Which Razorback will be the team’s star in the Liberty Bowl game? Will it be someone who got regular playing time during the season, or will one of the Hogs be pushed into the starting lineup because the roster has shrunk for this game?

Bowl games have always provided a big stage for a relatively unknown player to make headlines with a surprising and sensational performance. This will happen even more so if the transfer portal takes some players out of action and sits out others ahead of the NFL Draft to avoid injuries.

One of the greatest single games in Arkansas bowl history – probably the greatest – belongs to one of these reserves. Roland Sales became the starter due to suspensions and set an Orange Bowl record with 23 carries for two touchdowns and 205 yards.

Sales’ 205-yard burst was just 25 yards shy of the total of Oklahoma’s vaunted wishbone attack, which paced the nation. Sales was also the game’s leading receiver with 58 yards on four catches.

By the way, the Hogs beat the Sooners 31-6. That cost Oklahoma the national championship. Arkansas finished third in the final rankings.

So who will step up for Arkansas against Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl? The oddsmakers believe the Hogs will be a high-scoring favorite. Kickoff is Friday at 6 p.m. at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis.

The logical choice for breakout hog could be receiver Isaac TeSlaa, who is now quarterback Taylen Green’s main target. Or it could be running back Rodney Hill, who is in the starting lineup after seeing limited action this season.

However, here is my choice. Admittedly, if Hill goes wild, my choice could only play a supporting role. But my guess, a gut feeling, is that Braylen Russell will be the breakout guy against the Red Raiders.

Yes, many of you feel a loss of trust when it comes to Russell. His dancing back and forth and then back and forth again in front of the transfer portal likely reminded many of an on-again, off-again relationship from the past. The bottom line, though, is that Russell is a Razorback.

He will likely get the opportunity to showcase the talent he showed at times during the season. As a true freshman, he played in nine games but only managed 47 balls for 304 yards. I’ll do the math for you: That’s an impressive 6.5 yards per carry.

Coming out of Benton High School, the 6-foot-1, 253-pounder was rated the No. 16 running back nationally by ESPN and the No. 3 overall prospect in Arkansas. He has quick feet, is agile enough to miss linebackers, has the strength to run over safeties and is quick to rush 75 yards like he did against Mississippi State.

In that October 26 game at Mississippi State, he ran for 175 yards (10.9 average) in the Hogs’ 58-25 victory. He became the first Arkansas freshman to rush for 175 or more yards since Darren McFadden rushed for 187 yards against South Carolina on November 5, 2005.

That’s the kind of talent Russell possesses. Will he be as good as McFadden, who was a two-time runner-up for the Heisman Trophy? Certainly not.

Can he be the surprise of the postseason like Sales? Well, he has to come off the bench to have a chance. If that happens, watch out for Russell’s second game-changing performance. It could lead to a great Razorback career.

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