Arkansas witnessed another late-game blunder on Saturday afternoon against Memphis in a 32-31 loss at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Like last week at Ole Miss, the Razorbacks were inconsistent on defense and fumbled the ball away on offense with less than two minutes left in the game.
Arkansas football vs Memphis: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
The Good
Arkansas elected to receive to open up the contest. QB Taylen Green was tackled for a loss of three yards on an option play but connected with WR O’Mega Blake for 16 yards to the Razorback 38-yard line. Green then threw a perfect bomb to TE Rohan Jones, who sprinted for a 64-yard touchdown with nobody in the area to take an early 7-0 lead in just three plays with 13:50 to play in the first quarter.
With 20 seconds left in the first quarter, the Razorbacks found themselves trailing by three, 10-7, after Green’s interception led to a touchdown for the Tigers. Arkansas opened up the drive at its own 23-yard line and began with a 23-yard run by RB Braylen Russell to close out the opening quarter.
A defensive offside penalty on Memphis moved the ball an extra five yards, and Green completed a 10-yard pass to WR CJ Brown to the 39-yard line in opposing territory. One player later, Green scampered for an 11- and 12-yard run on back-to-back plays to get the Hogs to the 16-yard line. Russell finished the drive with a 16-yard touchdown to put Arkansas back on top, 14-10, with 12:37 left in the second quarter.
After retaking the lead, the Razorback defense forced its second three-and-out of the game. Arkansas was right back in on its own 34. Green completed an eight-yard pass to Russell and then ran for four yards to pick up the first down at the 46. Russell picked up six yards on the run to put Arkansas at the Memphis 48-yard line. Green followed up with a six-yard completion to Blake and a big 21-yard pass to WR CJ Brown.
RB Mike Washington Jr. broke one off for a 16-yard run, and Jones finished the drive with a five-yard rushing touchdown for his second score of the game. The Hogs were starting to come together with a 21-10 lead with 7:41 remaining in the second half.
Another one, thank you pic.twitter.com/uXaXyvfeF0
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) September 20, 2025
Memphis tried to fight its way back into the game with the ball on its own 25-yard line. The Tigers picked up a first down on two plays to the 36, and Smith picked up a huge 33-yard run to the left side to put Memphis in Arkansas territory at the 31. The tribe was stopped after a three-yard run by Smith and back-to-back incompletions. Spectic lined up for a 46-yard field goal attempt, but his kick was off a little bit to the right. And just like that, Arkansas is right back on offense.
The Razorbacks went three-and-out and had to punt the ball back to the Tigers. On its own 22-yard line, Memphis decided to run a trick play with WR CJ Smith catching a backwards pass from Lewis. Smith’s pass was intercepted at the Arkansas 48-yard line by DB Miguel Mitchell to put the Hogs back on offense.
Green opened up the drive with a seven-yard run and then completed a 15-yard pass to TE Jaden Platt to the Memphis 30-yard line. Green connected with Platt again on a crossing route for 29 yards to the one-yard line. Washington punched it in for a rushing touchdown to put Arkansas up by 18, 28-10, with 1:35 left in the first half.
Memphis set up shop at its own 25 to open up the second half while trailing, 28-17. The drive started out promising, with Lewis completing a four-yard pass to TE Christian Ross and a 12-yard pass to Braham. After a seven-yard run by RB Greg Desrosiers Jr., the Tigers were penalized for a holding call on 2nd & 3 to back them up to their own 38-yard line. Lewis completed a six-yard pass to WR Jamari Hawkins to set up 3rd & 7 but was sacked for a four-yard loss on the next play to force Memphis to punt.
Arkansas was looking to extend its 28-20 lead with 7:25 remaining in the third quarter. The drive started with Washington losing three yards, but Green completed a 17-yard pass to WR Raylen Sharpe to the Razorback 39-yard line. On 2nd & 10, Green connected with Jones for a huge 40-yard pass to put Arkansas in enemy territory at the 21. After Washington was dropped for a seven-yard loss and Green threw back-to-back incompletions, Scott Starzyk came through with a 46-yard field goal to put the Hogs up by 11, 31-20, with 4:16 left in the third quarter.
Memphis’ interception with 13:55 left in the fourth quarter gave the Tigers a chance to take the lead for the first time since the second quarter. Memphis opened up the drive on its own 19-yard line with Lewis running for a three-yard gain and an eight-yard gain. Smith ran the ball for an 11-yard gain to put the Tigers at their own 41. On the next play, Lewis threw a deep pass to the right side of the field, but it was intercepted by DB Julian Neal. Neal returned the ball for 19 yards to the Arkansas 27-yard line to keep the Hogs ahead.
The Bad
After Arkansas took an early 7-0 lead on three plays, Memphis went to work with a 13-yard pass from QB Brandon Lewis to WR Cortez Braham Jr. and a 10-yard run by RB Sutton Smith to the Tigers’ 48-yard line. One play later, Lewis ran for 13 yards to put Memphis in Arkansas territory at the 39-yard line. Facing 3rd & 10, Lewis completed an 11-yard pass to Braham. The Tigers picked up another first down two plays later but were finally stopped by the Razorback defense at the 20. Gianni Spectic’s 38-yard field goal attempt was true to cut the lead to four, 7-3, with 8:57 left in the first quarter.
Memphis decided to catch Arkansas by surprise on an onside kick, but it was recovered by the Hogs. With excellent field position at their own 47, the Hogs went three-and-out while only gaining five yards in the drive. Devin Bale’s punt was a beauty that was downed inside the one, but a penalty for illegal formation on Arkansas forced a redo. His punt went to the Memphis 11-yard line.
After the Razorback offense went three-and-out with 10:32 left in the third quarter, the Tigers were looking to cut the 28-17 deficit to a one-possession game. Memphis started the drive at its own 41-yard line and began with an 18-yard run by Lewis to the Arkansas 41. Lewis then hit Desrosiers for 15 yards to the 26. After a one-yard loss by Desrosiers and a 10-yard loss on a sack by DL Quincy Rhodes Jr., Smith ran for eight yards to get the ball to the 29-yard line. Spectic came through with a 47-yard field goal to cut the lead to eight with 7:25 left in the third quarter.
The Ugly
After Arkansas forced its first three-and-out of the game with 6:22 left in the opening quarter, the Razorbacks got the ball at their own 37-yard line. On the first play, Green threw an interception on a deep ball to the Memphis 29-yard line that was caught by DB Jaidyn Denis.
The Tigers seized the opportunity with RB Greg Desrosiers Jr. breaking off for a 21-yard run to midfield. Lewis dotted up WR Brady Kluse for 20 yards to the Arkansas 30. Lewis followed up with a 15-yard run. On 3rd & 9 at the 14, Memphis converted with Lewis completing a 10-yard pass to Kluse. On 3rd & Goal at the four, Lewis ran the ball to the right side into the end zone to give Memphis the lead, 10-7, with 20 seconds left in the first quarter.
Memphis got the ball with 1:35 left in the first half while trailing by 18, 28-10. After a three-yard loss that put them on their own 22-yard line, Memphis picked up a first down on a 15-yard penalty for pass interference on Arkansas. Braham caught a pass for eight yards on 2nd & 10, and Smith picked up 17 yards on the run to convert on third down. After an incompletion, Lewis threw a 38-yard pass to Braham for a touchdown with 31 seconds left in the second half. The Tigers put themselves back in the game, trailing by 11, 28-17, while receiving the second half kickoff.
After Starzyk’s 46-yard field goal put Arkansas back up by 11, 31-20, with 4:16 left in the third quarter, Memphis was looking for a big response. Starting at their own 25-yard line, the Tigers picked up five yards on a defensive delay of game on the Hogs. Lewis threw a 40-yard pass to WR Marcello Lewis to the Arkansas 30 to give Memphis momentum. Lewis then ran for a 10-yard gain to put the Tigers in the red zone. After Desrosiers was dropped for a two-yard loss, Lewis threw a 12-yard pass to Braham to set up 1st & Goal at the 10. Lewis followed by running the ball in for a touchdown. Memphis went for the two-point conversion but failed on the attempt. However, the Tigers were within five, 31-26, with 1:40 left in the third quarter.
Arkansas was in need of a response on offense after the score. After a 10-yard penalty for a holding call on the Hogs, Green fired a 42-yard pass to WR Jalen Brown at the Memphis 43-yard line. On 3rd & 8, Green connected with Blake for 15 yards to close out the third quarter. Green opened up the fourth quarter with a four-yard run to the 22 to put Arkansas in position to get a touchdown. On the next play, Green threw an interception to DB Kamari Wilson to halt the drive with 14:15 left in the fourth quarter.
Memphis got the ball back after forcing Arkansas to punt with 6:15 left in the game. Starting at their own six-yard line, Lewis ran the ball for 22 yards on the first play of the drive to get the Tigers rolling. After an incompletion, Lewis dotted up Braham for an eight-yard gain. Memphis was looking at a 3rd & 2 at its own 36. Smith took an HB stretch to the left side, shrugged off a tackle, and went 64 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers the lead with 4:51 left in the game. The two-point conversion was no good, but Memphis still had a 32-31 lead.
The Arkansas offense was looking to bail out the defense. After an incompletion, Washington ran for 17 yards for a first down to the Razorback 42. Green connected with a seven-yard pass to Blake, and Washington ran for 12 yards to the Memphis 39-yard line. Green hit Washington for 10 yards, and Washington kept the offense moving with a nine-yard run to the 20-yard line. After a five-yard penalty, Arkansas was backed up to the 25 on an illegal substitution. Washington got the yards back and more with an eight-yard run to the 17. He ran the ball again for eight yards to the nine-yard line. On the next play, Washington ran up the gut for a first down, but the play was reviewed on whether he fumbled the ball or not after being called down. The call was overturned, and Memphis had the ball with 1:18 left in the game.
The Tigers had the ball on their own seven-yard line with a chance to ice the game. Smith ran for a loss of two yards, and Lewis ran for a gain of four, forcing Arkansas to call two of its three timeouts. Lewis’s helmet had come off on the play, and he had to sit out for a play. This forced backup QB Arrington Maiden to come into the game. Maiden ran the ball up the middle and dragged 389-pound DL Ian Geffared for an 11-yard gain to give Memphis the win. After the Tigers ran the rest of the clock out, fans stormed the field, chanting “S-E-C.”
Conclusion
Arkansas has lost back-to-back games due to a fumble with last week’s 41-35 loss at Ole Miss when Jalen Brown lost the ball on the Hogs’ final drive of the game with 1:52 left. The Razorbacks are in need of a big turnaround after the first four games of the year. It will have to start next Saturday against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at home in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m., and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
Follow Razorbackers on Twitter (X) & Facebook, and avoid missing out on the latest Arkansas news by signing up for our daily FanSided newsletter and selecting Arkansas football and/or basketball!