2010 Liberty Bowl - Arkansas vs. E. Carolina

The CFN 2010 Liberty Bowl Preview - Arkansas vs. East Carolina

2010 Liberty Bowl

Arkansas (7-5) vs. East Carolina (9-4)

Memphis, TN, Jan. 2, 5:30 pm, ESPN

Scroll Down For Bowl Histories & Best Moments

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Team Pages and 2009 Season
East CarolinaU | Arkansas 
 

- 2009 CFN Liberty Bowl Preview
- 2008 CFN Liberty Bowl Preview
- 2007 CFN Liberty Bowl Preview

National Rankings
A		E
14th	Total Offense	68th
90th	Total Defense	75th
8th	Scoring Offense	57th
62nd	Scoring Defense	38th
77th	Rushing Offense	59th
67th	Run Defense	35th
10th	Passing Offense	57th
104th	Passing Defense	110th
6th	Turnover Margin	8th

Position Ratings relative to each other
A	5 highest 1 lowest	E
5	Quarterbacks	3
4	RBs	4
4	Receivers	3
3	O Line	4
3	D Line	3
3	Linebackers	4
1.5	Secondary	1.5
2	Spec Teams	5
4.5	Coaching	4.5

Liberty Bowl History

2009	Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19
2007	Miss St 10, UCF 3
2006	South Carolina 44, Houston 36
2005	Tulsa 31, Fresno State 24
2004	Louisville 44, Boise State 40
2003	Utah 17, Southern Miss 0
2002	TCU 17, Colorado State 3
2001	Louisville 28, BYU 10
2000	Colorado State 22, Louisville 17
1999	Southern Miss 23, Colorado State 17
1998	Tulane 41, BYU 27
1997	Southern Miss 41, Pitt 7
1996	Syracuse 30, Houston 17
1995	East Carolina 19, Stanford 13
1994	Illinois 30, East Carolina 0
1993	Louisville 18, Michigan State 7
1992	Mississippi 13, Air Force 0
1991	Air Force 38, Mississippi State 15
1990	Air Force 23, Ohio State 11
1989	Mississippi 42, Air Force 29
1988	Indiana 34, South Carolina 10
1987	Georgia 20, Arkansas 17
1986	Tennessee 21, Minnesota 14
1985	Baylor 21, LSU 7
1984	Auburn 21, Arkansas 15
1983	Notre Dame 19, Boston Coll 18
1982	Alabama 21, Illinois 15
1981	Ohio State 21, Navy 28
1980	Purdue 28, Missouri 25
1979	Penn State 9, Tulane 6
1978	Missouri 20, LSU 15
1977	Nebraska 21, North Carolina 17
1976	Alabama 36, UCLA 6
1975	USC 20, Texas A&M 0
1974	Tennessee 7, Maryland 3
1973	NC State 31, Kansas 18
1972	Georgia Tech 31, Iowa State 30
1971	Tennessee 14, Arkansas 13
1970	Tulane 17, Colorado 3
1969	Colorado 47, Alabama 33
1968	Mississippi 34, Virginia Tech 17
1967	NC State 14, Georgia 7
1966	Miami 14, Virginia Tech 7
1965	Mississippi 13, Auburn 7
1964	Utah 32, West Virginia 6
1963	Miss State 16, NC State 12
1962	Oregon State 6, Villanova 0
1961	Syracuse 15, Miami 14
1960	Penn State 41, Oregon 12
1959	Penn State 7, Alabama 0

East Carolina has won back-to-back Conference USA championships, yet 7-5 Arkansas comes into this year’s Liberty Bowl surrounded by a much louder buzz.

Despite finishing in the middle of the SEC pecking order, the Razorbacks are a hot commodity. The second-year coach has the team headed in the right direction, the roster is loaded with youth, and the 6-7, 238-pound sophomore quarterback is already dodging questions about April’s NFL Draft. The Hogs are trendy again and traveling rather well, which has Liberty Bowl officials thrilled that they’ll be spending New Year’s in Memphis.

In two seasons, Bobby Petrino’s impact on the Arkansas program has been undeniable. After going 5-7 in his debut, the coach has added a couple of wins and an important bowl invitation. Even more important, he’s lit a fire under the offense, with a little help from next-level QB Ryan Mallett. The Michigan transfer was as good as advertised in his first season in Fayetteville, throwing 29 touchdown passes and spearheading the SEC’s top-scoring offense. However, will he be back on campus in 2010? If so, the Hogs are poised to take another giant step forward with a two-deep that’s flush with returning players.

Not unlike Ole Miss a year ago, Arkansas started a little slowly, opening 3-4, before getting hot late and earning this spot in the postseason. Unfortunately, as good as the offense was in the fall, the D was equally bad, ranking at the bottom of the conference in pass defense and total defense. Beyond needing Mallett back behind center, the Hogs must make strides defensively and learn to win the tight games if it’s going to move up the SEC ladder next season. They are close to getting there. They led Georgia in the second half, but the defense couldn’t hold on. They had Florida on the ropes in Gainesville before falling in the final minutes. They took LSU into overtime in Baton Rouge, coming up short, 33-30. If Arkansas can keep the cast together, it’s on the brink of something special.

By the Conference USA measuring stick, East Carolina already is special. Under the watchful eye of Skip Holtz, the Pirates have attended this game as the prize for winning the last two league championships. And by getting the program to a fourth straight bowl game, he’s helped set a new standard in Greenville. While not particularly flashy, ECU wins with superior line play, solid fundamentals, and quality special teams. It’s been enough to bridge the gap on the glory days when the Pirates were a team that few of the bigger schools wanted to schedule.

Although this season didn’t have the same flare as 2008, when the Pirates stunned West Virginia and Virginia Tech, it’ll still end in Memphis, Mecca for Conference USA members. Oh, East Carolina was still tough on non-conference foes, but saved its best efforts for those league games. After getting surprised by SMU on Oct. 10, it regrouped to sweep the rest of the conference schedule, capped by a 38-32 win over Houston in the title game. The Pirates have been in postseason mode since late November, and should have no problems getting mentally prepared for this challenge. Plus, after blowing a big lead to Kentucky in last year’s Liberty Bowl, they’re looking for their pound of SEC flesh.

Players to Watch: Mallett is dangerous, but he certainly isn’t without accomplices. The Hogs are loaded with quality pass-catchers, boasting five different players with at least three touchdown grabs. Leading the way at wide receiver and tight end, respectively, are Greg Childs and D.J. Williams. As a whole, the group possesses an ideal blend of size, speed, and elusiveness. Although East Carolina has a veteran secondary, led by all-stars Van Eskridge and Emanuel Davis, Arkansas presents an even tougher test than Houston did a month ago. Mallett has access to a different tool to address his specific needs, including a cadre of long receivers, like rookie Cobi Hamilton, to create match up problems with the Pirates.

The Razorbacks’ biggest concern on offense revolves around line play. Not only have they been average in pass protection, but the strength of East Carolina resides in the trenches. The Pirates basically have an ACC-caliber defensive line, with the depth, experience, and size to win the battles up front. Leading the charge will be DE C.J. Wilson and NG Linval Joseph, a couple of first team all-leaguers. Wilson has a team-high 5.5 sacks, yet at 280 pounds, is thick enough to stand up to the run. Joseph, while 6-6 and 322 pounds, possesses the quickness and get-off to create pressure right up the middle. G Mitch Petrus is the lone standout on an Arkansas offensive line that must protect Mallett for the offense to reach its potential.

If East Carolina is going to deliver the upset, it must exploit an Arkansas defense that’s had problems all season, especially against the pass. Although QB Patrick Pinkney will still take a back seat to leading rusher Dominique Lindsay, he must find creative ways to get the ball to Dwayne Harris and Darryl Freeney in space. There will be at least a couple of opportunities for the receivers to get behind the corners, and it’s up to Pinkney to make them count. Harris will also be employed liberally behind center, where he can take direct snaps and weave through the defense. Despite all of the yards the Hogs have yielded, the unit has been opportunistic, producing 27 turnovers. With Malcolm Sheppard and Jake Bequette on the line, and Jerry Franklin at linebacker, Arkansas will do whatever is possible to keep Ramon Broadway and Russell Crim from operating on an island for too long.

East Carolina will win if ... : it can run the ball with success. Yeah, the Pirates need a steady, productive performance out of Pinkney, but this team is at its best when it wears teams out on the ground. Like the defensive line, East Carolina is big, physical, and experienced up front on offense as well, led by C Sean Allen. In its last two games with high-powered, defensively-challenged opponents, ECU rammed the ball down Tulsa’s throat for 242 yards and scored four times on the ground against Houston. Both were victories. The Pirates want to line up and challenge the Arkansas front with a combination of Lindsay, Harris, and Giavanni Ruffin. When the Hogs least expect it, Pinkney will play-action his way to a 50-yarder down the sidelines to one of his receivers. Not only can a ball-control attack gas the Razorback D, but it’ll also be the best defense versus Mallett and the quick-strike offense on the other side of the field.

Arkansas will win if ... : it creates a handful of big plays on defense. Even if the Razorback D doesn’t shut down the Pirate offense, it can still play a vital role by continuing to create turnovers and pressure. The Hogs have been flying around the field all season. Sometimes they pay for it, but on other occasions, it results in a momentum-changer. Sheppard and Bequette are disruptive at the line of scrimmage and the linebackers possess the athleticism and range to track down the ball and strip it from the Pirates. Although you have to peel the onion to notice it, Arkansas did improve as the season progressed, missing fewer tackles and blowing fewer coverages. In fact, the Hogs were surprisingly tough on third down and were downright nasty at preventing touchdowns in the red zone. The only thing more dangerous than Mallett and the passing game is Mallett and the passing on a short field. The opportunistic defense is capable of giving that to them a few times on Saturday.

What will happen: In a battle of wills between two very different philosophies, Arkansas is going to drag East Carolina into the kind of game it cannot win. The Razorbacks want to get up and down the field, getting the most out of its playmakers on offense and speed on defense. It’ll work. Although East Carolina can slow things down to some degree with its running game and veteran D, it’s not going to be enough against Mallett and his arsenal of big-play receivers. The sophomore will throw three touchdown passes, making scouts salivate and his decision about the NFL in 2010 even harder. Oh, and don’t sleep on the Hog defense. Sure, it’s pliable and will get beat on a few pass plays, but this unit has more talent than the numbers indicate and will play with something to prove in front of a skeptical audience.

CFN Prediction: Arkansas 34 … East Carolina 24 ... Line: Arkansas -7.5

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Best Pirate Bowl Moment: In one of the most memorable wins in school history, East Carolina rallied from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to beat long-time rival North Carolina State in the 1992 Peach Bowl. In front of the largest crowd to ever watch two North Carolina teams play, Pirate QB Jeff Blake ran for a score and threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final eight minutes for a pulsating 37-34 victory. The win gave the Pirates state bragging rights and a No. 9 ranking in the final AP poll.

Best Razorback Bowl Moment: The Hogs have been victorious in just 11 of 36 bowl appearances, and only twice in the last two decades. One of their sweetest wins came in the 1978 Orange Bowl against heavily- favored and second-ranked Oklahoma. Arkansas got a bowl-record 205 yards rushing and 52 yards receiving from third-string tailback Roland Sales, cruising to a 31-6 win over the Sooners. Sales was pressed into action when the team’s top two backs were suspended for the game.

Arkansas Bowl History (11-22-3)

2007	Capital One	Wisconsin 17, Arkansas 14
2003	Independence	Arkansas 27, Missouri 14
2002	Music City	Minnesota 29, Arkansas 14
2001	Cotton	Oklahoma 10, Arkansas 3
2000	Las Vegas	UNLV 31, Arkansas 14
1999	Cotton	Arkansas 27, Texas 6
1998	Citrus	Michigan 45, Arkansas 31
1995	Carquest	North Carolina 20, Arkansas 10
1991	Independence	Georgia 24, Arkansas 15
1989	Cotton	Tennessee 31, Arkansas 27
1988	Cotton	UCLA 17, Arkansas 3
1987	Liberty	Georgia 20, Arkansas 17
1986	Orange	Oklahoma 42, Arkansas 8
1985	Holiday	Arkansas 18, Arizona State 17
1984	Liberty	Auburn 21, Arkansas 15
1982	Bluebonnet	Arkansas 28, Florida 24
1981	Gator	North Carolina 31, Arkansas 27
1980	Hall of Fame	Arkansas 34, Tulane 15
1979	Sugar	Alabama 24, Arkansas 9
1978	Fiesta	Arkansas 10, UCLA 10
1977	Orange	Arkansas 31, Oklahoma 6
1975	Cotton	Arkansas 31, Georgia 10
1971	Liberty	Tennessee 14, Arkansas 13
1969	Sugar	Mississippi 27, Arkansas 22
1968	Sugar	Arkansas 16, Georgia 2
1965	Cotton	LSU 14, Arkansas 7
1964	Cotton	Nebraska 10, Arkansas 7
1962	Sugar	Mississippi 17, Arkansas 13
1961	Sugar	Alabama 10, Arkansas 3
1960	Cotton	Duke 7, Arkansas 6
1959	Gator	Arkansas 14, Georgia Tech 7
1954	Cotton	Georgia Tech 14, Arkansas 6
1947	Dixie	Arkansas 21, William & Mary 19
1946	Cotton	LSU 0, Arkansas 0
1934	Dixie	Arkansas 7, Centenary (La.) 7

East Carolina Bowl History (5-5)

2008	Liberty	Kentucky 25, ECU 19
2007	Hawaii	ECU 41, Boise State 38
2006	PapaJohns.com	South Florida 24, ECU 7
2001	GMAC	Marshall 64, ECU 61 2OT
2000	gallery furniture.com	ECU 40, Texas Tech 27
1999	Mobile Alabama	TCU 28, ECU 14
1995	Liberty	ECU 19, Stanford 13
1994	Liberty	Illinois 30, ECU 0
1991	Peach	ECU 37, NC State 34
1978	Independence	ECU 35, La Tech 13