The Island of Misfit Toys Bowl

A Preview of the Arkansas Razorbacks v Texas Tech Red Raiders on December 27, 2024

The title phrase comes from a TV holiday special, “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which first aired in 1964. In the story, the Island of Misfit Toys is a place where toys that are considered unwanted or defective are sent. Each toy has a unique flaw or characteristic that makes it undesirable to children, such as a train that can't go straight or a doll that is not quite right.

This is exactly what we will get to witness today in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Two struggling teams with losses to their rosters and coaching staffs playing grab-ass in a subpar venue. This is exactly what I wanted for Christmas!

The Venue

The Liberty Bowl is in the midst of a multi-year and multi-million dollar renovation. The stadium is torn apart and currently seats around 30,000. Each school was allotted 8,000 seats each with the remainder being sold to the general public. As of last Friday, only 6,000 of the 16,000 seats had been claimed. So don’t expect the crowd to be louder than the jackhammers in this active construction zone.

And this crumby stadium with a lackluster crowd is also located in Memphis. While I have a strange affinity to the city since I grew up going there for weekend getaways to eat good barbecue, do some shopping, and see exhibits at the Pyramid (before it became a Bass Pro store and resort), it’s still pretty rough. Earlier this year, it ranked as the 10th most dangerous city in the world.

So if you’re going to the game remember to “Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife”

Arkansas Roster

It’s been well documented that the Hogs have 27 players that have left the team for the transfer portal. We also have four key starters missing the game as they opt-out to prepare for the NFL Draft: Landon Jackson, Andrew Armstrong, Eric Gregory and Ja’Quinden Jackson.

With multiple starters on the offensive and defensive line, top wide receivers and running backs, back-up quarterback, and both starting safeties missing today as well as dozens of others in the two-deep roster, the Hogs will look like a shell of their regular-season selves.

Texas Tech Roster

Tech faired better than the Hogs in the transfer portal but still lost 16 players. But they will miss starting quarterback Behren Morton (shoulder injury) and star receiver Josh Kelly (opt-out).

This too, will not look like a typical well oiled offensive machine that we have come to expect coming out of Lubbock. If running back Tahj Brooks also elects to sit out (game-time decision), the Red Raiders will have a freshman quarterback handing off to a freshman running back and looking to pass to a largely freshman receiving corp.

This could look like a JV game.

Coaching Issues

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was forced to coach from the booth in the season finale loss to Missouri. Since then, he’s had a total hip replacement surgery and plans to coach from the sideline today. It is concerning that he has stated he can only walk about 20 yards at a time with the aid of a cane.

On the opposite sideline, Texas Tech will be without offensive coordinator Zach Kittley who left to become the head coach at Florida Atlantic. They will also be without defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter who was fired after the Red Raiders posted the second worst pass defense in the nation by giving up over 305 yards per game through the air.

What to Expect

The betting line has been moving faster than a tortilla maker at a quinceañera (Side Note: the Tech student section loves to throw tortillas during games. Legend has it that an ESPN announcer, before a Tech-A&M football game in 1992, said Lubbock had "nothing but Texas Tech football and a tortilla factory.” And they have been making it rain manna ever since). Arkansas opened as a 4.5 point favorite. Then things swung as high as Tech -6.5. Yesterday Arkansas was back to a 1.5 point favorite. Today it’s back to Tech -2 (as of 10 AM).

Arkansas is 3-3 in the Liberty Bowl and 29-8 all-time against Tech. While the average fan may look to the team with the most experienced quarterback to prevail, Taylen Green will have to beat Tech with his arm instead of his legs. Tech held Shedeur Sanders to only 16 yards rushing earlier this season.

The key to the game to me will be who plays running back. Arkansas needs Braylen Russell to suit up to give us needed depth and explosiveness in the backfield and Tech needs Tahj Brooks (back-to-back 1500 yard rusher) to play to have a chance.

I think it’s close. I think it’s sloppy. But I think there are lots of big play touchdowns. It’s cloudy in Memphis today so “Sun’s Up, Guns Up” won’t apply.

Hogs 42 - Red Raiders 38

-WPS