Arkansas to face Kansas in Liberty Bowl
The Arkansas Razorbacks (6-6, 3-5) will play postseason football against the Kansas Jayhawks (6-6, 3-6) in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Dec. 28 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.
“We’re extremely excited to be headed to Memphis to play a really good Kansas team in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl,” Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman said. “Coach Leipold and his staff have done a tremendous job with their team, and we look forward to the challenge. For us, the opportunity to play a bowl game in what we consider our backyard is going to be special. We can’t wait to see our fans in Memphis in a few weeks.”
Arkansas has played Kansas just twice in program history, both games coming in back-to-back years in 1905-06. The Jayhawks bested the Hogs both times.
This will be the sixth time the Razorbacks have played in the Liberty Bowl, breaking a tie with Mississippi State for the most appearances by any team. The Hogs are 2-3 in Liberty Bowl games, but they have won both of the past two, 20-17 (OT) over East Carolina in 2010 and 45-23 over Kansas State in 2016.
The Razorbacks qualified for postseason play for the third season in a row under Pittman. The Hogs were set to play the TCU in the Texas Bowl following the 2020 season, but the game was cancelled due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Horned Frogs' program. Arkansas took down Penn State 24-10 in the Outback Bowl following last season.
Kansas hasn't been to a bowl game since 2008, when the Jayhawks beat Minnesota 42-21 in the Insight Bowl — now the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. That season also marked the last time Kansas had a record that wasn't below .500. This year, the Jayhawks won more than three games for the first time in 13 seasons.
This will mark just the second time Kansas has played in the Liberty Bowl. North Carolina State and head coach Lou Holtz beat the Jayhawks 31-18 in the 1973 Liberty Bowl.
The game is set to kickoff at 4:30 p.m. CT at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, according to the Liberty Bowl website. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Notes
~ Since 2014, the Liberty Bowl has featured a team from the SEC against the fourth pick from the Big 12 Conference.
~ Arkansas' 2016 Liberty Bowl with Kansas State drew a crowd of 61,136 fans, which is the fourth-most in the bowl's history.
~ A Razorback earned MVP in four of the team's five Liberty Bowl games, despite the record being 2-3: Joe Ferguson (QB, 1971), Greg Thomas (QB, 1987), Ryan Mallett (QB, 2010), Alex Collins (RB, 2016).
~ The SEC has had a team appear in the Liberty Bowl 31 times, which is the most of any conference. SEC teams have a record of 20-11 in that span.
~ Arkansas and Kansas State tied a Liberty Bowl record by recording 30 first downs in the 2016 matchup.
~ Louis Campbell is tied for the most interceptions (3) in a single game in Liberty Bowl history. He set the record in 1971, and Alabama's Jeremiah Castille tied it in 1982.