7 p.m. | ESPN
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium Memphis, Tennessee
INSIDE THE ARKANSAS SERIES
• This will be the 38th all-time meeting between the two former Southwest Conference rivals who met annually from 1957-91 until Arkansas departed for the Southeastern Conference. The Red Raiders have won three of the last four games in the series that has historically been controlled by the Razorbacks, who maintain a 29-8 all-time lead. • Texas Tech and Arkansas will be meeting in a bowl game for the first time in school history. The two schools have never met at a neutral site as every previous contest in the series has taken place at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock or either War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock or Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. • Texas Tech has faced Arkansas only twice since the Razorbacks left for the SEC, which came in a home-and-home non-conference series during the 2014-15 seasons. The Razorbacks rushed for 438 rushing yards and controlled the clock to top the Red Raiders, 49-28, to start the series. The Red Raiders returned the favor a year later with Patrick Mahomes II accounting for three touchdowns in a 35-24 victory in Fayetteville. Mahomes finished 26-of-30 in the win, throwing for 243 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 58 yards and a pair of touchdowns. • The two schools have already scheduled another future non-conference series against one another as Arkansas will travel to Lubbock during the 2030 season followed by a trip to Fayetteville by the Red Raiders a year later. The home-and-home series follows another similar scheduling agreement against fellow Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State set for the 2028-29 campaigns.
Texas Tech Red Raiders Notes
GAMEDAY STORYLINES
FORMER SWC RIVALS MEET IN LIBERTY BOWL
Texas Tech will make its 42nd bowl appearance in school history Dec. 27 when the Red Raiders face former Southwest Conference rival Arkansas in the 66th-annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Kickoff between the Red Raiders and Razorbacks is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN in Memphis, Tennessee. This will be Texas Tech’s second trip to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl as the Red Raiders previously downed Mississippi State in 2021 to start their current bowl winning streak. It will be the 38th all-time meeting in the series and the first ever in a bowl game.
TECH SEARCHING FOR ANOTHER BOWL WIN
Joey McGuire has put significant emphasis on the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and Texas Tech’s quest for its ninth win this season, as well as its fourth bowl victory in as many years. For McGuire, it’s the opportunity to keep building a Tech program that has not reached nine wins since 2009. The Red Raiders will also be looking to end its fourth-consecutive season with a bowl victory for the first time in program history; Georgia joins Texas Tech as the only FBS team to defeat a power conference opponent in a bowl each of the last three seasons.
HAMMOND TO MAKE FIRST CAREER START
True freshman quarterback Will Hammond will make his first career start against Arkansas after Behren Morton underwent shoulder surgery following the regular season. Hammond will become the eighth true freshman in school history to start at quarterback and the second to do so in a bowl game, joining Davis Webb, who was the Offensive MVP of the 2013 Holiday Bowl victory over Arizona State. Hammond is the first true freshman quarterback to make his first career start in a bowl game and only the fourth freshman to start under center in a bowl
TEXAS TECH VERSUS THE SEC
• The Red Raiders will be facing a member of the Southeastern Conference in a bowl for the third time in the past four seasons as Texas Tech previously downed Mississippi State in its last visit to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in 2021 and then Ole Miss in the 2022 TaxAct Texas Bowl. • This will be the 13th time the Red Raiders will see a current SEC school in a bowl game as Texas Tech is a 4-7-1 previously in those games. In addition to its recent bowl wins over Mississippi State and Ole Miss, Texas Tech also topped No. 17 Auburn in the 1953 Gator Bowl and No. 20 Tennessee in the 1973 Gator Bowl. • The Red Raiders are 5-8 against SEC members since joining the Big 12 in 1996 with three of those victories coming against Ole Miss. Texas Tech swept a home-and-home agreement with the Rebels during the 2002-03 seasons and then topped Ole Miss again in the 2022 TaxAct Texas Bowl. The Red Raiders split a series with Arkansas during that stretch and scored a win over Mississippi State in the 2021 Liberty Bowl.
TEXAS TECH ALL-TIME IN BOWL GAMES
• The Red Raiders are appearing in a bowl game for the 42nd time in school history after going 6-3 during Big 12 play with wins in three of their last four games. Texas Tech leads all current Big 12 programs for all-time bowl appearances and ranks tied for 20th nationally among NCAA FBS teams alongside Ole Miss and Washington. • Texas Tech is 17-23-1 all-time in bowl games with wins in 12 of its last 16 contests, including in each of the past three years with victories over SEC counterparts Mississippi State in the 2021 AutoZone Liberty Bowl and Ole Miss in the 2022 TaxAct Texas Bowl. The Red Raiders followed with a 34-14 victory a year ago over Cal in the 2023 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. • Texas Tech will be looking to end its season with a bowl win for a fourth-consecutive season for the first time in program history. The Red Raiders previously ended three-straight seasons from 2002-04 with a bowl win under Mike Leach but failed to extend that streak with a narrow 13-10 loss to No. 13 Alabama in the 2005 Cotton Bowl. Texas Tech has won four-straight bowl games once in its history from 2009-13 but not in consecutive seasons as the Red Raiders were not bowl eligible in 2011 following a disappointing 5-7 campaign. • Texas Tech’s current streak of appearing in four-consecutive bowl games is its longest since the Red Raiders did so over a school record 11-straight years from 2000-10. It matches the second-longest streak in program history from the 1993-96 seasons. • Joey McGuire is only the second head coach in program history to lead the Red Raiders to bowl games in each of his first three seasons, joining the late Mike Leach, who pushed Texas Tech to a bowl game in each of his 10 seasons. • McGuire is the first head coach in school history to win a bowl game in each of his first two seasons. With a victory over the Razorbacks, McGuire would join Leach as the only head coaches in school history with three or more career bowl victories. He is already one of four head coaches in program history with multiple bowl wins, joining Leach (5), Spike Dykes (2) and DeWitt Weaver (2). n Among teams nationally, Texas Tech is one of five schools that qualified for a bowl game this season after winning a bowl game in each of the past three seasons, joining Fresno State, Georgia, Minnesota and Western Kentucky. From that group, the Red Raiders are joined by only Georgia in defeating a power conference opponent in a bowl game to close each of the past three seasons. • Texas Tech has won nine-consecutive bowl games against unranked opponents, the second-longest such streak by any team nationally this century besides Utah’s run of 10 straight from 2001-17. In fact, the Red Raiders have not lost a bowl game to an unranked opponent since falling to Iowa, 19-16, in the 2001 Alamo Bowl. • This will be Texas Tech’s 19th bowl appearance outside the state of Texas and its second in as many seasons. The Red Raiders are 11-6-1 all-time in bowl games located outside the state of Texas, including a 7-1 mark since 2000 alone.
ALL-TIME BOWL APPEARANCE AMONG BIG 12 MEMBERS
School Bowls Texas Tech^ 41 BYU^ 40 West Virginia^ 40 TCU^ 36 Oklahoma State 34 Arizona State^ 33 ^ indicates bowl eligible this season.
RED RAIDERS IN THE LIBERTY BOWL
• Texas Tech will be making its second all-time appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl after the Red Raiders routed Mississippi State in their last visit to cap the 2021 season. The Liberty Bowl became the 17th different bowl game Texas Tech had attended in its history that season and the first in the state of Tennessee. Since then, Texas Tech has won the TaxAct Texas Bowl in 2022 and then the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl a year ago, returning to both after previous visits in its history. • Among its full-time coaches participating in the bowl, only defensive line coach Zarnell Fitch has coached in the Liberty Bowl previously. Fitch was in a similar role at TCU for the 2016 edition of the Liberty Bowl where the Horned Frogs fell, 31-23, to Georgia.
WALKING IN MEMPHIS…
• Texas Tech will be making only its third appearance in the state of Tennessee as the Red Raiders previously opened the 1997 season at No. 5 Tennessee prior to its last trip to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The Red Raiders have faced the Vols twice in their history as the two schools also met in the 1973 Gator Bowl. Texas Tech has also faced fellow Tennessee school Vanderbilt once, which ended in a 6-6 tie in the 1974 Peach Bowl. • Texas Tech does not have a single player on its roster who hails from the Volunteer State. Texas Tech has two coaches on its staff who have previously worked in the state of Tennessee in inside linebackers coach Josh Bookbinder and outside linebackers coach C.J. Ah You. Book. Bookbinder was previously an assistant coach at Carson-Newman from 2010-11, while Ah You was the defensive line coach for Vanderbilt from 2016-18.
LAST TIME AT THE LIBERTY BOWL
• The trip to Memphis will be a familiar one for at least 14 members of the Red Raider roster who were part of Texas Tech’s only other appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. That list features the likes of E’Maurion Banks, Tahj Brooks, Chief Collins, Charles Esters III, Gage Elder, Trent Low, Jackson Knotts, Joseph Plunk, Bryce Ramirez, Caleb Rogers, Isaac Smith, Mason Tharp and Cam’Ron Valdez. • From that list, five saw action in Texas Tech’s bowl win over Mississippi State in Brooks, Rogers, Knotts, Tharp and Ramirez. Rogers was Texas Tech’s starting right tackle that night for a balanced Red Raider offense that recorded 512 yards with 260 coming on the ground. Brooks led the Red Raiders with 16 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown that night, marking only his third of his now school-record 23 100-yard games. • For head coach Joey McGuire, he was with the Red Raiders in Memphis but in a non-coaching role after accepting the Texas Tech position in early November. McGuire attended all practices prior to the Liberty Bowl and also participated in numerous fan events leading up to the 34-7 rout of Mississippi State. The Red Raiders were led by interim head coach Sonny Cumbie, who is completing his third season now as the head coach at Louisiana Tech.
RED RAIDERS SEARCHING FOR WIN NO. 9
• Texas Tech will look to secure its first nine-win season since 2009 with a win over Arkansas. The nine-win mark has been the goal for the Red Raiders since falling to Colorado early in November as Texas Tech enters its Liberty Bowl appearance with wins in each of its last two games against Oklahoma State and West Virginia. • With a win over the Razorbacks, this would be the 15th time in program history that the Red Raiders have recorded nine or more wins in a season. It would be the sixth time the Red Raiders have done so since joining the Big 12 Conference as a charter member in 1996. All five other occurrences came during the Mike Leach era from 2000-09. • A victory over Arkansas would also propel the Red Raiders into the offseason on a three-game winning streak, marking the second time under Joey McGuire that Texas Tech has ended its season riding a three-game or better winning streak.
WHERE THE REGULAR SEASON RANKS…
• Texas Tech secured its third season with six or more Big 12 victories with its win over West Virginia in the regular-season finale, marking the third-consecutive season under Joey McGuire the Red Raiders have won five or more conference games. In its history, Texas Tech had won five or more league games over three-consecutive seasons only once previously from 1995-97 when the Red Raiders were transitioning from the Southwest Conference to the Big 12. • The victory over the Mountaineers placed the Red Raiders in a special category as only the third team to win six Big 12 wins since Texas Tech joined the Big 12 in 1996. The Red Raiders were 6-2 in league play in 2005 and then 7-1 in 2008 with both seasons resulting in trips to the Cotton Bowl. • Texas Tech’s win over West Virginia also punched its first eight-win regular season since 2009. A victory over Arkansas in the bowl game would also mark Texas Tech’s first nine-win season since that same 2009 campaign. • Texas Tech’s win at Oklahoma State a week earlier solidified a 3-2 road record this season with all three wins coming in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders had not won three or more true road games in a season previously since 2008.
SEASON NEWS & TRENDS
• The start to the season was a point of emphasis for Joey McGuire entering this season as the Red Raiders hoped to improve on the 3-3 starts from each of his first two years. Texas Tech entered the back half of its schedule at 5-1 overall, marking its best record through six games since 2013. n Joey McGuire has stressed the importance of getting off to a strong start offensively this season as the Red Raiders are 8-1 in games they score first, including 6-1 during Big 12 play. The lone loss came against Colorado where the Red Raiders led 13-0 early. • Texas Tech has elected to receive the opening kickoff in three of its last four games to close the regular season with the lone exception being West Virginia when the Mountaineers won the toss. The Texas Tech offense has responded with a touchdown in all three games and connected on a field goal on its first drive in the win over West Virginia.
Arkansas Razorbacks Notes
THE RUNDOWN
• Arkansas, bowl eligible for the fourth time in five seasons under head coach Sam Pittman, will rekindle an old Southwest Conference rivalry when it squares off against Texas Tech in the 2024 AutoZone Liberty Bowl at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27, on ESPN inside Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn. • The Hogs will make their 45th bowl appearance but meet the Red Raiders in a bowl game for the first time in program history. The last time the two teams met on the gridiron was in 2015, but the two programs faced off annually from 1957-91 as members of the Southwest Conference. Arkansas is 29-8 all-time against Texas Tech. • Head coach Sam Pittman has led the Razorbacks to a bowl game for the fourth time in five seasons, and to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl for the second time in his coaching tenure at Arkansas. Pittman is one of only five Arkansas head coaches in program history, along with Frank Broyles, Lou Holtz, Ken Hatfield and Houston Nutt, to lead the Razorbacks to bowl games in four of their first five seasons at the helm. • The Hogs will make their seventh appearance in the Liberty Bowl, a game in which they own a 3-3 all-time record in entering this year’s matchup with Texas Tech. Arkansas has played Tennessee (1971), Auburn (1984), Georgia (1987), East Carolina (2010), Kansas State (2016) and Kansas (2022) in its six prior appearances.
QB1
• QB Taylen Green has helped lead Arkansas to six overall wins (three SEC wins) and a trip to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in 2024, his first season quarterbacking the Razorback offense. • In his Razorback debut against UAPB (Aug. 29), Green accounted for four touchdowns (2 passing + 2 rushing) to become the third Arkansas signal-caller since 1997 to pass and rush for multiple touchdowns in a game. • Green posted 477 total yards of offense (416 passing + 61 rushing), the second-highest single game total in Arkansas history, at Oklahoma State (Sept. 7). His 416 passing yards marked the fourth-highest single game total in school history and also marked the most by an Arkansas quarterback in a single game since QB Tyler Wilson threw for 419 against Rutgers (Sept. 22, 2012). • Green ran for two scores in the win over UAB (Sept. 14), his second multi-rushing touchdown game of the season and seventh of his career. • Green turned in his best game of the season at Mississippi State (Oct. 26), accounting for six total touchdowns to become the first Hog to throw for five touchdowns and rush for a score since QB Ryan Mallett (5 passing + 1 rushing) did so against UTEP in 2010. • Green notched his second multi-passing and multi-rushing touchdown game of the 2024 campaign against Louisiana Tech (Nov. 23), throwing for 221 yards with a pair of touchdowns and rushing for two more in the Razorbacks’ bowl-clinching win over the Bulldogs. • Green’s pair of rushing touchdowns against Louisiana Tech represented his third multi-rushing touchdown game of the season. Green is the first Arkansas quarterback to register three or more multi-rushing touchdown games since at least 1978.
CATCH THIS • Entering the Liberty Bowl, Arkansas will be without 77.8% of its receiving yardage production from the regular season. Of the team’s 244 total receptions, just 50 belong to players who will play in the bowl game. • WR Isaac TeSlaa is the Razorbacks’ leading active receiver entering the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Through 12 games in 2024, TeSlaa has 25 catches for 438 yards (team-leading 17.5 ypc) and three touchdowns. Of the passcatchers who will be available for the bowl game, TeSlaa’s 438 yards makes up 70.9% of the total production. • TeSlaa recorded his first multi-touchdown reception game as a Razorback against Louisiana Tech (Nov. 23) after turning in a career game against Texas A&M (Sept. 28) in which he logged five receptions for a career-high 120 yards and a touchdown to became the first Arkansas wide receiver with 5+ receptions, 120+ receiving yards and 1+ receiving touchdown in a game since WR Treylon Burks in 2021.
ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE • OL Fernando Carmona is a key part of the Arkansas offensive line entering the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. • Carmona, an All-SEC honoree, has made an immediate impact in his first season as a Razorback, paving the the way for 5,414 yards of total offense, including 3,230 passing yards and 2,184 rushing yards. • Carmona is the first Razorback offensive tackle to earn All-SEC recognition from the league’s coaches since OL Dan Skipper accomplished the feat in 2016. • The San Jose State transfer has started all 12 games on an offensive unit that ranked 13th nationally in total offense per game (451.2) and 21st nationally in passing offense per game (269.2). • Carmona was twice named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week during the regular season, earning the award following Arkansas’ Week 1 win against UAPB and then again following the team’s Week 6 win against nationally ranked Tennessee. • The Las Vegas native was part of an offensive line that helped block for 687 yards of total offense in a win over UAPB (Aug. 29) and 648 yards of total offense at Oklahoma State (Sept. 7).
NO-FLY ZONE
• Since the start of 2020 campaign (head coach Sam Pittman’s first year on the job), the Arkansas defense has recorded 55 interceptions in 60 games, good for fifth-most in the SEC behind only Alabama (62) South Carolina (61), Georgia (59) and Kentucky (56). • Arkansas tallied 13 interceptions in 10 games in 2020, 13 interceptions in 13 games in 2021, nine interceptions in 13 games in 2022, 12 interceptions in 2023 and has eight interceptions under the guidance of co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson and secondary coach Deron Wilson in 2024. • DB Hudson Clark, a former walk-on and Academic All-American in 2023, has developed into one of the Hogs’ most relieable defensive backs. For his career, Clark has recorded six interceptions, most among all active Arkansas defenders, and has 218 career tackles to go with his secondary-leading 35 starts. • DB Jayden Johnson, who has 33 career starts under his belt, is the team’s top returning tackler from last season. The Cedartown, Ga., native racked up a career-high 62 total tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss as a junior and has 52 total stops with 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one interception in 12 games this season. • DB Doneiko Slaughter is another key contributor to the Razorbacks’ defensive backfield. Slaughter spent four years at Tennessee (2020-23), totaling 32 tackles (26 solo), including 1.0 sack, in 10 games as a senior with the Volunteers. In 2024, he has recorded 76 total tackles (40 solo) to go with 3.0 tackles for loss and one sack.
THE RAZORBACK DEFENSE
• The Arkansas defense continues to grow under second-year defensive coordinator Travis Williams. • For the second straight season, the Razorbacks have allowed less than 30 points per game, marking the program’s first time recording back-to-back seasons giving up less than 30 points per game since 2014-15. • Entering the Liberty Bowl against Texas Tech, Arkansas is allowing 24.9 points per game after allowing 27.9 points per game in Williams’ first season. • The Razorback defense is also on track to record consecutive seasons allowing less than 400 yards per game for the first time since the 2014-15 campaigns. • Arkansas allowed 357.2 yards per game last season – the program’s best season since 2014 – and enter the Liberty Bowl against Texas Tech allowing 366.0 yards per game under Williams’ guidance. • While the Arkansas offense has been one of the most explosive offenses in the nation this season averaging an SEC-best 19.3 plays of 10+ yards per game, the Hogs’ defense has kept explosive plays to a minimum, allowing just 12 plays of 10+ yards per game and just 30 rushes of 10+ yards – second-best in FBS.
WINNING WAYS UNDER PITTMAN
• Under head coach Sam Pittman, Arkansas has won three or more SEC games in four of his five seasons: 2020 (3 SEC wins): W, 21-14 at #16 Mississippi State; W, 33-21 vs. Ole Miss; W, 24-13 vs. Tennessee 2021 (4 SEC wins): W, 20-10 vs. #7 Texas A&M; W, 31-28 vs. Mississippi State; W, 16-13 (OT) at LSU; W, 34-17 vs. Missouri 2022 (3 SEC wins): W, 44-30 vs. South Carolina; W, 41-27 at Auburn; W, 42-27 vs. #14 Ole Miss 2023 (1 SEC wins): W, 39-36 (OT) at Florida 2024 (3 SEC wins): W, 24-14 at Auburn; W, 19-14 vs. #4 Tennessee, W, 58-25 at Mississippi State • Pittman joins Houston Nutt as the only other Arkansas head coach in history to do accomplish the feat. • Nutt won three or more SEC games in each of his first seven seasons at the helm: 1998 (6 SEC wins), 1999 (4 SEC wins), 2000 (3 SEC wins), 2001 (4 SEC wins), 2002 (5 SEC wins), 2003 (4 SEC wins), 2004 (3 SEC wins).
