The Arkansas Razorbacks and Kansas Jayhawks met for the first time in 116 years on Wednesday night, and it led to a Liberty Bowl for the ages. In a wild back-and-forth affair that included a 25-point comeback, it was Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks getting the last laugh, winning 55-53 in triple overtime over the Jayhawks.
Kansas rallied from 25 points down in the second half to force overtime on a hot night in Memphis, TN, but couldn't convert a 2-point conversion in the third extra frame, ending a four-and-a-half hour bowl marathon and instant classic.
“What a game, what a crowd,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said after the win. “I'm exhausted. I'm beat up. And I never played a snap. We got lucky at the end, but we're Liberty Bowl champs and I'm pretty excited.”
Arkansas held off a furious second-half rally by Kansas to secure the victory, in a game that seemed all but over after the first half. The 7-6 Razorbacks were led by quarterback and game MVP KJ Jefferson, who passed for 287 yards and two touchdowns in the win, adding 130 yards rushing and two scores of his own.
“I'll say this, it ain't about who we don't have here. It's about who we had,” Pittman said about the team playing through a slew of injuries. “This football team said they wanted to play. I know they did. We did, too.”
The 6-7 Jayhawks were playing in their first bowl game since 2008, but were unable to halt a late-season streak resulting in seven losses in eight games. QB Jalon Daniels passed for 544 yards and five touchdowns, doing his part in the marathon affair. He set Liberty Bowl records for passing yards, touchdown passes, completions and total touchdowns scored.
It was an instant classic between the two schools, and a game that will be difficult to top in this season's set of bowl contests. It was Sam Pittman and the Arkansas Razorbacks who came out on top in the triple-overtime thriller.
“We're Liberty Bowl champs. I'm just excited as I could be.”
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