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Arkansas defeated Texas Tech 39-26 in a back-and-forth affair on Friday night at the Liberty Bowl.
Both teams showed off their high-octane offenses, in this one, particularly in the first half. Arkansas and Texas Tech each cleared more than 300 yards of total offense before the break. However, the Razorbacks were able to separate from Texas Tech in the second half thanks to a series of crucial stops.
Here are 3 takeaways from Arkansas’s big Liberty Bowl win:
Dazmin James breaks out
Undoubtedly the biggest winner from Arkansas’s bowl game was wide receiver Dazmin James.
James did not catch any passes during the regular season of his redshirt freshman campaign, but he didn’t take long to make an impact on Friday night. He scored a 94-yard touchdown in the first quarter, which extended the Hogs’ early lead over the Red Raiders. It also was good for the longest touchdown reception in Arkansas football history.
Per Reel Analytics, James reached 22.3 miles per hour on the play:
James finished the night with 3 catches for 137 yards. He’ll likely have a much bigger role in the Arkansas offense in 2025 and beyond, and this bowl game performance will go a long way toward proving he deserves a bigger chance in the future.
Taylen Green’s big night
It wasn’t just James who had a night full of big plays — so did Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green.
He finished out the evening with 341 passing yards on just 21 attempts. He also had 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. It marked the second time this season that Green has posted a passer efficiency rating above 220 for a single game (Mississippi State). The last Arkansas QB before Green to clear a 220 passer efficiency rating (min. 20 attempts) in a single game was KJ Jefferson in 2021.
Green was also productive on the ground. He rushed for a team-high 81 yards on just 15 carries. He was individually responsible for 4 rushes that went for 10+ yards.
Green has plenty of momentum going into a 2025 season that will be highly-anticipated in Fayetteville.
Arkansas’ defense stepped up
Arkansas’ offense rightfully will garner plenty of headlines from this game, but its defense played well in the second half.
Despite giving up nearly 500 yards of total offense, the Arkansas defense got a series of key stops in the second half to help secure this victory. Texas Tech’s first 5 drives of the second half were all failures: 2 interceptions, 2 punts and 1 safety.
That stretch of good defense allowed Arkansas to build up a lead that ultimately proved to be insurmountable for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech managed just 5.4 yards per play in the second half after averaging 8 yards per play before the break.
Arkansas now has 3 bowl victories in 3 postseason appearances under Sam Pittman.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
