Kansas State will face Arkansas in Liberty Bowl

The excitement of reaching a bowl game is still alive at Kansas State.

When the Wildcats learned they were headed to the Liberty Bowl for a postseason game — their sixth straight and 19th overall — against Arkansas, they celebrated the invitation. Coach Bill Snyder may have been most enthused of all.

“We’re just gracious to have the opportunity to compete in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl,” Snyder said. “I’ve heard nothing but tremendous things, not only about the bowl and the community, but the way the bowl is conducted and the professionalism that exists in providing so much in the way of opportunities for young people to experience new, positive things in their lives.

“Everybody that I’m aware of, when they’ve played there, they’ve had a good appreciation for it. We are certainly honored to be there.”

K-State earned a spot in the Liberty Bowl after finishing the regular season with a dramatic 24-23 victory against West Virginia on Saturday in Manhattan. The Mountaineers finished with a better record, but the bowl, which will be played at 2:20 p.m. on Jan. 2 in Memphis, preferred the Wildcats.

This will be K-State’s first time in the Liberty Bowl. That made the Wildcats an attractive team, according to Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart.

“We have been watching and looking at Kansas State closely for many years, even before we began our partnership with the Big 12,” Ehrhart told the Eagle last week. “Our bowl game is the seventh-oldest in the nation. We’ve been playing it since 1959, and we’ve never had Kansas State.

“We’ve had a number of great universities from all across the country, even the West Coast. We pride ourselves on being a very national game. To have never had Kansas State before, well, let’s just say we’ve been in close contact with John Currie since we started our contract with the Big 12. We have been discussing Kansas State all year.”

K-State (6-6, 3-6 Big 12) will take on a familiar opponent in Arkansas (7-5, 4-3 SEC). The game will be a rematch of the Cotton Bowl following the 2011 season. The Razorbacks won that game 29-16.

It will also be a familiar game for the coaching staffs. Arkansas coach Bret Bielema worked for Snyder as defensive coordinator from 2002-03. Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith both played and coached under Snyder.

Snyder and Bielema exchanged compliments like old friends after the announcement.

“Our fans should be excited about this matchup against the great program that Bill Snyder has built,” Bielema said. “I was very fortunate to be under him as a coach for a couple of years. A lot of what I believe in today is because of my experiences with Coach Snyder. Our kids are jacked to play another Big 12 team and be able to close it out with a matchup against a premier program.”

“I can’t tell you I relish playing against people who are as close to me as Bret is,” Snyder said. “But that is the nature of the game, I guess. I know one thing: he has built a whale of a football team. It will be a very difficult preparation for us.”

Arkansas finished in a tie for third with LSU in the SEC West this season. It started slow, losing nonconference games to Texas Tech and Toledo, but turned things around in conference play.

Bielema said he called Snyder and asked for advice when the Razorbacks were on their losing streak. They have since established their running game, and wracked up impressive victories.

K-State athletic director John Currie hopes the enticing matchup and drivable distance to Memphis will allow fans to travel to the Liberty Bowl in large numbers. Tickets are currently on sale through K-State’s athletic department and the bowl game itself.

“We have had the best crowds ever in the history of college football crossing state lines for bowl games. This time we only have to cross a couple of state lines,” Currie said. “That is pretty exciting. We had a great response last night and around town today. It is a great opportunity for our fans ... we expect to have a strong turnout.”

Snyder is looking forward to it.

“For us it is about our wonderful fan base,” Snyder said. “We have an awful lot of people who save up their nickels and dimes through course of the year and the only vacation they take is the one after the season is over. It doesn’t matter where it is they just love to go. It is meaningful to us and it is meaningful to them, as well.”

This story was originally published December 6, 2015 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Kansas State will face Arkansas in Liberty Bowl."