No question, Tennessee is fit to be hog-tied heading into tonight's showdown in Fayetteville, Ark.

The Vols are reeling a bit after being tamed by a bunch of revenge-minded Tigers in last week's loss to LSU.

In 1999 a similar situation occurred when Houston Nutt's piggies pounced on the Big Orange 28-24. The Hogs had plenty of reason to turn the tables after a certain fumble sealed their fate the previous year in Knoxville; which, by the way, ranks as one of the greatest plays in UT history this reporter never saw.

With the game seemingly in hand, Arkansas needed only to run out the clock. Only, time ran out on the Razorbacks as I was walking from one end of the field to the other. The crowd let me know UT's fortunes had changed. For the most part, Coach Phillip Fulmer and the Vols have had good luck against the former Southwest Conference bullies.

In fact, one of UT's biggest wins came toward the end of Arkansas' tenure as a member of the old Southwest Conference; it was the 1990 Cotton Bowl. UT fans were kicking up their newly purchased cowboy boots before, during, and after a game won by the Big Orange. Chuck Webb and the Vols ran wild over the Razorbacks down in Big "D."

Running with authority is something Travis Stephens and the Vols were able to do in their last trip to Fayetteville. It was a rain-soaked night in 2001 when a severe thunderstorm delayed the start of the game and also delayed the inevitable.

If the Vols are to take pig-suey country by storm this time around, they'll need to run hog wild again. Problem is, Tennessee hasn't rushed toward improvement in that area. It cost them against the Gators, against the Tigers, and certainly will against the Razorbacks if not corrected. Fulmer has guaranteed an improved ground game over the final three weeks of the season. And while that's a message approved by the head coach, (couldn't help it, this was election week) the returns may be slow in coming tonight against a stingy bunch of Hogs who, since giving up 50 points in the season opener to Southern Cal, have allowed just 92 points over the next eight games.

On the plus side, candidate Big Orange is taking it's message back out on the road where they've been received quite well this season with wins at Memphis, Georgia and South Carolina.

Rick Russo is sports director for WVLT Volunteer TV Sports Overtime. Read his blog on govolsxtra.com.