It is finally game day once again for the Texas Tech football team as the Red Raiders take on Arkansas in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. This is bowl game No. 42 for Texas Tech, the most of any team in the Big 12.
It is an intriguing matchup for the Red Raiders given that the Razorbacks were once longtime Southwest Conference rivals. Thus, there is some nostalgia for Texas Tech fans of a certain age when they see these two programs on the field together.
Speaking of conference affiliation, the Red Raiders need to represent the Big 12 in a positive way tonight. While bowl games don't carry the weight that they used to, the fact remains that conference perception is as important in the modern age of college football as it has ever been and this is a game that pits an 8-win Big 12 team against a 6-win SEC team meaning the Red Raiders and the Big 12 are the league with the most to lose in this matchup.
If Tech can triumph, it will be the second-straight night that the Big 12 will have scored a win over one of the two leagues perceived to be the strongest in the country, the SEC and the Big Ten. Last night, Kansas State pulled off a 44-41 win over Rutgers out of the Big Ten in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix.
While winning College Football Playoff games will be the key in truly changing the national perception of the Big 12, anytime teams from the conference get to go head-to-head with SEC, Big Ten, or ACC schools in nationally televised games like bowls, it is a chance to chip away at the notion that the Big 12 is an inferior power conference.
Therefore, Tech will be playing not only for its own interests tonight but also to help give the Big 12 some bragging rights. So let's take a look at what head coach Joey McGuire's team needs to do in order to secure its ninth win and help the Big 12 pick up a win over an SEC program in the process.
Texas Tech must simplify things for QB Will Hammond
Making his first career start at QB tonight for the Red Raiders will be true freshman Will Hammond. It will be the first time in his career that he's played a full game and Tech fans are excited to get a glimpse of the program's future.
While Hammond was impressive in the one meaningful game he played this fall (he was 10-15 for 121 yards and a TD while also rushing for a TD in the second half of the TCU game), we should expect a few growing pains tonight from the youngster. Thus, the Red Raider coaching staff would be wise to simplify things as much as possible.
Of course, that begins with running the ball regardless of whether or not senior running back Tahj Brooks plays. This year, though, the Razorbacks have been solid against the run ranking 34th nationally in rushing yards allowed per game at 132.5.
Tech must also stay ahead of the chains given that Arkansas' defensive coordinator, Travis Williams, will bring as much pressure as any DC in the game. Thus, having quick and simple reads for Hammond to make will be imperative.
While Hammond is not your typical true freshman, he is still green as a college football player. Therefore, Tech needs to do whatever it can to lighten the burden on him and make the game feel simple as he makes his first college start.
Texas Tech must make Arkansas win the game through the air
With so many players on the Arkansas offense opting out of this game, the pressure will be on their dangerous QB Taylen Green. The dual-threat junior has amassed over 3,300 yards of total offense this year and 20 touchdowns.
However, as a passer, he can be inconsistent. This season, he's thrown for more than 280 yards just twice and one of those games was against a dreadful Mississippi State team that might have been the SEC's worst program in 2024.
Meanwhile, in five games this year Green has completed less than 60% of his passes. And for the season, his completion percentage is just 60.8%.
Now, he was better in that regard as the season progressed completing 60% or more of his passes in six of Arkansas' last seven games. However, much of that was due to limited usage as he was asked to attempt no more than 35 passes in any of those games. What's more, for the season, he's averaged just 30 passes per game showing that the Razorbacks haven't asked him to win too many games by throwing the ball all over the yard.
Tonight, Green will be without his top wide receiver, Andrew Armstrong, who is preparing for the NFL Draft after leading the SEC in catches and receiving yards this season. Therefore, Tech has to keep Green in the pocket and also limit the overall Arkansas running game to force Green and an unproven group of receivers win the game through the air.
Texas Tech must be the more excited team to play
Finally, the Red Raiders simply have to be the team that plays like it is the most excited to be in this game. That's always a key in mid-tier bowl games.
The reality of the situation is that not much is on the line for either team tonight. This is just an exhibition game that won't tilt the scales of either program's future.
Now, Tech does desperately want to get to nine wins to have its best season since 2009 and to potentially set itself up to be a preseason top-25 team next fall. Meanwhile, Arkansas should desperately want to win to avoid a losing season.
However, you just never know how teams of college athletes will play in a bowl game with little on the line. That's especially true for a game played two days after Christmas in a stadium that is under construction and missing a chunk of the seating behind the Texas Tech bench.
The Liberty Bowl doesn't carry a ton of cache in the sport and winning tonight won't propel either program to the upper echelon of the sport. Thus, the teams will have to manufacture their own motivation and find the internal drive to play well.
Fortunately, McGuire is one of the best motivators in the sport and thus far, he's 2-0 in bowl games. That's proof that he can get his team ready to play even in mid-teir bowls where little is at stake in the grand scheme of things. If Tech can come out and play with the type of motivation that McGuire's teams are known for having more often than not, then the Red Raiders will be in great shape against the Razorbacks.