The AutoZone Liberty Bowl will feature Texas Tech (8-4) against Arkansas (6-6) at 6 p.m. CST on Friday, airing on ESPN from Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.
Texas Tech will start Will Hammond at quarterback. Hammond, stepping in for the injured Behren Morton (shoulder surgery), has completed 15-of-23 passes for 191 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions this season. Morton, who threw for 3,335 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2024, will be absent. The Red Raiders will also be without 1,000-yard receiver Josh Kelly, who has opted out of the game. This will be Texas Tech’s second Liberty Bowl appearance; they previously defeated Mississippi State 34-7 on December 28, 2021, starting their current three-game bowl winning streak, improving their bowl record to 17-23-1.
Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green enters the bowl season having achieved a rare feat: he is one of only two players nationally with at least 2,800 passing yards and 500 rushing yards (Washington State’s John Mateer is the other). Green has amassed 2,813 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on 219-of-360 completions, along with 521 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 141 carries. Arkansas’s 52 two-point conversion attempts allowed are tied for the most nationally this season, a stark contrast to Texas Tech’s four successful two-point conversions.
This will be Arkansas’s seventh Liberty Bowl appearance, the most of any team in the game’s history. Their record in the Liberty Bowl stands at 3-3, having won their last three appearances (2010, 2016, and 2022) and losing their previous three (1971, 1984, and 1987). Their overall bowl record is 17-24-3. Arkansas holds an 8-3 record against Big 12 (and predecessor conferences) opponents in bowl games, compared to a 9-21-3 record against other conferences. Their overall record against Big 12 opponents since 1928 is 34-14.
Texas Tech’s record against SEC opponents is 10-19-2, with their first game against an SEC opponent resulting in a 35-13 victory over Auburn in the 1954 Gator Bowl. Their bowl record against SEC opponents is 4-6-1.
SEC teams hold a 21-11 record in the Liberty Bowl, including an all-SEC matchup in 1965 (Ole Miss defeating Auburn). Big 12 teams are 4-7 in the Liberty Bowl, with an even 4-4 record against the SEC in the game.
Arkansas leads the all-time series against Texas Tech 29-8, although Texas Tech won the last meeting in 2015 (35-29) and three of the last four. 32 of the 37 meetings occurred during their shared Southwest Conference tenure (1960-1991).
Texas Tech allowed an average of 34.5 points per game this season, the highest among all bowl participants. Despite this, they led the Big 12 in scoring during the regular season at 38.6 points per game. They also converted a nation-leading 97 third-down plays into first downs in 2024, with a 49.5% conversion rate, sixth best nationally.
Arkansas’s leading rusher, Ja’Quinden Jackson (790 yards, 15 TDs), has opted out of the bowl game. Rodney Hill, listed as the starting running back, has 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 attempts this season. Arkansas also recorded the second-most plays of at least 10 yards from scrimmage (231) this season. Leading receiver Andrew Armstrong (1,140 yards) and second-leading receiver Isaiah Sategna have opted out, leaving Isaac TeSlaa (438 yards, 3 TDs) as the top receiver.
Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks, who surpassed Byron Hanspard as the Red Raiders’ all-time leading rusher in 2024 (4,557 yards, fourth most in Big 12 history), has rushed for at least 109 yards in each of his 11 games this season. His participation in the Liberty Bowl remains unconfirmed.