The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football to play Arkansas in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl
12.07.2014 | Football
Game will be played Dec. 29 in Houston; Longhorns making 53rd bowl appearance, second on the NCAA all-time list.
• 2014 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl ticket information
The Football team has accepted an invitation to be the Big 12 Conference representative in the 2014 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl and will face the Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southeastern Conference on Monday, Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. Central in Houston.
The game will be played at NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, and be televised on ESPN. Season ticket members are welcome to request bowl game tickets at this time through their online account or by calling the service team at (512) 232-4422. The priority handling deadline for bowl game tickets is Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m.
This will be the 78th meeting between the Longhorns (6-6, 5-4) and the Razorbacks (6-6, 2-6), including the second time in the postseason. Arkansas beat Texas, 27-6, in the 2000 Cotton Bowl, though the Longhorns lead the series 56-21. The last meeting between the teams was a 52-10 Texas victory on Sept. 27, 2008.
Texas will be making its 53rd bowl appearance, the second-highest total on the NCAA all-time list.
"We're excited to be playing in the Advocare Texas Bowl and against an old SWC rival in Arkansas," Texas head coach Charlie Strong said. "It will be a tremendous opportunity for our team to play in front of so many of our fans and especially for our seniors who will be doing it for the last time as Longhorns. We've been back at work and getting prepared for the bowl game and know Arkansas presents an unbelievable challenge. They are a really good, physical team that has played their best ball in the second half of the season. We look forward to getting to Houston and being a part of this great bowl."
The game will pit two of the best defenses in the nation.
The Longhorns ended the regular season ranked 26th in the FBS in total yards allowed (348.3 per game), No. 12 in passing defense (186.3 ypg), No. 8 in yards allowed per play (4.67), 16th in passing efficiency defense (108.34 rating), tied for seventh in sacks (3.25 pg) and 33rd in points allowed (23.3 pg).
The Razorbacks are 15th nationally in scoring defense, surrendering just 20.3 points per game, as well as 22nd in rushing defense (124.0 ypg), 24th in total defense (345.4 ypg) and fourth in red zone defense (.688).
Three seniors have produced most of the Longhorns offensive output. John Harris (64-1,015) and Jaxon Shipley (58-571) have combined for 122 receptions and 1,586 receiving yards, while Malcolm Brown has posted a team-high 683 rushing yards. Harris' yardage ranks eighth on the UT single-season list.
Junior Johnathan Gray has chipped in 628 rushing yards and sophomore Tyrone Swoopes, in his first season as a starter, has completed 211 of 359 passes for 2,352 yards and rushed for another 294. Swoopes ranks 15th on the UT single-season passing yards list and 11th on the total offense chart (2,646).
For Arkansas, a pair of 1,000-yard runners lead the 26th-ranked rushing offense in the country. Junior Johnathan Williams leads the team with 1,085 yards to go along with 11 touchdowns, while sophomore Alex Collins has run for 1,024 yards and a team-high 11 TDs. The Razorbacks are averaging 220.2 yards per game on the ground.
Arkansas is making its first bowl appearance since a 29-16 win against K-State in the 2012 Cotton Bowl. The Razorbacks are 13-23-3 all-time in bowl games.
About the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl: The AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a subsidiary of ESPN, and managed locally by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment. The bowl will showcase teams from the Big 12 and the SEC, two of the country's premier conferences, for the next six years. The AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl has been a tremendous success both on and off the field over its first eight years. The bowl has generated an average of $30 million per year for the Houston economy and has donated over $700,000 and over $13 million in promotional support and publicity to DePelchin Children's Center, the bowl's official charitable beneficiary.
Texas Bowl Notes
• Texas will be facing a SEC team for the first time since playing Alabama in the BCS Championship game following the 2009 season (37-21 loss). It will be the 20th bowl game matchup with a SEC opponent, with Texas holding a 11-7-1 record. Texas' most common SEC opponent is Alabama (4-1-1 record).
• This will be the second time Arkansas and Texas meet in a bowl game. The Razorbacks won the 2000 Cotton Bowl by the score of 27-6.
• Texas now has 53 all-time bowl appearances which trails just Alabama (61) on the NCAA all-time list. Nebraska is third with 51. UT has a record of 27-23-2 (.538).
• Head coach Charlie Strong will be making his fifth appearance in a bowl game in five seasons as a head coach. Strong had a 3-1 bowl record at Louisville.
• This will be the seventh time Texas has played in a bowl game in Houston. The Longhorns made six appearances in the now defunct Bluebonnet Bowl with a record of 3-2-1. Texas played in the final Bluebonnet Bowl game, a 32-27 victory over Pittsburgh on Dec. 31, 1987.
• UT had a school-record stretch of 12 straight bowl appearances from 1998-2009, which bettered the previous mark of nine straight from 1977-85.
• With a 24-21 victory over No. 10 Ohio State in the 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Texas won bowl games in five consecutive years for the first time in school history (2004-08 seasons). The Horns did win five straight previously (1963-64, '66, '68-69), but the streak was interrupted by seasons that did not result in a bowl.
Head coach Charlie Strong quotes
On the game: We're really excited about being in the AdvoCare Texas Bowl and to be playing an outstanding opponent in Arkansas. If you just look at the losses they've had, they beat LSU, played Alabama, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M really close. They have two 1,000-yard running backs. I have a lot of respect for Bret (Bielema). He has done a great job since he has been at Arkansas. Even if you look at his track record, coming from Wisconsin, what he did with that team. I'm just so happy for our team. For us to struggle early and then somehow find a way to get to six wins and being able to go to the Texas Bowl is really exciting, not only for our players but also for our fan base.
On if he is still mad at Arkansas for not recruiting him: [Laughing] I wasn't a good enough athlete at that time. I was really small to go to Arkansas. Just growing up there, you are a Razorback fan because it's really the only school that was a major college in that state at that time. I saw a lot of matchups with Texas, but really excited about playing.
On losing to TCU the last game of the season: We've had an opportunity to talk about that game. It's over with now. We're just going to get our focus back and get ready to go play a good Arkansas team.
On spending the week in Houston and how that can benefit recruiting: The thing about it is not being very far from Austin is really good. Being in the city of Houston and knowing the great hospitality we will receive. We've been a Texas school. We've been there for recruits. It's always good when you go to a city where you recruit a lot. That way they have a chance, if they can't come out to practice because it's a period where it's a dead period for us, but have a chance to just see us on TV.
On Bret Bielema: Bret is an outstanding football coach. I just remember the great job he did at Wisconsin with that team. Being at Arkansas in his second year and getting them to a bowl game. Just the whole culture. You look at his offense and what he does. You have two 1,000 yard rushers. I have always had a tremendous respect for him.
On the status of WR Jaxon Shipley: Well, I think we have some time. I think he will be healed by then, but that's the training room. We haven't really had much time to really discuss injuries. The game is December 29, so we'll just see where we are then.
On the focus of the team now: We got to go play well. We didn't play well in the last game, so we need to go out and play well. For some of the seniors, this will be the last time they play a college football game. I always look back at them because of what they have helped us get to at this point. I just want to make sure we end it playing right and play well for them.
On what he will emphasize for the bowl game: It's always just preparing for who you are going to go play. The preparation has to be there. Each and every day it's just a different focus whether it's third down, first down, red zone, or whatever it is. We have plenty of time to get ready for it. It's all about just preparing for the team you are going to go play.
On if he is tough on his players during bowl season or if he will wait to January: Well, it's about Arkansas. When you talk about January, that's the beginning of your camp then and it starts your winter conditioning period. These weeks are all about Arkansas.
On preparing his young players for the spring during bowl practices: I don't have many younger players. A lot of our [true freshmen] played this season. It's going to be about being smart in practice and taking care of the players that are going to be playing. Making sure we get done the work that we need to get done and where our focus is. Each and every day is just a different phase of what we are going to get done. That's how we prepare for Arkansas, but we don't have many young players. It's not like we can just turn and say all of a sudden it's going to turn into a young players scrimmage.
On how much he stresses about finishing with a winning record: It's always important. Every game you go out to play, you want to make sure you go win it. You want to go play to go win it. You want to prepare to play to win it.
On what it would mean to finish with a winning record: Our whole focus is going to win this football and end up with a winning record. It's about the seniors. You want to send them out the right way.
On what he would like to see from QB Tyrone Swoopes in practice: Tyrone has got to improve, but our whole team has got to improve. I always say when he plays well, everybody praises him. When he plays bad, they criticize him. Everybody around him needs to play well. The offensive line, the running backs needs to run harder and the receivers need to catch. Tyrone just needs to manage his offense on terms with the football and just make sure that he himself continues to just get better.
On if he remembers the 1969 game between Texas and Arkansas: No, I would just see highlights. That game was such a memorable game. Even though I was young at the time, I continued to watch those great matchups over the years. That would be one game that they would always play back, so that was a special game.
