Liberty Bowl: Kansas Selected to Face Arkansas
The Kansas Jayhawks are headed to the Liberty Bowl later this month to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks, according to the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy.
The game is set for Dec. 28 at 4:30 p.m.
The Liberty Bowl announced Kansas’ acceptance of the invitation via social media.
Kansas is coming off a 6-6 season and will play in a bowl game for the first time since 2008. Despite a .500 record, this has been a huge season for the Jayhawks. They started the season by winning their first five games, reached the AP Top 25 and earned a spot hosting ESPN’s College Gameday for the first time. The season also earned head coach Lance Leipold a new contract, which helped keep him from taking jobs at Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Kansas has already lost some players to the transfer portal, which opens officially on Monday. Those players include linebacker Eriq Gilyard and defensive back Edwin White.
Kansas will play in its 12th bowl game. The Jayhawks have a record of 6-6 in bowl games. Leipold is the nine different coach to lead Kansas to a bowl game.
Arkansas (6-6) had a disappointing season, as the Razorbacks lost three SEC games in a row to consign them to the lower tier of the SEC Western Division. The Hogs also lost three of their last four games to end the season.
Kansas and Arkansas have never played each other in a bowl game. Kansas’ only bowl game against an SEC team was the 1981 Hall of Fame Classic, in which the Jayhawks lost to Mississippi State, 10-0.
Kansas has won its last three bowl games, which came in 2005, 2007 and 2008.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
