Tennessee Uses Week 6 Bye to Prepare for Arkansas After Razorbacks’ Staff Shake-Up

Josh Heupel is using the break to emphasize recovery, fundamentals, depth preparation and staff recruiting as Arkansas resets under interim coach Bobby Petrino.

Overview

Tennessee is off today at 4-1 and ranked No. 15, returning Oct. 11 to host Arkansas at Neyland Stadium with a 4:15 p.m. ET kickoff on SEC Network.
Heupel said the focus this week is on health, technique and getting young players ready while carving out time late in the week for recruiting.
The staff is managing practice and game reps to limit wear from the SEC grind, with an emphasis on preparing backups to step in.
Arkansas dismissed head coach Sam Pittman after the 56-13 loss to Notre Dame, elevated Bobby Petrino to interim, and fired defensive assistants Travis Williams, Deke Adams and Marcus Woodson.
Heupel is 4-1 at Tennessee following off weeks, with the lone post-bye defeat coming against Arkansas on Oct. 5, 2024.