Arkansas football continues its 2024 season against Texas Tech on Friday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, and Red Raiders head coach Joey McGuire spoke to the media Thursday to preview the matchup.
Texas Tech had a strong season in the Big 12, as it finished with an 8-4 (6-3 Big 12) overall record with victories over teams like playoff-participant Arizona State, then-No. 10 Iowa State and mutual opponent Oklahoma State.
Under McGuire's leadership, Texas Tech has accumulated a 23-15 (16-11 Big 12) overall record in three seasons. To close the 2024 regular season, the Red Raiders boasted the No. 8 total offense (459.8 YPG) and No. 123 total defense (451.9 YAPG) in the country.
This will mark the 38th meeting between the two teams, as Arkansas leads the series 29-8. The two programs played and split games played in 2014 and 2015, with the Red Raiders coming out on top most recently.
Here's everything McGuire had to say about Pittman, the Razorbacks and Friday's game:
On Arkansas QB Taylen Green:
McGuire: "Yeah, he played at a great program. Lewisville. The Lewisville Fightin’ Farmers. Played for a great head coach and, you know, I remember him in high school. I was at Baylor whenever he first came out, and we were interested. He goes to Boise and had a great career there, and I’m fired up. He’s doing what he’s doing at Arkansas.
"I’m a big fan of Coach Pittman and his culture, and just the way he treats his players and what he believes in. So, I know he plays for a great man. He’s going to be tough. He is a really good football player. Does a great job with his arm, but you know, whenever things break down he can be real creative with his legs. We’ve got to be really aware of what he’s going to do, especially third down and fourth down, moving the sticks. But, great player."
On coaching against Arkansas:
McGuire: "I see the guys in the back with a Razorback. It’s such a storied… For me growing up in Texarkana, my best friend, his family got transferred to Germany. They didn’t want to give up their season tickets, so we got their season tickets. So going to Little Rock… All of my mom’s side is from Arkansas. For me, the first football that I can remember is that Razorback. I do have a plastic Razorback hat at home. So really, that was my team growing up. So when Kirby said we were playing Arkansas, I don’t think he knew that.
"I said, ‘It can’t get any better.’ They only way it can be better is if Arkansas and Texas Tech are facing off in the playoffs. That’s the only way this gets better for me. It hasn’t set in, but it is going to be really cool to look across the field and see that helmet and that Razorback that I grew up watching."
On playing an Arkansas team without multiple starters:
McGuire: "No, because the coordinators are still the same. They’re going to do what they do. The starting quarterback’s the same. I look at it totally different. This is what I told my team our very first practice whenever Will Hammond was going to start at quarterback: ‘There’s nobody more excited about playing this game than Will Hammond.’ So I’d imagine their young guys, I think they’re starting a freshman right guard, I imagine that dude is going to be excited to play in this game.
"If you take it that way, from the standpoint of you’ve got to understand there’s nobody on either side of the team that are disappointed to be in this game. They’re excited to be in this game. So if you think Will’s not excited to be the guy tomorrow… He’s going to be amped up and really ready to go.
"So I think Arkansas’ going to be the same way, so I think it’s going to be one of the most entertaining bowl games because I do think you have two really good cultures. You’ve got guys that are excited about playing. I think if the coordinators were a little bit different, if you had a change, I think you could see a little bit different, but Petrino’s going to do what he does and we’re expecting him to do it and see if we can’t stop it.
"We hope we can. And they’re good on defense. They’ve got seven starters, I believe, playing in this game, three of their leading tacklers are playing in this game, so we’re kind of expecting to see the same thing."
On Arkansas' defense:
McGuire: "You can say the exact same thing about us. Defensively, we’ve both been kind of the same. We’ve played good at different times and then give up a bunch of points.
"I think they’re really sound schematically. I think they have guys that really run to the football. Their defensive line, especially whenever they have everybody, was really tough. No. 5, I know he’s playing tomorrow night. I know we’re going to have to figure out where he’s at because he’s really good. He’s a dominant defensive lineman.
"I think the biggest thing, though, is they play with a lot of passion and I think they have a lot of reps banked into this defense. Even whenever Coach Odom was here, they were very similar defensively. So I think they really have a good idea of what they’re doing."
On the environment of the game:
McGuire: "Whenever the offense is on the field we’ll pump the crowd noise in when we’re in the indoor. I hope so. I hope that thing is packed. I hope you hear a lot of “Woo Pig Sooie” and a lot of “Raider Power.” It’l be really cool.
"You go back and I see a lot of young people in this room but I see some guys that have some gray hair. Ladies, y’all don’t have any gray hair. But this is an old Southwest Conference battle. This is like some cool stuff. So I hope so. I know the Red Raiders are going to show up. It’ll be cool if it’s a hostile environment and really, really loud. I do think this is going to be an entertaining game."
