| Game Name: | Liberty Bowl |
| Subheader: | 57th Liberty Bowl |
| Title Sponsor: | AutoZone |
| Date Game Played: | January 2 |
| Year Game Played: | 2016 |
| Football Season: | 2015 |
| Stadium: | Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| City: | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Visitor School: | Kansas State University |
| Visitor Name Short: | Kansas State |
| Visitor Nickname: | Wildcats |
| Visitor Record: | 6–6 |
| Visitor Conference: | Big 12 |
| Visitor Coach: | Bill Snyder |
| Visitor 1Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 3 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 10 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Home School: | University of Arkansas |
| Home Name Short: | Arkansas |
| Home Nickname: | Razorbacks |
| Home Record: | 7–5 |
| Home Conference: | SEC |
| Home Coach: | Bret Bielema |
| Home 1Q: | 14 |
| Home 2Q: | 10 |
| Home 3Q: | 7 |
| Home 4Q: | 14 |
| Odds: | Arkansas by 11½[1] |
| Mvp: | Alex Collins (RB, Arkansas) |
| Anthem: | Betty Cantrell |
| Referee: | Ron Snodgrass (Big Ten) |
| Halftime: | Craig Morgan |
| Attendance: | 61,136 |
| Payout: | TBD |
| Us Network: | ESPN/ESPN Radio |
| Us Announcers: | Anish Shroff, Ahmad Brooks, & Dawn Davenport (ESPN) Mark Neely, Jay Walker, & Kevin Weidl (ESPN Radio) |
| Different Previous: | 2014 |
| Different Next: | 2016 (Dec) |
The 2016 Liberty Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on January 2, 2016, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The 57th edition of the Liberty Bowl featured the Kansas State Wildcats of the Big 12 Conference against the Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southeastern Conference. It began at 2:20 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season. Sponsored by automobile parts and accessories store AutoZone, it was officially known as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.[2]
The game featured the Kansas State Wildcats against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
See main article: 2015 Kansas State Wildcats football team. After finishing their season 6–6, the Wildcats accepted their invitation to play in the game.[3]
This was the Wildcats' first Liberty Bowl.
See main article: 2015 Arkansas Razorbacks football team. After finishing their season 7–5, the Razorbacks accepted their invitation to play in the game.[4]
This was the Razorbacks' fifth Liberty Bowl, giving them the new record for most appearances in the game. The Razorbacks are now 2–3 all-time in the Liberty Bowl, losing the 1971 Liberty Bowl to Tennessee 14–13, then losing the 1984 Liberty Bowl to Auburn 21–15, losing the 1987 Liberty Bowl to Georgia 20–17, and finally winning the 2010 Liberty Bowl over East Carolina 20–17 in overtime.
Source:[5]
| Statistics | K-ST | ARK |
|---|---|---|
| First Downs | 13 | 30 |
| Total offense, plays - yards | 47–242 | 68–569 |
| Rushes-yards (net) | 22–79 | 42–254 |
| Passing yards (net) | 163 | 315 |
| Passes, Comp-Att-Int | 12–25–1 | 20–26–1 |
| Time of Possession | 22:30 | 37:30 |
Arkansas running back Alex Collins was named the game's MVP, after gaining 185 yards and 3 touchdowns on 23 carries.