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If you like points, you should tune in to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. One of the highest point totals on BetUS, the Arkansas Razorbacks take on the Kansas Jayhawks. This is the second consecutive year Arkansas will make a bowl game with Sam Pittman, defeating Penn State 24-10 in last year’s Outback Bowl. For Kansas, this is their first bowl game since 2008 with Mark Mangino.
When: Wednesday, December 28th @ 5:30 PM ET
Where: Memphis, Tennessee
Who: Kansas vs. Arkansas
Spread & Total: Arkansas -2.5; O/U 70
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Tale of the Tape: Kansas Jayhawks
Similar to Duke, no one saw this type of season from Kansas this year. Through Kansas’s last seven seasons, the Jayhawks were 11-70. Now, in Lance Leipold’s second season, the Jayhawks are bowling. The Jayhawks success starts with their offense. The fifth slowest team in FBS has been efficient on offense, scoring .516 points per play. Starter Jalon Daniels doesn’t turn the ball over, with an interception rate of just 1.14%. 1,000 rusher with Devin Neal on just 171 carries.
Defense is a different story for the Jayhawks. They are tied for the 2nd-worse scoring defense among bowl eligible teams. Their rush defense is the 4th-worse, allowing the 5h-most rushing touchdowns. They allow 6.1 yards per play and allow .459 points per play.
Opt Outs: N/A
Transfer Portal Departures:
WR Steven McBride
LB Eriq Gilyard
LB Gavin Potter
DB Jarrett Paul
Players to Know:
QB Jalon Daniels
Named to All-Big 12 Football Second Team. Completed 65.7% of his passes for 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his eight starts. Added 59 carries for 415 yards and six touchdowns on the ground
DE Lonnie Phelps
Named to All-Big 12 Football Second Team. 54 tackles (10.5 for loss) ranked fourth on team. 7 sacks led the team. Forced two fumbles
Tale of the Tape: Arkansas Razorbacks
This Arkansas offense will trot out plenty of new faces in this bowl game. From their 64th ranked passing attack, only two players have over 10 receptions. Matt Landers leads the team with 780 receiving yards on 44 receptions, and running back Raheim Sanders hauled in 27 receptions. But their running back room is plenty full, and that’s the strength of their offense.
Defensively, one bright spot for the Razorbacks is their ability to get to the quarterback. Their 39 sacks ranked 5th nationally. But their rush defense is poor, only allowing fewer yards than Texas A&M and South Carolina in the SEC. The only team that allowed more yards per game was Vanderbilt, and the Razorbacks’ defense only beat out Vanderbilt and Auburn from the cellar of defensive scoring.
Opt Outs:
WR Jadon Haselwood (59 receptions led team; 702 yards w/ 3 touchdowns)
C Ricky Stromberg (First Team All-SEC)
LB Drew Sanders (First Team All-SEC; 103 tackles & 9.5 sacks led team)
LB Bumper Pool (Second Team All-SEC; 92 tackles, second most on team)
Transfer Portal Departures:
QB Malik Hornsby (Backup)
RB James Pointer
WR Ketron Jackson Jr. (277 receiving yards, 3rd among WR on team)
WR Warren Thompson (178 receiving yards, 4th among WR on team)
TE Trey Knox (296 receiving yards, 3rd on team)
DT Isaiah Nichols
EDGE Eric Thomas Jr.
S Myles Slusher
S Khari Johnson
Player to Know:
RB Raheim Sanders
Second Team All-SEC. 219 carries for 1,426 yards (6.5 YPC) for 10 touchdowns. His 1,426 rushing yards ranks 11th nationally
DB Dwight McGlothern
Second Team All-SEC. 42 tackles, nine pass deflections (2nd on team) and three interceptions (leads team). Forced two fumbles, recovered one
Bowl Game Trends:
- Arkansas’s 6th bid in the Liberty Bowl is most in bowl game history (2-3)
- Underdog has won three of the last five
- SEC is 3-2 in L5 against Big 12 in the Liberty Bowl
- Five of the six worst scoring defenses in bowl mania have played (1-4)
- Per Chris Fallica, unranked SEC teams in 2021 bowls went 1-6 in bowl games, with each of the favored teams losing outright
Game Synopsis:
Who would have thought the 90th ranked scoring defense would be the best in a bowl game? KJ Jefferson returning is massive for the Razorbacks. Arkansas has plenty of opt outs and transfers, but they still have their top quarterback, running back and receiver. Given how poor Kansas’s rush defense is, I would expect a heavy dose between Sanders and Jefferson for the Razorbacks on the ground. But there are so many pieces absent for Arkansas. And as bad as Kansas’s defense was their last seven games (40.9 PPG allowed), they have their entire team available for this bowl game. Jayhawks pull the upset to cap off a great second season under Leipold.
Bowl Mania Pick To Win: Kansas
Bowl Mania Confidence: 13/43
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