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.
Teams Arkansas
Prior to kickoff, Arkansas announced that senior tight end, Jeremy Sprinkle would be suspended for the bowl game. Sprinkle had been arrested for shoplifting earlier in the week. 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.
Virginia Tech 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
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 StatisticsARK 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 ydsVT 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