Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech: Score and Reaction for 2016 Belk Bowl

As they did frequently this season, the Virginia Tech Hokies rode a wave of momentum in the second half to erase a 24-point deficit and defeat the Arkansas Razorbacks 35-24 in the 2016 Belk Bowl on Thursday.

The Razorbacks appeared as though they were going to put the game on cruise control with a dominant first half, carrying a 24-0 lead into halftime. Virginia Tech looked out of sorts at the start, which Arkansas was happy to take advantage of with touchdowns on three consecutive drives.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen joined an elite group in school history with his second touchdown pass of the day:

Overall, Allen finished 18-of-31 for 278 yards through the air with two touchdowns and three interceptions. It seemed as though this would be an excellent rebound game for the junior after he ended the regular season with two interceptions in a 28-24 loss to Missouri.

Beyond the stat line, Allen earned praise for the way he was picking apart Virginia Tech's defense, per Clint Stoerner of the SEC Network:

Allen showed flashes of brilliance throughout the season, even throwing for 400 yards against Alabama's defense, but was often plagued by mistakes.

Thursday was a microcosm of Allen's year, as his brilliant moments in the first half gave way to sloppy play in the second. He was picked off on Arkansas' second drive of the third quarter on an awful pass into double coverage.

Virginia Tech was its own worst enemy in the first half. Quarterback Jerod Evans was awful, going 9-of-17 for 114 yards with one interception and a lost fumble on the first play from scrimmage. He finished with 243 yards passing and four total touchdowns.

Things weren't much better for the Hokies on the ground, where they had just 31 yards in the first 25 minutes before Evans ripped off a 33-yard scamper on a drive that ultimately ended in a punt.

The tide turned in Virginia Tech's favor in a hurry after the intermission. Arkansas' opening possession of the second half ended after three plays when Drew Morgan fumbled the ball, leading to Evans' four-yard score three plays later.

THV11 in Little Rock, Arkansas, reacted to the sequence that led to Virginia Tech's first score:

It was a fair response, because Arkansas had a knack for blowing leads in the second half this season, notably giving up 21 unanswered points against Missouri.

Following an Allen interception, the Hokies cut their deficit to 24-14 when Evans hit Sam Rogers for a three-yard score with just over four minutes left in the third quarter.

David Teel of the Daily Press noted the difference in quarterback play during the third quarter:

Arkansas' downward spiral continued on its next snap, when Allen's pass bounced off the hands of Austin Cantrell and into the waiting arms of Tremaine Edmunds to give Virginia Tech possession on the Razorbacks' 5-yard line.

The Hokies scored their second touchdown in 18 seconds on Chris Cunningham's five-yard catch on the first play after the turnover.

Per Saturday Down South, Arkansas' miserable second-half point differential was taking a beating:

Things slowed down, at least compared to the frenetic pace the game was moving at, late in the third quarter. Arkansas was able to keep its defense off the field for almost four minutes, despite gaining a total of 10 yards on six plays before punting the ball away.

Virginia Tech then put together its best drive of the day, marching 76 yards in 10 plays, which Travon McMillian capped off with a six-yard touchdown that helped give the Hokies a 28-24 lead three minutes into the fourth quarter.

Mike Griffith of SEC Country felt Hokies head coach Justin Fuente was doing something right:

Arkansas' defense finally settled down to give Allen and the offense a chance to get something going, forcing a punt after the Hokies had scored on their previous three possessions.

Unfortunately, the Razorbacks found a new level below rock-bottom when Allen was called for an intentional-grounding penalty on first down at his own 17-yard line and was picked off by Edmunds three plays later.

Virginia Tech put the nail in Arkansas' coffin with Evans' second rushing touchdown, which helped the Hokies take a 35-24 lead with less than seven minutes to play.

Reddit College Football seemed to think the Razorbacks went to sleep in the second half:

At some point, Arkansas had to throw its hands up at the sight of what was happening. Virginia Tech scored five touchdowns off four turnovers in the second half, with three of those scores coming on drives that covered 30 yards or fewer.

Clay Travis of Outkick the Coverage believes the Razorbacks have a big decision to make regarding head coach Bret Bielema:

Bielema hasn't provided a huge spark for the program in his four years at Arkansas, with last year's eight wins being his single-season high. It's one thing to be mediocre in the SEC, but to lose the way the Razorbacks have at various points in 2016 doesn't speak well of the head coach.

Yet that doesn't take away from what Virginia Tech accomplished in making the comeback. The team looked lost at sea with no hope of rescue in the first half, only to come out of the locker room for the second half in a yacht that would make Jordan Belfort jealous.

Fuente won 10 games in his first season with Virginia Tech and led the team to the ACC title game. Even though the Hokies came up short that night against Clemson, they are set up nicely for big things in 2017.

Postgame Reaction

Bielema was unable to pinpoint one thing that went wrong for his team in the second half. 

“I’ve never seen the tide turn so quickly in all three phases — offense, defense and special teams," he said, per Trent Shadid of SECCountry.com. ... "“I’m very disappointed. It’s not OK to accept this.”

On the flip side, per Andy Bitter of the Roanoke Times, Fuente noted his "kids didn't panic."

As for Virginia Tech's historic comeback, per Bitter, Fuente said it was "a tremendous honor. I'd prefer not to do it that way," and also shared some of his thoughts as the Hokies' deficit kept growing in the first half. 

"When it was 17, I said we've been here before," Fuente said, per Bitter. "When it was 24, it was uncharted territory."