WVU, Tennessee look forward to Liberty Bowl matchup

West Virginia football coaches and players learned Sunday they would be playing Tennessee in the 62nd annual Liberty Bowl at 4 p.m. Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tenn.

It will be the Mountaineers’ third appearance in the Liberty Bowl. They lost 32-6 to Utah in 1964 and 45-37 to Texas A&M in 2014.

Tennessee is making it’s fourth appearance in the Liberty Bowl, winning in 1971 (Arkansas), 1974 (Maryland) and 1986 (Minnesota).

West Virginia (5-4) and Tennessee (3-7) have met just once in the programs’ history. WVU defeated the Volunteers, 41-14, in 2018.

Here’s what the Liberty Bowl officials, coaches and athletic directors for each school had to say:

Steve Ehrhart, Executive Director of the Liberty Bowl:

“We’re very familiar with both West Virginia and Tennessee. After more than three decades, we’re looking forward to hosting the Tennessee Volunteers and their great fans once again. We’re proud to have West Virginia’s Neal Brown coach his first bowl game with the Mountaineers in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. We have a history of head coaches making their bowl debuts in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, including Gary Patterson at TCU in 2002, Urban Myer at Utah in 2003 and Kirby Smart at Georgia in 2016.

“The AutoZone Liberty Bowl will have a limited number of fans in attendance. We want to assure all fans, both our local supporters and the fans who will travel with the Mountaineers and Volunteers to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, we will be following all the health and safety protocols.”

Neal Brown, West Virginia coach:

“I am excited for our program, especially for our seniors. We have handled the adversity of this season well, and we are looking forward to playing in this bowl game. The AutoZone Liberty Bowl and the city of Memphis have a long and storied tradition of hosting postseason games, and this gives our fans a chance to travel on New Year’s Eve to a bowl destination in a city with great hospitality.”

Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee coach:

“We look forward to the opportunity of playing a bowl game in our home state. Since we returned to campus this summer, I am proud of our team in how they have navigated through the challenges presented during this unique season. They get another chance to take the field against a very good opponent in West Virginia. We know Memphis is a special place for Vol fans, and we look forward to seeing them on New Year’s Eve.”

Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee Director of Athletics:

“I’m thrilled about our football program’s opportunity to compete in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against a great opponent like West Virginia. It’s an opportunity to connect with our many fans throughout West Tennessee and expand upon the rich historical links between the Memphis area and UT. We have so much Tennessee family in and around Memphis —especially our medical school and fantastic alumni. We all know Memphis loves the Tennessee Vols, and it’s an important stronghold for all of our athletic and academic programs.”

Shane Lyons, West Virginia Director of Athletics:

“I think the AutoZone Liberty Bowl will provide a great matchup for the college football bowl season, and we have a big challenge ahead of us in playing a tradition-rich SEC program in Tennessee. I am really happy for our seniors and our entire program to be able to play one more game. We showed great improvement this year and we are excited about our future.”