Tennessee tailback Chuck Webb dominated the Cotton Bowl like no back has since Dicky Maegle in 1954.
Webb ran for 250 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns as the No. 8 Vols defeated the 10th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks 31-27 Monday afternoon.
"Arkansas took us lightly. We just wanted it more," Webb said.
Webb's rushing performance was the best in a Cotton Bowl since Rice's Maegle ran for 265 yards on 11 carries against Alabama 36 years ago in a game branded by Tommy Lewis' celebrated off-the-bench tackle. Maegle was awarded a 95-yard touchdown.
Nobody overshadowed Webb's performance, which included a spectacular 78-yard run, third longest in Cotton Bowl history.
"Yards and stats, they mean a little," said Webb. "But winning means everything.
"We showed the nation that we are one of the best teams. Maybe we will get a shot at the national title. We do have 11 victories."
Webb said he thought the Vols could beat any team in the country.
"We're 11-1. I would like to have a playoff to show who's the best," he said.
Tennessee coach Johnny Majors said the Vols deserved to be considered for the national title. "But I'll tell you who's the best - Chuck Webb, that's who."
Majors said Webb, a 5-foot-10, 197-pound redshirt freshman, was as good as Tony Dorsett, who Majors coached at Pittsburgh.
"I never had anybody any better than this young man," Majors said.
The Razorbacks (10-2) had lost only four fumbles all year, but they committed two costly fumbles and suffered a critical interception that more than offset a Cotton Bowl-record 31 first downs.
Still, the Razorbacks, who trailed 24-6 in the third quarter, battled to the end. Quinn Grovey threw a 67-yard scoring pass to tight end Billy Winston, who fumbled the ball at the 3 and then recovered in the end zone with 1:25 to play.
An onsides kick failed, however, as the Razorbacks lost their second straight Cotton Bowl.
Tennessee's Andy Kelly threw two touchdown passes, including an 84-yarder, and freshman Carl Pickens helped turn the game around late in the second quarter with an interception.
With Tennessee trailing 6-3, Pickens intercepted Grovey's pass one-handed in the end zone and returned the ball to the 13-yard line.
Two plays later, Kelly found Anthony Morgan alone behind the Arkansas secondary for the 84-yard TD pass, second longest in Cotton Bowl history.
Tennessee struck again on a 70-yard drive capped by Webb's 1-yard run for a 17-6 halftime lead.
Barry Foster rushed 22 times for 103 yards, and Rouse ran 22 times for 134 yards for the Hogs, who also got 227 yards passing from Grovey on 12 of 22 attempts. Kelly hit nine of 23 passes for 150 yards for the Vols.