FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The saddest sight of Saturday night came at the end of the third quarter at Razorback Stadium.

One by one, Tennessee defensive players held up the obligatory four fingers to signify that the fourth quarter was theirs. The response was more from habit than conviction.

By then, it was obvious that nothing belonged to the Vols. The four fingers only reminded you that Arkansas already had scored four touchdowns.

This was the Razorbacks' night. Maybe it's their season, too.

They moved a step closer to winning the SEC West, assured themselves of a spot in the top 10 and often rendered the Vols helpless in a 31-14 victory that wasn't as close as the final score.

UT finally managed a second touchdown and moved past the 200-yard mark in the final minutes. That changed the score, but not Arkansas' dominance.

Arkansas looked even better than it did in a 27-10 upset of Auburn last month that caught almost everybody in the SEC by surprise. And UT looked stunned from the outset, especially on defense.

The Razorbacks struck so hard and fast in the first half, UT coach Phillip Fulmer probably was seeing Nebraska red. The second quarter resembled a reenactment of the third quarter of the 1998 Orange Bowl when the Vols were chasing Ahman Green into the end zone.

This time, the runner in red was Darren McFadden, who had 128 yards rushing by halftime. As inept as UT often looked in its 5-6 season of 2005, it never looked so lost as when the Razorbacks snapped the ball directly to McFadden in the shotgun formation.

Although you never would have guessed it by UT's reaction, the Razorbacks have run the play throughout the season. McFadden would take the snap, fake a handoff to a teammate in motion, then bolt up the middle of the befuddled UT defense for huge chunks of yardage.

Occasionally, he actually handed the ball off. And once, he even threw it. Guess what? That worked, too.

With 6:56 to play in the first half and Arkansas 12 yards away from another touchdown, UT called timeout, perhaps to alert its defenders that if McFadden gets the ball, he probably will keep it.

Maybe that's why the Vols ignored 6-foot-6 receiver Marcus Monk as he drifted into their end zone. It was his second touchdown reception of the night, and another reminder that the UT defense did little right, other than recover a McFadden fumble on its 2-yard line on the opening drive of the third quarter.

That was McFadden's only mistake on the night. He didn't just run through the UT defense. He ran himself into contention for the Heisman Trophy.

Sure, it might be a long shot for the sophomore tailback. But this whole Arkansas team is a long shot.

It lost its season opener 50-14 to Southern Cal. It beat Vanderbilt by two points and edged Alabama in overtime.

The way it struggled through September, you couldn't help but wonder if the rout of Auburn were an aberration. You can stop wondering now.

"They've got a chance to win the SEC championship," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "They are pumped up about it. And they come out ready to play."

You could have gotten an "amen" from everybody in the UT locker room.

The only question the Razorbacks had on offense: "Do we want to trick 'em or stick 'em?"

They demonstrated both power and finesse behind a veteran offensive line that repeatedly blew the Vols off the ball.

"The core of the offense is the offensive line," Nutt said. "Don't forget about them."

And don't forget about the Arkansas defense, either.

You knew UT would have trouble matching up against Arkansas' running game. You didn't know it would be overwhelmed by an improving Arkansas defense.

Backup quarterback Jonathan Crompton, playing for an injured Erik Ainge, was sacked four times and threw an interception. His two touchdown passes were lost in the Arkansas stampede.

Something else was lost, too. Until Saturday, UT had played like a top-10 team, even in losses - by one point to Florida and by four to LSU. It might have lost games but it didn't lose its fight.

The Vols didn't go down fighting against Arkansas. They just went down fast.

And even as they held up four fingers before the fourth quarter, you knew they were down for good.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.