2016 Belk Bowl

The 2016 Belk Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game played on December 29, 2016. The game featured the Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southeastern Conference and the Virginia Tech Hokies of the Atlantic Coast Conference. It was the first appearance in the Belk Bowl for both teams.^[4]

2016 Belk Bowl
15th Belk Bowl
Opening kickoff at the 2016 Belk Bowl
Arkansas Razorbacks Virginia Tech Hokies (7–5) (9–4) SEC ACC 24 35 Head coach:  Bret Bielema Head coach:  Justin Fuente AP Coaches CFP 18 19 22
1 2 3 4 Total Arkansas 17 7 0 0 24 Virginia Tech 0 0 21 14 35
Date	December 29, 2016
Season	2016
Stadium	Bank of America Stadium
Location	Charlotte, North Carolina
MVP	Cam Phillips (Virginia Tech)
Favorite	Virginia Tech by 7[1]
National anthem	Blue Honey [2]
Referee	Brandon Cruse (Big 12)
Attendance	46,902
Payout	US$1,700,000[3]
United States TV coverage
Network	ESPN
Announcers	TV: Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Dr. Jerry Punch Radio: Taylor Zarzour, Charles Arbuckle, Dari Nowkhah
Belk Bowl  < 2015  2017 >

Teams

Arkansas

Main articles: 2016 Arkansas Razorbacks football team and 2016 Southeastern Conference football season

Prior to kickoff, Arkansas announced that senior tight end, Jeremy Sprinkle would be suspended for the bowl game.^[5] Sprinkle had been arrested for shoplifting earlier in the week.^[6] On Tuesday, all players from both teams received a $450 gift card to purchase merchandise from a Belk store within a 90 minute timeframe. Sprinkle allegedly took more than he was allowed and was suspended by the Arkansas athletic department.^[7]

Virginia Tech

Main articles: 2016 Virginia Tech Hokies football team and 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference football season

With its 2016 Belk Bowl appearance, the Virginia Tech football team extended its bowl streak to 24 consecutive games. The streak is the longest active bowl streak recognized by the NCAA.

Game summary

Scoring summary

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ARK VT 1 13:23 4 6 1:24 ARK 38-yard field goal by Cole Hedlund 3 0 1 2:22 9 90 4:32 ARK Austin Allen 1-yard touchdown run, Cole Hedlund kick good 10 0 1 0:21 2 30 0:40 ARK Cheyenne O'Grady 28-yard touchdown reception from Austin Allen, Cole Hedlund kick good 17 0 2 10:05 6 54 3:36 ARK Keon Hatcher 12-yard touchdown reception from Austin Allen, Cole Hedlund kick good 24 0 3 13:27 3 30 0:40 VT Jerod Evans 4-yard touchdown run, Joey Slye kick good 24 7 3 4:18 5 44 2:10 VT Sam Rogers 3-yard touchdown reception from Jerod Evans, Joey Slye kick good 24 14 3 4:00 1 5 0:05 VT Chris Cunningham 5-yard touchdown reception from Jerod Evans, Joey Slye kick good 24 21 4 12:03 10 76 3:07 VT Travon McMillian 6-yard touchdown run, Joey Slye kick good 24 28 4 6:41 2 8 0:16 VT Jerod Evans 1-yard touchdown run, Joey Slye kick good 24 35 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 35

Statistics

Statistics	ARK	VT
First Downs	14	25
Plays-yards	65-314	78-402
Third down efficiency	2-14	7-14
Rushes-yards	34-36	44-159
Passing yards	278	243
Passing, Comp-Att-Int	18-31-3	21-34-2
Time of Possession	31:14	28:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
ARK	Passing	Austin Allen	18/31, 278 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Rawleigh Williams III	12 car, 34 yds
	Receiving	Keon Hatcher	6 rec, 105 yds
VT	Passing	Jerod Evans	21/33, 243 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jerod Evans	22 car, 87 yds, 2 TD
	Receiving	Cam Phillips	6 rec, 115 yds

References

1. "College Bowl Game Odds". ESPN. December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
2. @bluehoneymusic (December 13, 2016). "Y'all be sure to watch the Belk Bowl..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
3. Bowl payout
4. Bitter, Andy. "Virginia Tech will play in Belk Bowl against Arkansas". Roanoke Times. BH Media Group. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
5. "Jeremy Sprinkle - Arkansas Razorbacks roster". arkansasrazorbacks.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
6. Kordsmeier, Karella (December 29, 2016). "U of A suspends Jeremy Sprinkle, will not play in Belk Bowl". nwahomepage.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
7. Kersey, Jason (December 29, 2016). "Arkansas' Jeremy Sprinkle suspended after alleged shoplifting attempt". seccountry.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.