When the Texas Tech football team tangles with Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl later this month, Tech coach Joey McGuire will be on the opposite side of the rivalry than he might’ve imagined himself as a kid.
McGuire was born in Texarkana on the Texas-Arkansas border. He told the Avalanche-Journal shortly after Texas Tech hired him in 2021 how he grew up rooting for the Razorbacks and had the ubiquitous Hog hat.
Now, the two programs will square off at 6 p.m. Dec. 27 in Memphis, Tennessee. They were matched up Sunday for a bowl that’ll be televised on ESPN.
“I am really fired up about this bowl and our opponent,” McGuire said. “I grew up a Razorback fan. Whenever I turned 15, I got my own (phone) line. My number was (817) 297-1HOG. We had season tickets for the Razorbacks almost my entire life. I have a lot of family (there).
“All my mom’s side’s in Arkansas, so I grew up calling the Hogs. I cannot wait to be playing Arkansas, hear ’em call ‘Pig Sooie’ and we come right back at ’em with some ‘Raider Power.’”
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After the Southwest Conference admitted Texas Tech in May 1956, the Red Raiders and the Razorbacks played every year from 1957 through 1991. They were conference games starting in 1960.
“This is a throwback of Southwest Conference opponents, a league I grew up watching,” McGuire said. “The Liberty Bowl (is) one of the longest-running bowls that has such a storied history. … I told (Tech athletics director) Kirby (Hocutt), ‘Man, you made my day with this bowl and this matchup.’ “
Both teams made recent trips to the Liberty Bowl, Tech beating Mississippi State 34-7 in 2021 and Arkansas beating Kansas 55-53 in triple overtime in 2022.
“When you think about Texas Tech,” Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman said, “you think about points and you think about relentless energy. It should be a fun game.”
Tech went 8-4 and 6-3 in the Big 12. Arkansas finished 6-6 and 3-5 in the Southeastern Conference.
Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart pointed out that Tech beat Big 12 championship game opponents Arizona State and Iowa State, and on Oct. 5 Arkansas beat then-No. 4 Tennessee, which made the College Football Playoff.
“We know both of these two teams have great potential and great capability,” Ehrhart said, “and as we listen to these two coaches, a great dedication to this game.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Childhood Hog Joey McGuire fired up for Texas Tech football vs. Arkansas
