Inside the Belk Bowl: Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech
Belk Bowl facts
Teams: No. 18 Virginia Tech (9-4) vs. Arkansas (7-5)
When: Thursday, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Bank of America Stadium
TV: ESPN
Tickets: More than 40,000 have been sold. Tickets available at www.ticketmaster.com.
What to watch
▪ Arkansas’ defense needs to deal with Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans, who is as dangerous a runner as he is a passer. Evans (6-foot-3, 238 pounds) has accounted for more than 4,000 yards in total offense.
▪ The Razorbacks like to control the ball – leading the SEC in time of of possesion per game at 35 minutes, one second). They’ve got a running back in Rawleigh Williams who helps them stay on the field.
▪ Arkansas might not be ranked, but the Razorbacks have been successful against Top 25 teams this season, already beating Texas Christian, Mississippi and Florida.
[ College football scores | Polls | Odds ]
5 to watch
▪ Isaiah Ford, senior, receiver, Virginia Tech: Ford has Hokies career records for catches (204), receiving yards (2,911) and touchdown catches (24). He needs three receptions to break his school record of 75 catches in a season.
▪ Rawleigh Williams, sophomore, running back, Arkansas: Williams led the SEC in the regular season with 1,326 yards rushing, including seven 100-yard plus games.
▪ Joey Slye, junior, kicker, Virginia Tech: His 62 career field goals are six shy of Virginia Tech’s career record, set by Shayne Graham (a former Carolina Panthers kicker).
▪ Austin Allen, junior, quarterback, Arkansas: Has 18 red-zone touchdown passes this season, tops in the SEC. His 23 touchdown passes tie for second in the league.
▪ Jerod Evans, junior, quarterback, Virginia Tech: Junior-college transfer has thrown for 3,303 yards and 27 touchdowns. Also leads the team in rushing (759 yards).
By the numbers
3: Consecutive bowl games won by Arkansas
25.0: Average points differential in Arkansas’ five losses
24: Consecutive seasons in a bowl for Virginia Tech
8-1: Virginia Tech’s record when scoring 30-plus points
28.4: Virginia Tech opponents’ third-down conversion percentage, best in ACC.
David Scott
This story was originally published December 28, 2016 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Inside the Belk Bowl: Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech."