Sam Pittman Wants to Find Redemption in Liberty

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is hoping to wipe the bad taste out of everybody's mouths.

At least the ones who stayed.

With 48 players not on the roster for this afternoon's AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis against Kansas, it might be a tougher hill than a lot of folks expected.

Kansas isn't bad and they are extremely fired up about playing the game plus they have most of their guys coming back that got a similar 6-6 record.

The Jayhawks were a second-half team most of the season. They were down several times and came back.

For this one, though, starting fast could land a quick knockout.

A big question for the Razorbacks is how will they respond to getting hit in the mouth early. There is no answer to that unless it happens.

Kansas knows they have to stop the Hogs' running attack with quarterback KJ Jefferson along with running backs Raheim "Rocket" Sanders, AJ Green and Dominique Johnson. Even that's a little different order than folks projected in August.

The Jayhawks know if they don't stop that, they don't have a prayer unless offensive coordinator Kendall Briles gets too impatient and over-thinks the whole thing by throwing the ball when a simple run can win the game.

It's a problem coaches have always had. They think the other coaches are smart enough to figure things out to stop the run and throw the ball.

When Bear Bryant went back to the Wishbone at Alabama in 1971, he would run the ball until somebody stopped it at least twice in a row.

"Don't always assume that other guy has the hosses to stop you even if he knows how," he said with a grin. "Why in the hell do I want to help him?"

We'll know in a couple of hours if the Hogs will have the patience to keep it on the ground, shorten the game or if Kansas has figured out a way to stop it.

The answer will be disturbingly clear if the re-juggled offensive line can't open any holes.

Of course, the defense has to stop the Jayhawks' offense, but that may not matter if the Hogs can't have the patience to run the ball ... if they can.

Kickoff for the game is 4:30 p.m. in a stadium with no working toilets and only those porta-john things, mainly because Memphis somehow had a water line problem that appeared the week of one of their major events that needs all the help it can get as they aren't particularly interested in coverage.

HOGS FEED:

HOW TO WATCH-LISTEN TO HOGS-JAYHAWKS IN AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL?

ONE MISSING PIECE FOR HOGS EVERYBODY HOPES THAT ISN'T NOTICED

SAME TEAM RAZORBACKS STARTED SEASON WITH WON'T BE ON FIELD AT LIBERTY BOWL

STATEMENT BY LIBERTY BOWL LEFT LEGAL WIGGLE ROOM IN REGARD TO FANS

WHAT'S REALLY AT STAKE IN WEDNESDAY'S LIBERTY BOWL GAME AGAINST KANSAS?

DO RAZORBACK FANS REALLY CARE ABOUT HOW LIBERTY BOWL TURNS OUT?

WITH WILL WADE'S RIC FLAIR STYLE PERSONA GONE, PLAYING LSU BASKETBALL JUST NOT AS FUN

RAZORBACKS' NUMBERS BETTER WHEN QUARTERBACK KJ JEFFERSON DOESN'T RUN AS MUCH

THE NIGHT A 19-YEAR-OLD ARKANSAS BOY COVERED THE LIBERTY BOWL WITH ELVIS PRESLEY

PREPARE FOR HEART OF BOWL SEASON WITH HILARIOUS VIDEO RECAP OF EACH WEEK

ARKANSAS FEATURED IN ANNUAL "WONDERFUL LIFE" PARODY