The 2022 Liberty Bowl (officially known as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl for sponsorship reasons) was a college football bowl game played on December 28, 2022, at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The 64th annual Liberty Bowl, game featured the Kansas Jayhawks from the Big 12 Conference and the Arkansas Razorbacks from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game began at 4:35 p.m. CST and was aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2022–23 bowl games concluding the 2022 FBS football season.
Both teams entered having started the season well but finished poorly: Kansas won their first five games and were ranked in the AP Poll for the first time since 2009, but finished 6–6 after losing their last three games and six of their final seven. Arkansas received a preseason ranking of No. 19 and started the year 3–0 before losing three straight and finishing the year 1–3 in their final four games. Kansas made their first bowl appearance since the 2008 Insight Bowl while Arkansas made their second straight after playing in the 2022 Outback Bowl. Previews praised both quarterbacks, as Jalon Daniels returned from injury to a productive end to the season and KJ Jefferson ranked highly in the SEC in passing yardage. The Razorbacks saw some personnel changes leading up to the game: defensive coordinator Barry Odom became the head coach at UNLV and both sides of the ball saw departures and opt-outs, including Drew Sanders, Bumper Pool, and Jadon Haselwood.
After the teams traded touchdowns to begin the game, Arkansas scored four unanswered touchdowns, two passing and two rushing, to give themselves a 31–7 lead with five minutes remaining in the second quarter. Kansas scored a second touchdown of their own a minute before halftime, cutting the Razorbacks' advantage to eighteen points. After Rashod Dubinion opened the scoring in the third quarter for Arkansas the momentum shifted and Kansas scored 25 unanswered points, finishing with a Luke Grimm reception and a subsequent two-point conversion that tied the score at 38 points apiece with 41 seconds remaining. The game went to overtime where each team scored a touchdown and made their extra point; in double overtime, each team scored again and successfully converted their two-point try. Under NCAA overtime rules, starting in the third overtime period, teams only alternate two-point attempts rather than entire drives starting from the opponents' 25-yard line. Arkansas scored theirs but Kansas was unable to do the same after Jason Bean's pass fell incomplete, giving the Razorbacks a 55–53 triple overtime victory.
Teams
The Liberty Bowl featured the Kansas Jayhawks from the Big 12 Conference and the Arkansas Razorbacks from the Southeastern Conference. The Jayhawks and Razorbacks had previously only met twice, in 1905 and 1906, with the Jayhawks winning both games. Both teams became bowl eligible by beating a ranked team: Kansas beat No. 18 Oklahoma State and Arkansas beat No. 14 Ole Miss.
Previews of the game viewed the teams similarly, with both offenses generally praised and expected to do well against each other's defenses. CBS Sports said that quarterback play would be a high point for each team, with Jalon Daniels and KJ Jefferson each performing well over the course of the season. Further, they gave Kansas the advantage in momentum despite the disappointing end to both teams' seasons, since the Jayhawks' appearance ended their bowl drought of 14 years. Overall, Arkansas was favored to win the game by 2.5 points.
Kansas
The Jayhawks entered the game with a 6–6 record and a 3–5 mark in Big 12 Conference games. They started the season with a 5–0 record and were ranked for the first time since 2009, but fell out of the rankings after losing back-to-back games. The Jayhawks made their first bowl game appearance since the 2008 Insight Bowl and their second all-time appearance in the Liberty Bowl, with the first in 1973.
Sports Illustrated praised Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels for his performance early in the season, but he suffered an injury during the Jayhawks' game against TCU and missed four weeks before returning to action. Athlon Sports, in their preview of the game, said that he had been one of the best quarterbacks in the country prior to his injury, and he finished the regular season having totaled nearly 1,500 passing yards and 400 rushing yards in addition to 19 total touchdowns. College Football News said that Kansas's defense was a potential weak point for the team, though the contrast between the Kansas offense and the opposing Arkansas defense was viewed favorably for Kansas; Athlon Sports further wrote that Daniels' ability to run and pass would be an advantage over an Arkansas defense that entered the game ranked 13th of 14 in their conference in pass efficiency defense, 13th in yards per play allowed and 11th in overall scoring defense. The Jayhawks had relatively little concern regarding opt-outs, especially as compared to Arkansas.
Arkansas
Arkansas began the season ranked No. 19 and won their first three contests but lost their next three and finished the season losing three of their last four games; they entered the game with a record of 6–6 and 3–5 in SEC contests. This was Arkansas' 44th bowl appearance all-time and their second in a row after playing in the 2022 Outback Bowl. This was the Razorbacks' sixth appearance in the Liberty Bowl, with their last coming in the January 2016 edition against Kansas State.
Quarterback KJ Jefferson announced on December 3 that he would forgo the NFL draft in favor of a final year at Arkansas. Running back Raheim Sanders finished in second place in the SEC for total rushing yards during the season. College Football News said that the Razorback defense could have a "slew of problems" with Kansas's offense as they gave up a large number of yards to many opponents in the regular season. The Razorbacks were missing several players for the game due to either the NCAA transfer portal, injury, or NFL draft preparation; on offense, wide receiver Ketron Jackson and tight end Trey Knox transferred after the end of the regular season and wide receiver Jadon Haselwood decided to opt out of the game for the draft. On defense, linebackers Bumper Pool and Drew Sanders did not play due to injury and draft preparation, respectively, while tackle Isaiah Nichols opted to transfer. In total, only 51 scholarship players dressed for the game for Arkansas. Additionally, Arkansas was without former defensive coordinator Barry Odom, who accepted the head coaching position at UNLV on December 6.
Game summary
The Liberty Bowl was televised by ESPN, with a commentary team of Dave O'Brien, Dan Mullen, and Taylor McGregor. The ESPN Radio broadcast was commentated by Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman, and Tera Talmadge. The game's officiating crew, representing the Pac-12 Conference, was led by referee Matthew Richards and umpire Michael Stephens. The game was played at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, where the weather at kickoff was sunny and .
First half
Arkansas got the ball to begin the game as Tabor Allen's opening kickoff was fair caught for a touchback. Arkansas faced 3rd & 5 early but converted it with a 10-yard pass from KJ Jefferson to Harper Cole, which was followed shortly by rushes of 15 yards from Jefferson and 12 yards by Raheim Sanders. After a pair of short gains, placekicker Cam Little made a 37-yard field goal to open the scoring and take a 3–0 lead. Kansas opened their first drive with a pair of gains, first for 7 yards on a Devin Neal rush and then for 24 yards on a pass from Jalon Daniels to Luke Grimm. After a 10-yard Daniels rush two plays later, Daniels passed to Ky Thomas for a 29-yard touchdown, giving the Jayhawks the lead. On their second drives, both teams traded three-and-outs; Arkansas gained seven yards on a Jefferson rush but were unable to pick up the remaining three yards and punted to the Kansas 37-yard line, but a fumble on Kansas' first play set them back four yards and they punted after two incomplete passes. Arkansas took possession at their own 32-yard line and began with a 9-yard rush by AJ Green, after which Jefferson found Matt Landers for a 59-yard touchdown pass that gave Arkansas the lead. Cam Little's extra point gave the Razorbacks a three-point lead. The ensuing kickoff was muffed by Sevion Morrison and recovered by Cole for Arkansas at the Kansas 17-yard line. The Razorbacks scored in one play as Jefferson passed to Ty Washington for a touchdown, making the score 17–7 Arkansas. Jake Bates' kickoff went out for a touchback and Daniels completed a pass for 35 yards to Lawrence Arnold to quickly advance into Arkansas territory. After a 12-yard pass to Torry Locklin, Daniels' pass was intercepted by Quincey McAdoo, who returned it 17 yards to the Arkansas 27-yard line. Rashod Dubinion lost 4 yards on a rush on the first play of Arkansas' ensuing drive, but Jefferson passed to Jaedon Wilson for a 30-yard gain two plays later to reach Kansas territory. Jefferson gained another first down on the ground two plays later with an 8-yard gain, and he rushed for 15 yards several plays later to reach the Kansas 7-yard line. The Razorbacks concluded the drive with 23 seconds left as Jefferson rushed for a 3-yard touchdown, stretching the lead to seventeen points. Kansas got one play off before the end of the quarter, as Daniels passed to Neal for a 15-yard gain before time expired.
Kansas began the second quarter with a pass completed from Daniels to Arnold that reached the Kansas 49-yard line, and Daniels rushed for a first down on the next play. After moderate gains on the next few plays, Daniels was intercepted by Dwight McGlothern at the Arkansas 35-yard line, though he was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct back to the Arkansas 15-yard line. The Razorbacks started their next drive with a 12-yard pass from Jefferson to Green but they stalled from there and punted after gaining five yards on their next three plays. The punt was downed at the Kansas 45-yard line, though the Jayhawks were similarly unproductive as Daniels rushed for a loss of 5 yards on first down and was sacked by Jordan Domineck and Terry Hampton, losing 3 yards, on third down. Grayden Addison punted for the Jayhawks on fourth down, and the kick was fair caught on the Arkansas 22-yard line. Dubinion rushed for 2 yards before Jefferson passed for 17 yards to Bryce Stephens, earning a first down; Dubinion gained 26 yards on a rush several plays later to reach Kansas territory at the 35-yard line. After a timeout, Jefferson passed to Green for 10 yards and Green scored on a 20-yard rush on the next play; Little's extra point made the Arkansas lead 24 points. The ensuing kickoff by Bates went out for a touchback and Daniels completed an 11-yard pass to Arnold to convert a third down after a pair of short rushes by Neal. Grimm was the recipient of a 17-yard pass from Daniels later in the drive, and the Jayhawks found the end zone four plays later with a 24-yard pass to Mason Fairchild. Kansas opted to try a two-point conversion, which was unsuccessful. Arkansas started their next drive with 78 seconds left in the half at their own 25-yard line; Dubinion rushed for 13 yards on the first play of the drive and for 12 yards two plays later. On the next play, Jefferson rushed for 32 yards and advanced the ball to the Kansas 9-yard line with a personal foul after the play, though his pass into the end zone was intercepted by O.J. Burroughs for a touchback. Kansas took a knee to end the half on their next play.
Second half