NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt moved the ball well enough to win Saturday night, but two interceptions handed Arkansas 10 points and the Razorbacks left FirstBank Stadium with a 31-21 victory.
The loss drops the Commodores to 3-4 overall and 0-4 in Southeastern Conference play. Arkansas improved to 3-4 and picked up its first SEC win of the season at 1-3.
Vanderbilt struck first. A 39-yard completion from Jared Curtis to Ja’Cory Thomas set up a 4-yard touchdown run by Sedrick Alexander. Arkansas tied it when Joker Johnson jumped a Curtis throw and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown, and Curtis answered with a 24-yard scoring pass to Junior Sherrill that finished a 71-yard drive.
Cam Settles ran in from 11 yards to send the game to halftime even at 14-14, and the Razorbacks took their first lead on a 75-yard drive to open the third quarter.
Curtis then found Maurice Veney on a juggling 45-yard catch, the longest of Veney’s career, and Makhilyn Young scored from 3 yards to make it 21-21 with 5:42 left in the third. Arkansas went back in front on a 3-yard Settles run later in the period.
The Commodores had a chance to tie in the fourth quarter, putting together a 14-play, 63-yard drive, but it ended with the second interception. Arkansas then sealed it on a 39-yard field goal, leaving 24 seconds on the clock.
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jackson threw for 251 yards and ran for 58 more and a touchdown as the Razorbacks piled up 438 yards. Vanderbilt finished with 390. The Commodores visit Kentucky next Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Central on SEC Network.
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