This year’s Belk Bowl between Virginia Tech and Arkansas looked as if, in the beginning, it wasn’t going to be a good game whatsoever. Arkansas came out in the first half and completely sliced through Virginia Tech’s defense, scoring 24 unanswered points and putting up 258 yards to go to the locker room with a commanding lead. It appeared that the game was long over in the first half.
Virginia Tech pulls off 24-point comeback and beats Arkansas in 2016 Belk Bowl
What a game.
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
But in the second, Virginia Tech’s offense came alive, and the Hokies managed to score 35 unanswered points. Arkansas had a chance to get something going on offense with less than eight minutes left. But a Hokie interception off Arkansas’ Austin Allen deep in Razorback territory set up an easy one-yard touchdown for the Hokies to secure a 35-24.
The Hokies pulled within ten on this beautiful one-handed touchdown grab from fullback Sam Rogers.
That score came after Virginia Tech’s defense picked off Arkansas’ Austin Allen, who ended up having three interceptions on the night.
On the Hokies’ next drive, they went 75 yards on ten plays to score a touchdown, taking a perviously thought to be impossible 28-24 lead in the fourth.
The 24-point deficit the Hokies came back from is undoubtedly impressive, and it ranks pretty close to the bowl history records. The two highest comebacks in bowl games were by 31 points, in last year’s Alamo Bowl by TCU over Oregon, and Texas Tech over Minnesota in the 2006 Insight Bowl.
For Virginia Tech, this has been quite the impressive year for first-year head coach Justin Fuente. The Hokies won the Coastal division, and hung incredibly tough with Clemson in the ACC Championship game. Hokies fans can rest easy after Fuente’s first season.
Arkansas’ 2016 season was less than ideal, going 7-5 on the year along with losses in three of its last five games to Auburn, LSU, and Missouri. The Missouri loss was eerily similar to how this Belk Bowl went down. In Arkansas’ final game of the season, the Hogs led 24-7 at halftime, but in the second half Mizzou scored 21 unanswered points to win 28-24.
The Golden State Warriors blew a 3-1 lead. Never forget Arkansas blew a 24-0 Belk Bowl lead.
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