How to Watch-Listen: Liberty May Be Tougher Than Fans Expected

Here's everything you need to know for watching and listening to game Saturday.

Author:
allHOGS Staff
Publish date:
Nov 3, 2022 8:02 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Liberty's defense has done well the last two weeks, but that wasn't against an SEC defense.

The Flames, ranked No. 23 in the country, have only lost to No. 20 Wake Forest where they led by a field goal going into the final period then lost a shootout by a single point.

Arkansas may have a little more trouble than a lot of people expected when they saw a Group of 5 time on the schedule in that early November slot.

Hugh Freeze-Liberty — Liberty Flames head coach Hugh Freeze talks to quarterback Kaidon Salter (7) in the second half against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Liberty won in overtime, 29-27. (Chuck Cook / USA TODAY Sports)

The key to this game may be how the Razorbacks' offense manages to score with the Flames. Their coach, Hugh Freeze, has always managed to have teams that score a lot of points.

Can the Hogs' defense manage enough stops in this one?

Sam Pittman-Auburn — Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman talks to an official during the second quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. (John Reed / USA TODAY Sports)

Game notes

• Following three consecutive games on the road, the Hogs return to 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.

• 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.

• With a win against 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).

KJ Jefferson-Auburn — Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) smiles after scoring a touchdown against the Auburn Tigers during the second quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. (John Reed / USA TODAY Sports)

• Quarterback KJ Jefferson continues to amaze through the air and on the ground. Jefferson has completed 125-of-185 passes (67.6%) for 1,697 yards and 15 touchdowns with just one interception while rushing for 389 yards and six scores in seven games. Despite missing one contest, Jefferson, who has eight career games with both a passing and rushing touchdown, is the only SEC quarterback with 15+ passing touchdowns and 5+ rushing scores this year.

Raheim Sanders-Auburn — Arkansas Razorbacks running back Raheim Sanders (5) gets ready to block Auburn Tigers linebacker Owen Pappoe (0) during the third quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. (John Reed / USA TODAY Sports)

• Running back Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders is the Hogs’ leading rusher through seven games, totaling 1,041 yards on 156 carries (6.7 avg.) with seven scores on the ground. Sanders, who leads the SEC in both rushing yards (1,041) and rushing yards per game (130.1), only needed eight games to reach the 1,000-yard mark on the ground, matching RB Madre Hill’s program record of eight games set in 1995.

Jadon Haselwood-Auburn — Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Jadon Haselwood (9) celebrates scoring a touchdown with wide receiver Ketron Jackson Jr. (2) during the third quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. (John Reed / USA TODAY Sports)

• Wide receiver Jadon Haselwood leads Arkansas’ receiving corps with a team-high 36 catches for 467 yards (13.0 avg.) and three touchdowns. A transfer from Oklahoma, Haselwood has caught three or more passes in each of his first eight games as a Hog and has tallied at least one catch in 20 games in a row dating back to the start of the 2021 season.

Drew Sanders-Auburn — Arkansas Razorbacks linebacker Drew Sanders (42) grabs Auburn Tigers running back Tank Bigsby (4) during the second quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. (John Reed / USA TODAY Sports)

• Linebacker Drew Sanders has emerged as one of the top defensive playmakers in college football, racking up 65 total tackles with a team-leading 7.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 6.5 sacks through seven games. Sanders, who has forced an SEC-best three fumbles, leads the SEC in sacks, sitting a half-sack ahead of Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr. (6.0) and one sack ahead of teammate DL Jordan Domineck (5.5).

Game notes from Arkansas Communications

Matt Landers-Auburn — Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Matt Landers (3) is tackled by Auburn Tigers safety Donovan Kaufman (1) during the second quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. (John Reed / USA TODAY Sports)

How to watch-listen to Hogs-Flames:

The Auburn Tigers will play the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday at 3 p.m. on the SEC Network and fuboTV with Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (analyst) and Alyssa Lang (sidelines) on the call.

Radio: You can listen to the game at HitThatLine.com or on the radio at ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.

Satellite: Sirius XM channel 137 or 190 and 961 on the app.

Betting via SI Sportsbook

Line: Arkansas -14.5

Over/under: 61

Moneyline: Arkansas -752, Liberty +450

FPI pick: Arkansas 75.6% to win; 56.3% to cover spread

Series History

The two teams have never faced each other on the football field.