58th Annual Bowl Game features teams from Texas and Georgia
The next incarnation of the Liberty Bowl will feature the Georgia Bulldogs (7-5, 4-4 SEC) against the TCU Horned Frogs (6-6, 4-5 Big 12) on December 30th at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.
For the Horned Frogs, this marks the 13 bowl appearance in 16 seasons that Head Coach Gary Patterson has coached the team. For the Bulldogs, this is the first season for Head Coach Kirby Smart who led his team to a 7-5 overall record and their 50th bowl appearance.
“Being his first year, probably just some growing pains,” TCU head coach Gary Patterson said of Kirby Smart and Georgia. “For us, it used to be 6-6 might’ve been exciting but we believe in winning championships, just like the University of Georgia does. That’s what Kirby’s trying to get to now, that’s why the University of Georgia brought him back.”
Georgia’s Coach Smart knows that TCU has been a program on the rise of late but went through some growing pains this season.
“The opportunity to play an outstanding team in TCU is an exciting challenge for our coaches and players,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said in a statement. “This will be my first trip to the game as a player or coach but the Liberty Bowl has a long history of providing a quality bowl experience that I’m sure our players and fans will enjoy. We will face a quality Big 12 opponent in TCU and I’m sure Coach (Gary) Patterson will have them at their best on December 30. We are anxious to begin practice and preparations for the trip to Memphis.”