the postgame celebration include a player shouting "Turn us up, coach!" as Pittman was winding down his postgame talk, and linebacker Grant Morgan sticking a back flip with full game gear on.
Everything's great
Mike Woods is one of the veterans for the Razorbacks who was part of the team's 0-16 run in the SEC the last two seasons.
The junior from Magnolia, Texas, has been a key part of the resurgence under Sam Pittman that has led to the Hogs' 3-3 start, which should be 4-2 based on an erroneous officiating decision at Auburn.
"I mean it's been a long time coming," Woods said Saturday. "I've been here three years, and we haven't won an SEC game until this year. It's been a long time coming.
"It's been great. When you win everything feels better. You're not as sore. Problems on the team aren't problems anymore because you won. When you win games, everything is great."
Fumble fingers
The Razorbacks won the turnover battle by a 2-0 margin, but that was mostly due to having alert players pounce on Arkansas fumbles.
Trelon Smith and Feleipe Franks each lost the ball on the same series in the first half without being hit but recovered their own miscues. Smith recovered a fumbled screen pass for a 10-yard loss, while Franks managed to retrieve a ball almost in stride on his own 16-yard scramble.
Receiver John David White pounced on a fumble by Blake Kern after a 10-yard pickup in the third quarter that would have altered the flow of the game. Kern's gain reached the Tennessee 2-yard line before linebacker Quavaris Crouch dislodged the ball. White made the recover in an awkward position, as his helmet was above the leg of a defender and he couldn't see the ball underneath the Vols' leg. Arkansas scored its first touchdown two plays later on Franks' 1-yard slant to Mike Woods.
Dalton Wagner averted a potential major disaster in the fourth quarter when he covered a Franks fumble at the Arkansas 10 after a strip sack by Bryce Thompson with the Razorbacks protecting a 24-13 lead. Wagner covered the spinning ball just ahead of diving attempts from Tennessee's Trevon Flowers and Ja'Quain Blakely.
6 for 126
De'Vion Warren, Feleipe Franks and Trelon Smith combined for six runs of 16-plus yards that resulted in 126 yards against the Vols.
The big-play bonanza started on Arkansas' first snap, a 22-yard end around for Warren, who wound up 75 all-purpose yards on five touches after having one touch for 22 yards the week before. Warren added a 19-yard carry in the second quarter.
Trelon Smith had runs of 23 and 22 yards in the second and third quarters, respectively, both over the left side. Franks had a 16-yard scramble in the second quarter and added a 24-yard designed run in the third that led to A.J. Reed's 48-yard field goal for Arkansas' final points.
Arkansas had nine explosive plays, as defined by passes of 15 or more yards and runs of 10 or more yards, while holding the Volunteers to four such plays. Tennessee's longest play was a 24-yard pass from freshman Harrison Bailey to Brandon Johnson on its final series.
The Razorbacks had three pass plays of 24-plus yards: Feleipe Franks' 24-yard strike to Blake Kern in the second quarter, Mike Woods' 56-yard catch and run in the third quarter that was initially ruled a touchdown before replay showed he stepped out on the 6-yard line, and Treylon Burks' 59-yard touchdown on a scramble play in the third.
K-Rich catch
Former Arkansas defensive back Kevin Richardson, a fan favorite from Jacksonville who played from 2013-18, snared one of Feleipe Franks' passes on Saturday.
Franks was rolling right on a second-and-goal snap from the Tennessee 4-yard line when he uncorked a throw well beyond the end zone that flew into a lower level suite. Richardson made the catch, showed the ball to the crowd, then the left-hander chunked the ball back to a game official.
Plenty of former Arkansas players and fans noted the catch and gave Richardson shout-outs on social media. Richardson had four career interceptions, including the only pick thrown by former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts during the 2017 regular season.
Players of the week
Offense
QB Feleipe Franks
The graduate transfer completed 18 of 24 passes for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns and had 10 carries for 46 yards, excluding sacks. The Crawfordville, Fla., native notched a 191.5 efficiency rating for the game and improved to a 14-3 touchdown to interception rate.
Defense
S Jalen Catalon
The redshirt freshman's return, after missing three quarters last week due to a targeting ejection, was evident. The Mansfield, Texas, native notched 12 tackles, 6 solos, intercepted a pass on the game's final play and had a forced fumble.