FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KTHV) – In a season eyed by many prognosticators to be a year of progress for the Arkansas Razorbacks, the results were mixed, much like the 2014 campaign.
However, after a languid start to the season including losses against Toledo, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M, Bret Bielema's squad rebounded in the second half to finish 7-5 and earn a trip to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN on January 2 where they'll face Kansas St. (6-6) in a rematch of Arkansas' 2012 41-13 win in the Cotton Bowl.
The Razorbacks endured injuries to several key players early in the season, including losing their leading rusher from 2014, Jonathan Williams, to a season-ending foot injury on August 15.
In their Week 2 loss against the Toledo Rockets at War Memorial Stadium, top wideout Keon Hatcher suffered a foot injury as well that kept him from playing the rest of the season.
However, after their 1-3 record in September, the Razorbacks got their season back on-track. This time it wasn't their defense that led them as it did in 2014, it was a high-octane passing and running game led by quarterback Brandon Allen and running back Alex Collins in addition to receiving threats Drew Morgan and Hunter Henry.
The Hogs would go on to win six of their last eight games, including thrilling victories against Auburn in four overtimes (54-46) as well as the seemingly impossible overtime victory against Ole Miss on the road (53-52) in which the famous ‘Henry Heave' took place.
Arkansas almost ran the table to close out the season with dominating performances against LSU (31-14) and Missouri (28-3), but a thrilling matchup with Mississippi St. ended in heartbreak on November 21 with a 51-50 loss after Cole Hedlund's 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked with 39 seconds left in the game.
With their matchup in the Liberty Bowl against Kansas St., the Razorbacks for the second straight year have an opportunity to take down an inconsistent Big 12 team and build momentum toward the next season.
Regardless of the outcome of their bowl game, many individual stars for the Razorbacks made their mark on the 2015 season, including tight end Hunter Henry and offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola. Both players were named AP All Americans for 2015. Henry also took home the Mackey Award given to the top tight end in the country, while Tretola was co-winner of the Jacobs Trophy given to the SEC's top blocker. Brandon Allen also became the first SEC quarterback to ever throw at least six touchdowns in two conference games in one season (Ole Miss, Mississippi St., stat courtesy of ESPN).
The Liberty Bowl airs on ESPN at 2:20 p.m. Central Time. However, you can catch all of the pregame and postgame analysis as well as live Twitter coverage right here on THV11 and thv11.com.
