KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Arkansas’ defense held Tennessee to a season-low 279 yards in total offense.

But that didn’t come close to translating into a victory for the Razorbacks.

Tennessee’s offense did just enough at the right times to send the Razorbacks home with a 34-13 loss on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

“We didn’t give up a lot of big plays,” said senior cornerback Michael Grant, who led Arkansas with 13 tackles. “But we gave up plays that were too big.”

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Tennessee’s opening drive, on which the Vols scored a touchdown to take the lead for good, summed up the Razorbacks ’ frustrating afternoon: Arkansas had three penalties to account for 20 of the Vols ’ final 49 yards with two offsides calls on defensive end Malcolm Sheppard and holding on Grant. The Vols were 3 of 3 on thirddown conversions and converted on fourth-and-1 from their 45. Cornerback Jerell Norton and safety Rashaad Johnson missed tackling wide receiver Austin Rogers on his touchdown catch from Erik Ainge.

Two other big plays by the Vols were Ainge’s touchdown pass to Josh Briscoe on thirdand-goal from the Arkansas 14 with 10 seconds left in the second quarter and Adrian Foster’s 59-yard touchdown run with 11: 22 left in the third quarter.

Those two scores pushed the Vols’ lead to 27-3.

“Obviously, the first half was tough to swallow,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring said. “We were very undisciplined... our tackling was shabby. We created a lot of problems for ourselves in the first half.

“ In the second half, I was very surprised at [Foster’s touchdown run ]. I thought we were ready to come out and get things back on track.

“ After that, we pretty much played like we were supposed to play. But in the first half, we dug too big a hole.”

Arkansas was playing a nickel package with five defensive backs on Foster’s touchdown run, which was the longest rushing play by Tennessee this season.

It was a zone blocking play on which the Vols’ running back usually cuts back to the inside, but this time, Foster stayed outside, burst through a hole and raced to the end zone untouched.

“I wasn’t disciplined on that play,” said Johnson, a redshirt sophomore walk-on who made his first career start at free safety in place of injured senior Kevin Woods. “I didn’t do what I was supposed to. I took a bad angle.”

Ainge’s touchdown pass to Briscoe just before halftime was on a tunnel screen.

“We didn’t get it done,” Herring said of that play. “I’m not going to sit here and point fingers at kids. It does no good right now.”

Several Razorbacks talked about being stung by too many busted assignments, missed tackles and foolish penalties.

“Give credit to Tennessee. They played well,” Arkansas senior defensive tackle Marcus Harrison said. “But a lot times, we shoot ourselves in the foot. I look at a lot of what happened as our fault.”