Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman discusses familiarity with Kansas, Lance Leipold

LAWRENCE — Kansas football’s upcoming Liberty Bowl matchup against Arkansas will see Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold go up against Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman.

Pittman is somewhat of a familiar face to college football in the state of Kansas, not to mention the program he’ll face Dec. 28 in Memphis. He played and coached at Pittsburg State in the 1980s, spent at stint on staff at Hutchinson Community College in the 1990s and was with Kansas for a season as an assistant in 2001. And it adds to the intrigue behind this contest of Big 12 Conference and Southeastern Conference teams.

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“We’re so excited, and to play a team like (KU) who had such a wonderful year and turned their program,” Pittman said. “Coach Leipold is such a fine coach, and the way they play, how hard they play. And we’re just excited to be bowl eligible for the third year in a row, specially the Liberty Bowl. The Liberty Bowl is a wonderful bowl. We have great relationships with the Liberty Bowl people. And our team will be excited, and is excited, to accept this invitation.”

Here are a few things Pittman had to say about this matchup for Arkansas (6-6, 3-5 in SEC), Kansas (6-6, 3-6 in Big 12) and Leipold as well:

Sam Pittman’s familiarity with Lance Leipold and the Jayhawks’ 2022 season

As stated, Pittman has spent time in the state of Kansas in the past. But it’s been about two decades since he was with the Jayhawks. He also doesn’t know Leipold personally.

What Pittman does know, is the reputation Leipold has as someone who’s won everywhere he’s been. Pittman described what Kansas has been able to do this season, reaching bowl eligibility for the first time since 2008, as outstanding. And Pittman complimented the Jayhawks’ program as a whole, too.

Sam Pittman’s further reaction to how swiftly Lance Leipold accomplished this turnaround

Pittman would go on to say that it’s unbelievable to see what Leipold’s done in just his second year in charge at Kansas, which was 2-10 last season in Leipold’s first year and 0-9 the year before under Les Miles. Pittman has noticed the heightened level of positivity around the Jayhawks’ program. But, again, as hard as what Leipold’s done has been to accomplish Pittman pointed again to Leipold’s history as a winner as a reason not to be surprised.

Pittman said Kansas deserves a football coach like Leipold, and Kansas Athletics certainly agrees. A contract extension was recently finalized that is set to keep Leipold in Lawrence through the 2029 season. And that’s added to the Jayhawks’ momentum ahead of this bowl game.

Sam Pittman’s thoughts on matching the Jayhawks’ energy, and that of their fans

Pittman didn’t play down the potential that Kansas and the Jayhawks’ fans may come into the game with a level of energy that’s greater than Arkansas’ and the Razorbacks’ fans. Pittman described it as a concern. But Pittman also promised Arkansas will be ready to play.

Pittman, who’s in his third year leading the Razorbacks, has seen Arkansas awarded a spot in a bowl game in each of those three seasons. However, the bowl game the Razorbacks were supposed to play in that first season wasn’t played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, from his perspective, Arkansas can pull from how eager it felt to play in a bowl game last season for the first time since 2016.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman discusses familiarity with Kansas