Instant Replay

Berry off, running for Vols

Tennessee head coach Butch Jones cheers on Evan Berry (29) as he returns a kickoff for a touchdown during the first half of an NCCAA College football game against Arkansas Saturday Oct. 3, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn. (Larry McComack /The Tennessean via AP)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. --Tennessee junior Evan Berry, the younger brother of former Vols star and Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry, is making a name for himself.

Evan Berry, a defensive back, opened Saturday night's game against Arkansas by returning Lane Saling's kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

Berry became the first Tennessee player to return a kickoff for a touchdown to open a game since Willie Gault did it against Kentucky in 1980.

Berry, who returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown against Western Carolina two weeks ago, also is the first Vol with more than one kickoff return for a touchdown in a season since Gault scored on three returns in 1980.

Berry was the first player to return a kickoff for a touchdown against Arkansas since Alabama-Birmingham receiver J.J. Nelson had a 100-harder last season in the Razorbacks' 45-17 victory over the Blazers.

Injury report

Arkansas linebacker Josh Williams suffered a broken right leg during the second quarter, ESPN reported, attributing the injury report to a halftime talk with Razorbacks Coach Bret Bielema.

While the Razorbacks' training staff was attending to Williams after he was injured, Bielema gave an earful to an official after it appeared Williams was cut block by a Tennessee player.

Way late

ESPN showed Marcela Allen, Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen's mother, yelling in the stands about a late hit on her son that wasn't called in the second quarter.

She had a right to complain.

Tennessee linebacker Darrin Kirkland knocked Allen to the ground well after he had thrown the ball away out of bounds.

Later in the possession Vols defensive end Corey Vereen was called for a late hit on Allen, a penalty that moved the ball to the Tennessee 9 to help set up Cole Hedlund's 26-yard field goal.

Vereen was trying to pull up and not hit Allen after he scrambled out of bounds. It was a late hit, but not as blatant as the one by Kirkland that went uncalled.

J-Will's number

Arkansas senior safety Rohan Gaines, who normally wears No. 26, wore No. 32 Saturday to honor injured teammate and team captain Jonathan Williams.

Gaines served as a captain for the pregame coin toss along with Brandon Allen, Brooks Ellis and JaMichael Winston.

Tight end Hunter Hunter, who wore No. 32 last week against Texas A&M, returned to wearing his normal No. 84 Saturday night.

Like Brett would do it

Brandon Allen channeled his inner Brett Favre on a touchdown pass to Dominique Reed in the second quarter.

Allen scrambled and then flipped the ball to Reed, who showed off his speed to run about the final 25 yards to the end zone to finish the 33-yard play.

It was the first touchdown for Reed, a junior transfer from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College.

Good, bad bounces

Tennessee place-kicker Aaron Medley hit the left upright on field goal attempts twice with mixed results.

Medley's 27-yard attempt in the first quarter missed after hitting the upright. His 45-yard attempt in the third quarter hit the upright and bounced over the crossbar.

See you in 5 years

It's going to be take a while for Tennessee to return Saturday night's game to Arkansas.

The Razorbacks and Vols aren't scheduled to play again in a regular-season game until 2020, when Tennessee will visit Fayetteville.

That will be the Vols' first game at Arkansas since 2006, when the Razorbacks won 31-14 as Darren McFadden rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass to Marcus Monk.

Arkansas now plays Missouri as the Razorbacks' lone annual opponent for the SEC East.

The Razorbacks' other SEC East games the next for four seasons will be at home against Florida in 2016, at South Carolina in 2017, at home against Vanderbilt in 2018 and at Kentucky in 2019.

From 1992 through 2002, Arkansas played South Carolina and Tennessee every season with other East teams rotating on and off the schedule.

SEC athletic directors voted that starting in 2003 to have only one annual game between teams from opposite divisions, and South Carolina stayed on the Razorbacks' schedule with Tennessee going off because tradition dictated the Vols continue to play Alabama annually.

Food for thought

A Knoxville area restaurant had some fun with Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema on Friday night according to a Fox Sports report.

When Bielema made a to-go order, Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria gave him a complimentary pizza but spelled out "Go Vols" in olives on the top.

Flag bearers

Arkansas junior defensive tackle Cordale Boyd, who is from Memphis, made his return to his home state and had the honor of carrying the United States flag when the Razorbacks ran onto the field.

Senior guard Marcus Danenhauer, from Bentonville, carried the Arkansas flag.

Apology appreciated

Former Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler, the SEC Player of the Year in 1993, said earlier this week he received an apology from former Arkansas Coach Danny Ford after the Razorbacks-Vols game that season.

Late in Tennessee's 28-14 victory in Little Rock, the Vols had the ball on the Arkansas 15 and Shuler was still in the game when a television sideline microphone picked up Ford saying, "I hope they tear up a knee right here!"

Incensed Tennessee fans, assuming Ford was referring to Shuler being injured, flooded media outlets with complaints about Ford's comment.

When Ford found out after the game what had happened, he said thought he had said, "I hope they take a knee and run the clock out."

Shuler's coach at Swain Country High School in Bryson City, N.C., was a friend of Ford's and called him after the game.

"Whatever it was, it was in the heat of the moment," Shuler said Monday when he spoke at the Little Rock Touchdown Club. "I didn't take it personal."

Shuler said Ford wrote him a letter and apologized.

"That meant a lot to me," Shuler said. "It meant a lot to my high school coach as well."

Sports on 10/04/2015