Kansas football arrives for Liberty Bowl matchup against Arkansas in Memphis
MEMPHIS — If there’s any indication of how excited Kansas’ football players are for their Liberty Bowl matchup Wednesday against Arkansas, it may be senior linebacker Rich Miller telling everyone on the plane Sunday it’s time to have some fun.
This is the Jayhawks’ program’s first bowl game since 2008. If they beat the Razorbacks, it’ll be Kansas’ first bowl win since that year as well. And Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold is excited about it all.
“It’s finally arrived,” said Leipold, who thinks this Kansas team will always be remembered as something special. “It’s been a while since we’ve played. I know our guys have been excited to kind of work through the holiday and do things like that, but to see their faces and kind of the little change in body language — now we’re excited to get here. We’re excited to get down to playing and excited for a great few days.”
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Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Lawrence Arnold said he and his teammates see this game as a stepping stone. He added they want to win this, and then use it to propel them to greater success in the future. But before kickoff and the potential realization of all of that can occur, here are some takeaways from what Arnold, Miller and Leipold had to say after they arrived in Memphis.
Don’t expect Daniel Hishaw Jr. to play for Kansas
Last week, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and junior quarterback Jalon Daniels both left open the idea that standout running back and redshirt sophomore Daniel Hishaw Jr. would return from injury for this game. It would be his first appearance since he suffered an injury Oct. 1 against Iowa State. But Leipold said he doesn’t see Hishaw playing.
Lance Leipold addresses other injuries
Senior safety Kenny Logan Jr. was wearing a boot on his left foot Sunday, and Leipold said Logan has been highly limited of late. So, the Jayhawks hope Logan will be available for the game. Other than that, the goal is everyone who has played toward the end of the season will be available.
Lance Leipold is hopeful for an impressive crowd
Leipold said he isn’t quite sure what to expect when it comes to crowd size. He noted as well the country is dealing with significant weather complications, and that could affect things. But he added he’s already seen how well Kansas fans have done in ticket sales and is both appreciative of that and hopeful for a quality crowd Wednesday.
In the final two days of game prep, here’s what Lance Leipold hoped to accomplish
Leipold said they’ve tried to treat this as as much of a game week as possible, and Monday and Tuesday will be about finishing up their game plan. There are some things to polish up, he allowed. And, specific to Monday, they would practice outside for the first time in a while to get used to that setting again.
This game is personal to Lawerence Arnold
Arnold is eager to play against a team from the Southeastern Conference, just like Miller is. But Arnold also has a personal tie to this game that goes beyond him playing for the Jayhawks. He said he has family from the state of Arkansas who attended school at Arkansas, and will have a lot of family at the game.
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Here’s where Rich Miller is focusing, when it comes to the game-plan
This isn’t all that complicated for Miller. He’ll look to stop the run. He said if Kansas is able to do that, the Jayhawks will have a great day defensively.
Here’s where Lawrence Arnold is focusing, when it comes to the game-plan
It’s been harder studying film, Arnold said, because of the number of Razorbacks players who aren’t going to be available for the game. He volunteered that he’s even look at someone’s high school tape, because of how limited game film is of some Arkansas athletes who’ll likely have to play. So, he’s focused on winning his one-on-one matchups.
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: Kansas football arrives for Liberty Bowl matchup vs. Arkansas
