How do Arkansas football and Kansas match up in the Liberty Bowl? Our experts discuss

Christina Long, Fort Smith Times Record
·4 min read
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Sep 24, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman greets his players as they come off the field during the first quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas football will face Kansas for the first time in over 100 years at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

The Razorbacks (6-6) and Jayhawks (6-6) are fighting for a winning record when they meet in Memphis. But how do the two teams match up? Arkansas beat writer Christina Long of the Southwest Times Record and Kansas beat writer Jordan Guskey of the Topeka Capital-Journal discussed keys to the game ahead of the matchup on Dec. 28 (4:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis.

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Key Arkansas players like LB Drew Sanders won’t be available, and defensive coordinator Barry Odom is gone. Will departures like these have a significant effect?

Long: These changes will certainly have an impact on Arkansas’ defense. Sanders and his co-starter, Bumper Pool, will both be gone. Chris Paul Jr. is a talented young linebacker who has gotten a lot of playing time with Pool dealing with injuries this season, but the second linebacker will be someone pretty green. However, the Razorbacks are retaining their second-best pass rusher, DE Jordan Domineck. As for Odom, it’s hard to say. Arkansas announced the hire of Travis Williams on Monday, just over a week before the bowl. Pittman said Williams would "not be involved" in the bowl, so Arkansas will keep things pretty basic and consistent with what it did scheme-wise throughout the season.

Arkansas' secondary has been suspect, and now it's thin after players hit the portal. How dangerous is the KU passing game?

Guskey: Kansas’ passing game doesn’t feature a true No. 1 option. There are a number of different guys who can be schemed up to have big days, because a defense can’t necessarily focus on one guy and stymie the Jayhawks that way. But, in that way, Kansas isn’t as primed to take advantage of Arkansas as it could be otherwise.

Still, watch out for tight ends Jared Casey and Mason Fairchild and wide receivers Luke Grimm, Lawrence Arnold and Quentin Skinner. The Jayhawks have a dangerous rushing attack led by running back Devin Neal, which opens up opportunities for those guys that can really take advantage of a defense.

Kansas has a talented pass rusher at defensive end in Lonnie Phelps Jr. Would you anticipate Arkansas allowing that sort of matchup to be handled one-on-one, or would the Razorbacks look to double-team him?

Long: Arkansas has faced some excellent pass rushers in the SEC, and it hasn’t typically double-teamed them. The Razorback offensive line was full of veterans this season, and it was a strong unit early on. Late in the season, however, blocking suddenly became a problem. Arkansas has since lost center Ricky Stromberg, who declared for the draft. That will mean moving some pieces around, and Phelps and the Kansas defense could take advantage.

Kansas’ offense prides itself on being versatile and multifaceted, especially if quarterback Jalon Daniels is healthy. Would a unit like that give Arkansas trouble?

Long: Arkansas has faced versatile offenses before with mixed results. Arkansas’ defensive front, at least at this point, is set to have most of its usual starters available, so its run defense should be consistent. Arkansas has struggled with tackling at times this season, and if Daniels can get into the open field, it could be trouble for the Razorbacks. Missouri’s Brady Cook, for example, scrambled all over the Razorbacks in the regular-season finale. The Razorback secondary has also been a weakness all year, and several defensive backs have hit the portal since the end of the regular season, so Kansas’ passing game could find success.

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How does Kansas' run defense match up against Rocket Sanders?

Guskey: This will be a challenge for Kansas. He may not be the best the Jayhawks will have gone up against this season, because it’s hard to argue that answer wouldn’t be Bijan Robinson, but Sanders has the opportunity to give Kansas trouble.

The Jayhawks want to be able to stop the run, because that’ll allow them to get after the quarterback. But over the second half of the season, teams have been able to run on them too often. This could very well determine how the game goes.

Arkansas' pass rush has been a strength this season. How might the Jayhawks' offensive line fare against the Razorbacks?

Guskey: Kansas’ pass blocking has actually been impressive this season. For a while, the Jayhawks hadn’t even given up a sack. With veterans like Earl Bostick Jr. at left tackle and Mike Novitsky at center, the unit has been very reliable when paired up with the mobility that both Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean provided at quarterback over the course of the season. Have Kansas’ offensive linemen gone up against a SEC opponent yet this season? No. But Arkansas not being at full strength on the defensive side of the ball could assist the Jayhawks in that respect.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football vs. Kansas in Liberty Bowl: Our experts on matchup