The Memphis Tigers beat Arkansas in a thriller Saturday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

The Tigers came back from an 18-point deficit to upset Arkansas 32-31 in front of an announced sellout crowd of 39,861 fans. Memphis forced three takeaways, held the best third-down offense in the country to just three conversions on 11 attempts and recorded 290 rushing yards.

Memphis (4-0) was in jeopardy of letting things get out of hand after Arkansas (2-2) took a 28-10 lead near the end of the first half. The Tigers clawed their way back thanks to big-time plays on both sides of the ball.

Here is a breakdown of the five most pivotal plays, in reverse chronological order, that helped Memphis complete the comeback victory:

Do you let them score?

That was the question Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield was pondering as the seconds drained away.

Memphis had a one-point lead. But Arkansas — with its massive SEC linemen and its fabulously gifted quarterback — had driven the ball all the way down to the 9-yard line.

The Hogs would score. It seemed inevitable. So maybe let them score with one minute and 22 seconds left so the Tigers could get another shot to score themselves?

The last thing Sutton Smith wanted was for his 2024 season to end the way it did.

Right at the start, with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, on the first drive of the first game — a win over North Alabama.

But since it did happen that way, and with the benefit of hindsight, Smith evidently has become a big believer in the power of fate.

Because, truth be told, Sutton Smith post-injury is even better than the Sutton Smith that Sutton Smith recalls himself being pre-injury.

The Memphis Tigers’ showdown against Arkansas at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Saturday came down to the wire. 

When Arkansas was threatening to win on a potential go-ahead score while the Tigers led by 1 point, Memphis safety Chris Bracy forced a fumble and recovered on the 10-yard line with a minute and 18 seconds remaining. It was the third takeaway of the game for Memphis. The Tigers have had at least one takeaway in every game this season.

Memphis (4-0) drained the clock to survive with a 32-31 victory in the first game against Arkansas (2-2) since 1998. 

The key play in the clock-killing was freshman Arrington Maiden’s 11-yard run on third and eight. The 6-foot-2, 204-pound backup quarterback powered through the entire Arkansas defense to pick up the game-clinching first down. Arrington was in the game because starting quarterback Brendon was sidelined for a play after his helmet came off on the previous down. 

First Quarter

ARK: Jones 62 pass from T.Green (Starzyk kick), 13:50.

MEM: FG Spetic 38, 8:57.

MEM: B.Lewis 4 run (Spetic kick), :20.

Second Quarter

ARK: Russell 16 run (Starzyk kick), 12:37.

Arkansas leads Memphis 31-26 through three quarters.

Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis came out of the half with rejuvenated accuracy. After finishing the first half 8-of-21 passing, he has since gone 6-for-6 and punched in his second touchdown on the ground when he scored on a 10-yard run late in the quarter.

Lewis has 257 total yards, three total touchdowns and no turnovers through three quarters.

The scoring slowed down in the third quarter, but Gianni Spetic got his mojo back with a 47-yard boot, bringing the game within one possession, 28-20. 

It is halftime at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in the game between the Memphis Tigers and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The Razorbacks scored 21 straight points in the second quarter, but Memphis responded with a late touchdown to cut the Arkansas lead to 28-17 at halftime.

Arkansas opened up the half with two touchdown runs — one from Braylon Russell and one from Rohan Jones.

After the two scores, Memphis running back Sutton Smith (65 yards on 6 carries in first half) pumped life into Liberty Stadium with a 33-yard run, but the drive stalled in plus territory, and Gianni Spetic’s 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

Arkansas needed just three plays to jump to an early lead as a broken coverage from the Memphis secondary left tight end Rohan Jones wide open for a 62-yard strike. After 70 seconds of play, Arkansas led Memphis, 7-0.

On the Tigers’ subsequent drive, receiver Cortez Braham moved the chains a couple of times for Memphis as the Tigers drove down for a 38-yard Gianni Spetic field goal.

Jaidyn Denis’s first down interception of Taylen Green set up an 11-play, 71-yard drive capped off by Brendon Lewis’s gutsy four-yard touchdown scamper, giving Memphis a 10-7 lead after the first quarter.

Memphis running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. has returned from his injury against Arkansas on Saturday. 

Sutton Smith started at running back for the third straight game, but Desrosiers made an appearance during the first quarter. 

Desrosiers has been sidelined since suffering a lower-body injury in the season opener against Chattanooga. He was seen wearing a boot during the coin toss at Georgia State two weeks ago and didn’t play last week at Troy. 

Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said earlier this week that Desrosiers’ status was day-to-day. 

The biggest nonconference game on the Memphis football schedule is finally here.

Arkansas (2-1, 0-1 SEC) will visit Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC). It will be the first time Memphis (3-0, 0-0 American Conference) has played on ABC since it beat Central Florida, 50-49, on Oct. 17, 2020.

Memphis only had about 1,500 tickets remaining as of Friday morning.

“I know the stadium is going to be packed,” Tigers coach Ryan Silverfield said. “I know our great fans are going to be there. It’s going to be a tremendous opportunity on a national stage to continue to showcase who we are and what we’re all about.”

Jeremiah Jordan grew up with dreams of playing high-level football in his hometown. Last year, he played NCAA Division II football; this week, he’ll start for the Tigers on the biggest stage of his career.

A 2022 Cordova High graduate and a member of The Daily Memphian All-Metro Team, Jordan wasn’t recruited by his hometown Tigers, the team he grew to love as a child. But he doesn’t hold being under-recruited against his coaches.

“I play with a chip. It ain’t nothing personal, but I feel like it keeps me going, especially with the route I took,” Jordan said. “It just allowed me to play with my edge every time I step on the field.”

Jordan joined the Harding Bisons, one of the premier programs in Division II football, for the first three years of his career. After redshirting his freshman season at the small school in Arkansas, he totaled seven pass breakups over his final two seasons at Harding en route to a 2023 national championship and a 2024 All-Great American Conference first team selection.

The Memphis Tigers will play host this week to an Arkansas team that looked impressive against now-No. 13 Ole Miss last Saturday.

Kickoff is at 11 a.m. this Saturday, Sept. 20, at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, and it will be the first time the Tigers play on ABC since their 1-point victory over Central Florida on Oct. 17, 2020.

The Tigers have played five regular season home games against power conference schools in the last 10 years, including three SEC opponents. Memphis is 5-0 in those games. Current head coach Ryan Silverfield was the Tigers’ head coach in one of the outings, and he was an assistant coach during three of them.

Silverfield has a 28-6 home record as head coach, and Saturday would be one of his biggest wins.

Once Cortez Braham Jr. realized he could get an extra year of NCAA eligibility with a court case ruling granting him a seventh season, it was time for the former Nevada receiver to pick his next school.

The pitch from Brendon Lewis was simple.

Choose the team with the quarterback you already know.

That team would be Memphis.

When Memphis plays host to Arkansas on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC), the Tigers will see a couple of familiar faces on the Razorbacks’ roster.

Quarterback Taylen Green played against the Tigers as Boise State quarterback in 2023 and receiver O’Mega Blake faced Memphis in a Charlotte uniform last year.

Each has been a significant piece for Arkansas’ offense this season.

Green led Boise State to a 2023 Mountain West Conference championship and was named the offensive MVP. He started in a 35-32 loss at Memphis on Sept. 30, 2023, but was later benched in that game in favor of current Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen. Green threw for 200 yards while Madsen recorded 175 yards and two touchdowns.