10 Things to Know – Liberty

Following three-consecutive games on the road, the Hogs return to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium for the start of a three-game homestand. Arkansas, looking to hit the six-win mark for the second year in a row and become bowl eligible for the third straight season, hosts No. 23 Liberty at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, on SEC Network.

10 Things to Know vs. Liberty

1. – Liberty is the second nationally ranked non-conference opponent that Arkansas will face this season. The Hogs opened the year against then-No. 23 Cincinnati, making it the first time in school history that Arkansas has played two ranked non-conference foes in the regular season.

2. – Arkansas is coming off a 41-27 road win over Auburn. The Razorbacks compiled 520 yards of total offense, including 286 yards on the ground and 234 (16-24-0) through the air. RB Raheim Sanders ran 16 times for 171 yards (10.7 average) to earn himself SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. QB KJ Jefferson had another monstrous performance with 234 passing yards and 45 rushing yards, accounting for three touchdowns (two rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown). WR Matt Landers registered his second 100-yard receiving effort as a Razorback after reeling in four catches for 115 yards. On the defensive side, DBs Latavious Brini and Dwight McGlothern paced the Hogs with seven stops each. P Reid Bauer claimed SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after booting a career-long 78-yard punt, which ties for 10th-longest in school history and the second-longest by an SEC punter this season.

3. – With a win over Liberty, Sam Pittman would become the fourth Arkansas head coach to earn bowl eligibility in each of their first three seasons, joining Lou Holtz (1977-79), Ken Hatfield (1984-86) and Houston Nutt (1998-00).

4. – Arkansas has totaled 200+ passing yards and 200+ rushing yards in the same game five times this season, tied for most nationally with James Madison and Tennessee.

5. – Saturday’s matchup will be the first meeting between the two programs. The two teams share one common opponent, BYU, during the 2022 season. Arkansas defeated BYU, 52-35, on Oct. 15 and Liberty took down the Cougars, 41-14, on Oct. 22. Liberty is 0-2 all-time against SEC opponents. Most recently, the Flames lost 27-14 at Ole Miss on Nov. 6, 2021.

6. – Arkansas is a perfect 8-0 against non-conference opponents under Sam Pittman. He is the first Arkansas head coach to win each of his first eight non-conference games.

7. – The Hogs have rushed for 200+ yards in three consecutive games and in an SEC-best seven games this season. Arkansas averages 245.8 rushing yards per game, second in the SEC and sixth nationally. Additionally, Arkansas has had a 100-yard rusher in a program-record nine straight games dating back to last season. RB Raheim Sanders is responsible for six of those nine 100-yard rushing performances.

8. – Dwight McGlothern has been sensational all season. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), McGlothern’s 344 coverage snaps played without allowing a touchdown leads all cornerbacks nationally.

9. – LB Bumper Pool has posted back-to-back 100-tackle seasons, totaling 101 tackles in 2020 before racking up a team-leading 125 stops in 2021. Pool, who has 72 total stops through eight games in 2022, is on pace to become the first Razorback with three consecutive 100-tackle seasons since LB De’Jon Harris (2017-19).

10. – The Hogs have recorded 400+ total yards of offense in seven of eight games this season, including two consecutive games with 500+ total yards of offense against BYU (Oct. 15) and Auburn (Oct. 29).