2016 Belk Bowl

2016 Belk Bowl
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
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
National anthem	Blue Honey
Referee	Brandon Cruse (Big 12)
Attendance	46,902
Payout	US$1,700,000
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 >

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]

Teams

Arkansas

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

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

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	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

^ "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.

[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.

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v t e 2016–17 NCAA football bowl game season
New Mexico (Dec. 17) Las Vegas (Dec. 17) Camellia (Dec. 17) Cure (Dec. 17) New Orleans (Dec. 17) Miami Beach (Dec. 19) Boca Raton (Dec. 20) Poinsettia (Dec. 21) Famous Idaho Potato (Dec. 22) Armed Forces (Dec. 23) Bahamas (Dec. 23) Dollar General (Dec. 23) Hawaii (Dec. 24) Quick Lane (Dec. 26) St. Petersburg (Dec. 26) Independence (Dec. 26) Heart of Dallas (Dec. 27) Military (Dec. 27) Cactus (Dec. 27) Holiday (Dec. 27) Russell Athletic (Dec. 28) Pinstripe (Dec. 28) Texas (Dec. 28) Foster Farms (Dec. 28) Alamo (Dec. 29) Birmingham (Dec. 29) Belk (Dec. 29) Orange (Dec. 30) Liberty (Dec. 30) Arizona (Dec. 30) Music City (Dec. 30) Sun (Dec. 30) TaxSlayer (Dec. 31) Citrus (Dec. 31) Outback (Jan. 2) Rose (Jan. 2) Sugar (Jan. 2) Cotton (Jan. 2)
College Football Playoff games: Peach (semifinal) (Dec. 31) Fiesta (semifinal) (Dec. 31) National Championship Game (Jan. 9)
All-Star Games: East–West Shrine Game (Jan. 21) NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (Jan. 21) Senior Bowl (Jan. 28)

v t e Duke's Mayo Bowl
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