Arkansas, Kansas slated to meet in Liberty Bowl

The Arkansas Razorbacks and Kansas Jayhawks will meet in the Liberty Bowl, presented by AutoZone, on Dec. 28. The Liberty Bowl, held in Memphis’s Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, will kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET. Kansas has accepted the bid, according to the Liberty Bowl, and Brett McMurphy shared that Arkansas will be the SEC challenger.

In the 2021 edition of the Liberty Bowl, the Mississippi State Bulldogs fell 34-7 to the Big 12 opponent, the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The 2022 matchup features two teams that have majorly turned things around in recent years. Sam Pittman led the Hogs to a 9-4 finish last year and a 6-6 finish this year after one of the most tumultuous eras in Razorback history.

At Kansas, Lance Leipold has orchestrated a similar rebuild. After a 2-10 season last year, Leipold led the Jayhawks to a 6-6 record, their first winning record since the 2008 season.

For his job turning the program around, Leipold received an extension that will keep him with the program through 2029. He will get $5 million a year through the 2029 season, with an annual raise of $100,000.

This year’s game will be the 64th Liberty Bowl. Arkansas and Kansas haven’t faced off since 1906, despite their close proximity.

The Razorbacks received good news this week for both their postseason bowl game and the 2023 season. Starting quarterback KJ Jefferson announced that he is returning for another year, and he is therefore expected to play in the Liberty Bowl versus Kansas.

Jefferson wrapped up year four with the Razorbacks and had another solid year in the process. He completed 68.3% of his passes for 2,361 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Arkansas, not Missouri, to face Kansas

On Friday, Brett McMurphy initially reported that Missouri was going to be in the Liberty Bowl but that they had refused to play longtime rival Kansas. The Tigers’ Twitter account definitively rejected that assertion later Friday afternoon.

Missouri and Kansas are traditional rivals in what is known as the Border War. So, fans were excited about a potential rematch, and this report led to some backlash against the Tigers for ducking the Jayhawks. However, the Mizzou football Twitter account didn’t agree with McMurphy’s reporting.

“Not True … looking forward to our bowl game vs. any team!” Mizzou said in a quote tweet of McMurphy’s report.