College football game
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]
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]
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 .
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 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
^ "College Bowl Game Odds" . ESPN. December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016 . ^ @bluehoneymusic (December 13, 2016). "Y'all be sure to watch the Belk Bowl..." (Tweet ) – via Twitter . ^ Bowl payout ^ Bitter, Andy. "Virginia Tech will play in Belk Bowl against Arkansas" . Roanoke Times . BH Media Group. Retrieved December 4, 2016 . ^ "Jeremy Sprinkle - Arkansas Razorbacks roster" . arkansasrazorbacks.com . Retrieved December 29, 2016 . ^ Kordsmeier, Karella (December 29, 2016). "U of A suspends Jeremy Sprinkle, will not play in Belk Bowl" . nwahomepage.com . Retrieved December 29, 2016 . ^ Kersey, Jason (December 29, 2016). "Arkansas' Jeremy Sprinkle suspended after alleged shoplifting attempt" . seccountry.com . Retrieved December 29, 2016 .
Formerly known as the Continental Tire / Meineke Car Care / Belk Bowl
Pound sign (#) denotes national championship game.