KJ Jefferson named MVP of Outback Bowl

Arkansas’ sophomore quarterback KJ Jefferson lifted the trophy high above his head and immediately turned to his coach on the podium.

Minutes after running for 110 yards and a touchdown in Arkansas’ 24-10 Outback Bowl win over Penn State, Jefferson was all smiles upon being named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

It was a deserved ending for a player who began the year being called by one national writer the 14th best quarterback in the 14-team SEC.

Instead, all Jefferson did in 2021 was lead the Razorbacks to a 9-4 record, their best since 2011, and a New Year’s Day bowl win, their first since 2000. In doing so he threw for more than 2,600 yards with 21 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He ran for more than 650 yards – the most by a Hogs quarterback since 2003 – and six scores.

Penn State found him nearly impossible to tackle one-on-one in the open field. The 240-pounder simply wore down a Nittany Lions defense lacking four starters in the second half. He ran for 10 yards, then 14, then 14 more and then eight on Arkansas’ first drive after halftime. The eight-yarder was the go-ahead score, putting the Hogs up 14-10.

In a league losing most of its best quarterbacks, save Alabama’s Bryce Young, Jefferson will almost certainly not find himself anywhere near the double-digit ranking of SEC signal-callers at any time in 2022.