Arkansas pulls away from Tulsa 34-6 behind KJ Jackson and Chris Marshall

Arkansas built an early lead, absorbed Tulsa’s only touchdown and then pulled away for a 34-6 win Saturday night in Fayetteville. KJ Jackson threw for 309 yards, ran for two scores and connected with Chris Marshall for the touchdown that restored a three-score margin in the third quarter. ESPN’s final scoring log shows Tulsa narrowing the game to 16-6 before Arkansas answered in less than two minutes.

Max Gilbert opened the scoring with a 23-yard field goal, and Jackson’s 10-yard run put Arkansas ahead 10-0 in the first quarter. Gilbert added kicks from 35 and 29 yards in the second; the last came as the half expired, making it 16-0. Tulsa had moved the ball at times but had not put a point on the board. Its best response came after halftime, when Damari Alston’s one-yard run cut the deficit to 10. The two-point pass failed, so the Razorbacks still had room to withstand another Tulsa score.

They did not need to. With 8:06 remaining in the third, Jackson found Marshall for a 20-yard touchdown to make it 23-6. Gilbert hit again from 38 yards early in the fourth, and Jackson closed the scoring with an 11-yard run. A pass to Sutton Smith supplied the two-point conversion for the final margin. The sequence meant Tulsa never got a second possession with the game within one score after its touchdown.

Marshall’s nine catches produced 195 yards and a score; he was the game’s leading receiver by a wide margin. Jackson completed 24 of 36 passes, with one touchdown and one interception, while adding the two rushing scores. Arkansas gained 441 total yards and converted eight of 17 third downs. Tulsa had 241 yards, 65 on the ground, and went five of 14 on third down. Dexter Williams II completed 20 of 32 for 176 yards for the Golden Hurricane, who committed two turnovers to Arkansas’ one.

The Razorbacks’ official pregame notes framed Tulsa as the last nonconference game before Arkansas returned to SEC play. Saturday’s final did not hinge on one spectacular play: Arkansas scored in every quarter, answered Tulsa’s touchdown immediately and held a substantial possession edge of 37:31 to 22:29. Marshall’s receiving total and Jackson’s three combined touchdowns gave the offense its clear leaders, while the defense prevented a second Tulsa scoring drive. The result sends Arkansas toward conference games with a verified win rather than a close late escape.