A Guide to the Hogs’ Liberty Bowl Matchup with Texas Tech

After a one-year hiatus, Arkansas is back in the postseason again — and has a familiar destination.

The Razorbacks are heading to Memphis to face Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Dec. 27.

Head coach Sam Pittman has now earned a bowl bid for four of five years, including his first season, when the Texas Bowl was canceled.

It will be the second time in three years that the Razorbacks have played in the Liberty Bowl, having won a wild triple overtime game against Kansas in 2022.

The Hogs have also played in the Liberty Bowl five other times, making this their seventh appearance in the bowl, which has been around since 1959. Only the Cotton Bowl has hosted Arkansas more often — 12 times.

Next year, the Razorbacks will return to Liberty Stadium to play Memphis, but for this trip, they will face former Southwest Conference foe Texas Tech for the first time since splitting a home-and-home against the Red Raiders in 2014 and 2015.

What to know about the 2024 Liberty Bowl

On paper, it seems as though it was a successful season for Texas Tech. Picked to finish ninth in the Big 12, the Red Raiders actually finished tied for fifth and one game out of first place, since there was a four-way tie atop the conference standings.

Fans are probably excited about an 8-4 season, but two of Texas Tech’s wins were over the two teams that played in the Big 12 Championship Game: Arizona State and Iowa State, both of whom went 10-2 in the regular season.

Despite exceeding expectations, those two wins probably left Texas Tech fans feeling similar to Arkansas fans — wanting more and thinking about what could have been.

The lone common opponent between the two teams was Oklahoma State. While the Razorbacks came up short in double overtime in Week 2, the Red Raiders won a 56-48 shootout in the season’s penultimate game.

Texas Tech replacing both coordinators

That Oklahoma State matchup was a snapshot of the 2024 Texas Tech football season.

The Red Raiders own one of the best offenses in the country
(No. 5 in scoring at 38.6 points per game) and one of the worst defenses (No. 121 in scoring at 34.5 ppg).

With units on opposite ends of the spectrum, Texas Tech finds itself in the unique position of replacing both of its coordinators — for vastly different reasons.

Offensive coordinator Zach Kittley was hired as Florida Atlantic’s head coach and was replaced by Mack Leftwich, whose hire was officially announced Friday. Leftwich comes from Texas State, where he worked alongside former Arkansas football coach Chad Morris.

A couple of days before that, the Red Raiders hired Shiel Wood of Houston to be their defensive coordinator. He replaced Tim DeRuyter, who was fired following the regular season. They also fired secondary coach Marcel Yates, who served as the defensive passing game coordinator.

It is unclear what kind of role the new hires will play in the bowl game, but Texas Tech football coach Joey McGuire said their main task is to evaluate the current roster.

Unique approach to the transfer portal

The transfer portal is an issue for every team this time of year, and Texas Tech is no exception, with several players on their way out already.

However, only one of those transfers is a key contributor. Ty Buchanan started seven games for the Red Raiders in 2024 — three at right tackle at the beginning of the season and then, down the stretch, four at left tackle.

Of course, the portal does not officially open until Monday, so more transfers could be coming down the pipeline. For Texas Tech, though, that does not necessarily mean they will be barred from playing in the Liberty Bowl.

“It’s been my kind of policy the last couple years is you’ve earned the right to play in this bowl game,” McGuire said. “You’re trying to make a decision if you’re going to stay at Texas Tech [or] if you’re going to leave, so we’re going to have some guys practice tomorrow that have their name in the portal. … If they choose to play in the game, I want them to because, guys, I want to win.”

For proof the Texas Tech coach is a man of his word, look no further than last year’s Independence Bowl. Despite being in the portal, wide receiver Loic Fouonji played in the game and even caught the go-ahead touchdown.

That may be hard to imagine in today’s era of college football, but it is a policy that could benefit McGuire down the line as his former players spread out across the country and speak highly of him — similar to how former Arkansas catcher Dylan Leach helped the Razorbacks land Ty Wilmsmeyer last summer.

It remains to be seen if star running back Tahj Brooks — the Red Raiders’ all-time leading rusher who has gone for more than 1,500 yards each of the last two seasons — will play in the game or opt out to focus on the NFL draft, but it appears Texas Tech will be closer to full strength than Arkansas.

Who’s left for Arkansas football

Despite the apparent excitement for the bowl game following Arkansas’ win over Louisiana Tech, quite a few players are not sticking around to play in it.

Even before the Liberty Bowl was announced as the Razorbacks’ destination, eight starters and several other backups and reserves announced their intention to enter the transfer portal or opt out in order to focus on the NFL draft.

The list includes Arkansas’ highest-graded players — per Pro Football Focus — on both offense and defense, as wide receiver Andrew Armstrong and defensive end Landon Jackson have already declared for the NFL Draft. Veteran defensive tackle Eric Gregory has done the same, and Best of Arkansas Sports has confirmed none of the three will play in the bowl.

The Razorbacks will also be without their No. 2 receiver and starting tight end, since Isaiah Sategna and Luke Hasz are leaving the team to hit the portal. There have been three departures up front in starting offensive guards Patrick Kutas and Joshua Braun, as well as defensive end Nico Davillier.

Not only will Arkansas be thin in the trenches, but backup quarterback Malachi Singleton is gone, so if anything happens to Taylen Green, true freshman KJ Jackson would get his first action since the opener against UAPB.

On one hand, it is scary to imagine going through a bowl game down eight starters. On the other, the game — and, more importantly, the practices — will give the coaches a sneak preview of some younger players.

What’s at stake for Pittman

Because Arkansas managed to secure one of the SEC’s “pool of six” bowls, there is quite a bit to be gained for Pittman.

By playing a Power Four school in Texas Tech, it counts toward the head coach’s performance-based incentives. His contract includes an automatic $250,000 raise for winning seven games, which would happen with a win in the Liberty Bowl.

Unlike a traditional bonus, this is an increase to his salary, so he would go from making $5.25 million to $5.5 million for the final three years of his deal. That equates to an additional $750,000.

The game also impacts Pittman’s buyout in multiple ways. Not only could it increase his salary, which would also increase his buyout, but it would alter the record Arkansas has to post next season to ensure he maintains a 75 percent buyout.

With a win, the Razorbacks would owe Pittman about $8.75 million if they fired him with a record of 5-7 or better next year. That would drop to $5.5 million if they go 4-8 or worse.

With a loss, the Razorbacks would owe Pittman about $7.875 million if they finish 6-6 or better next year. If they miss a bowl, though, it would drop to $5.25 million.

(This column first appeared online at bestofarkansassports.com.)