East Carolina To Face Arkansas In Liberty Bowl
December 06, 2009 | Football
Dec. 6, 2009
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - East Carolina will play Arkansas in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. (ET). The game will be televised by ESPN.
East Carolina (9-4) will be making its fourth appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The Pirates earned their spot in the game after defeating No. 18 Houston 38-32 Saturday and winning their second consecutive Conference USA championship. ECU played in the 1994 (vs. Illinois), 1995 (Stanford) and 2009 (Kentucky) AutoZone Liberty Bowl games, and earned a victory over the Cardinal in the '95 contest.
"While one of our goals each year is to represent Conference USA in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl as a champion, having the chance to return to Memphis after our experience a year ago makes this trip even more special," ECU Head Coach Skip Holtz said. "We're looking forward to the challenge of playing Arkansas, a program with a great tradition and history out of a conference which certainly speaks for itself. I know all of us are excited to be in this position again with another opportunity to perhaps accomplish something distinctive for this senior class."
This will also be Arkansas' (7-5) fourth trip to the bowl after facing Tennessee in 1971, Auburn in 1984 and Georgia in 1987.
"We are very excited to be going to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl," said Arkansas Head Coach Bobby Petrino. "I've been able to coach in it and had a great experience. Our players and coaching staff will have a great experience, but also our fans will have a tremendous experience. We're looking forward to everyone coming down and filling up the stadium. I'm excited about the preparation for the game and our team learning how to prepare for a big bowl game. We've got a tremendous amount of respect for East Carolina and we are looking forward to the challenge."
Although the Pirates and Razorbacks have never faced off on the gridiron, East Carolina will try to make it two wins in its last three matchup against Southeastern Conference members after handing South Carolina a 21-3 setback in 1999 (before following with a 25-19 loss against Kentucky in last year's bowl).
"We have a great history with both of these teams," Steve Ehrhart, Executive Director of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, said. "East Carolina comes in with a lot of momentum after winning the C-USA title. The Razorbacks feature one of the nation's most exciting quarterbacks in Ryan Mallett. It's a great match-up and we're looking forward to a thrilling game."
ECU will have ticket, travel, and other ancillary information available on Monday, December 7th. All seating will be assigned using the Pirate Club priority point system. When ordering online Pirate Club members must login first and then place the order. Tickets will be available through the Athletic Ticket Office and by phone at 1-800-DIAL-ECU. Office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Orders may also be placed online through the Online Ticket Center.
