Arkansas headed to Liberty Bowl, will face old SWC foe Texas Tech

FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas football team will play Texas Tech at the Liberty Bowl at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis on Dec. 27.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised by ESPN.

It will be the Razorbacks’ seventh time to play at the Liberty Bowl and second time in three seasons. Arkansas defeated Kansas 55-53 in triple overtime at the Liberty Bowl in 2022.

The Razorbacks (6-6, 3-5 SEC) and the Red Raiders (8-4, 6-3 Big 12), former Southwest Conference members, will meet at a bowl game for the first time. Arkansas leads the all-time series 29-8.

The teams last played in 2015 when Texas Tech, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, won 35-24 in Fayetteville. Arkansas won 49-28 in Lubbock, Texas, in 2014.

The Red Raiders and the Razorbacks share one common opponent, Oklahoma State, which defeated Arkansas 39-31 in double overtime on Sept. 7 and lost 56-48 to Texas Tech on Nov. 23. Both games were played in Stillwater, Okla.

Arkansas will play in a bowl game for the third time under fifth-year coach Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks defeated Penn State 24-10 at the Outback Bowl to end the 2021 season and won the Liberty Bowl the following year.

Pittman’s first team also qualified for the 2020 Texas Bowl with a 3-7 record, but the game was canceled.

Texas Tech is in its third season under coach Joey McGuire, who led the Red Raiders to bowl wins the previous two seasons. McGuire has a 23-15 record at Texas Tech.

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium is home to the Memphis football team, and the Razorbacks are scheduled to play the Tigers there next season.

Arkansas also is scheduled to play Texas Tech in future seasons — in Lubbock in 2030 and in Fayetteville in 2031.

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Liberty Bowl chooses Arkansas-Texas Tech

FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas football team will play Texas Tech at the Liberty Bowl at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis on Dec. 27.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised by ESPN.