Belk Bowl: Preview, Predictions for Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech
After playing the College Football Playoff's second-ranked team Clemson to the brink, Virginia Tech has to rebound from the ACC Championship Game loss and play Arkansas in the Belk Bowl.
Considering where the experts thought the Hokies would be under first-year coach Justin Fuente, they'll probably be excited to put the icing on what has been a quality rebound season.
Thanks to JUCO transfer quarterback Jerod Evans perfectly fitting Fuente's scheme and a bunch of weapons around him, the 9-4 Hokies have transitioned from the Frank Beamer era nicely, and the program is no longer stagnant.
Now, the Hokies will prepare for a Razorbacks team that is 7-5 and trying to wash the frustrating finish from dropping two of the season's final three games against LSU and a stunner against Missouri.
Regardless of their mediocre record, the Hogs are a dangerous team, and while Tech has proven it can rise to the occasion in big games, consistency was an issue for it this year, too.
The only SEC opponent the Hokies faced all year was early in the season in a 45-24 setback to Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway. They'll try to finish the year with their 10th victory in Charlotte.
Here's everything you need to know about the Belk Bowl.
Date: Thursday, Dec. 29
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Place: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
TV: ESPN
Radio: Razorback Sports Network, Virginia Tech IMG Sports Network
Tale of the Tape
1 of 7The biggest discrepancy here appears to be Virginia Tech's offense versus Arkansas' defense. The Hogs have struggled stopping teams all year, and a few teams (such as Auburn) had career games on the ground.
While the Razorbacks offense has racked up their share of yards this season, they've had issues once they've gotten into the red zone, converting just 78 percent of those trips into points. That's 104th nationally, which could be bad news against a team that has forced 21 turnovers this season.
Austin Allen's mistakes are magnified in the Hogs' losses, and he'll go against a strong pass defense in this one.
Keys to Victory for Arkansas
2 of 7
Calling Dr. Jeckyll
Which Arkansas team will show up?
Will it be the one that was decimated in a 56-3 rout by Auburn and melted down in the season-ending loss to Missouri? Or will it be the team that handled Florida and looked, at times, like one of the best offensive teams in the SEC?
That's the biggest question. Under Bret Bielema, the Razorbacks have been inconsistent, but they've got plenty of talent. It's important they get up for this bowl game and enter the offseason with a reason for excitement.
There wasn't much of that following Bielema's postgame comments after the Mizzou loss, according to Razorbackers.com's Chris Jackson:
"Evaluating our staff? You mean am I going to be making any changes? No. Well, you always do a season review obviously before the bowl game. And obviously after the final game, which will be our bowl game, you always take self-inventory as a head coach. You always make evaluations and make decisions. You sit down and talk to your coaches ... I don’t plan on making any changes.
"
If the Hogs don't win their bowl, Bielema could sneak his way onto the hot seat. They need to bottle up whatever they had against Florida and take it with them to Charlotte.
1-2 Punch
Austin Allen has enjoyed a steady season at quarterback following in the footsteps of his brother, Brandon.
But, at times, the Hogs went too much to the pass in '16. Especially when you've got a pair of stud running backs like Rawleigh Williams III, who was third in the league with 1,326 rushing yards, and freshman Devwah Whaley.
If the Razorbacks are smart, they'll return to the roots of Bielema's offensive philosophy and pound, pound, pound the football.
If that happens, the Hogs can beat anybody they'll be matched up against in the bowl.
Keys to Victory for Virginia Tech
3 of 7
Run them in the ground
The Razorbacks were 10th in the SEC in rush defense this year, and that's only because of several awful league teams in that category this season. They allowed more than 209 yards on the ground per game, and were routinely shredded.
Virginia Tech was fifth in the ACC in rushing yards, and the Hokies had two players in the top 11. Star quarterback Evans solidified himself as one of the top dual-threat signal-callers in the country with 759 rushing yards and 10 scores, good enough for 10th in the league.
Sophomore running back Travon McMillian was right behind him with 637 rushing yards.
They were key components in the identity Fuente told the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Mike Szvetitz the Hokies have worked so hard to establish.
"There’s so many things that happen that are beyond your control, external factors that can occur, that can either accelerate the process or decelerate the process," Fuente said. "For me, it’s about establishing your identity and working towards that on a daily basis and getting to the end of the season and tallying up the wins and seeing how you did."
Though neither Evans nor McMillian averaged more than five yards per carry, both were effective in loosening up defenses enough to let Evans work some downfield magic with his arm. The Hokies need to continue to attack Arkansas on the ground because there will be holes to exploit.
Pitch a complete game
It's obvious Fuente's talent hasn't been all the way infused into this roster in his first season, and that has been evident.
But legendary defensive coordinator Bud Foster has been in place for a long time, and his unit needs to play a full game.
Against teams such as Georgia Tech and Clemson, the Hokies dug themselves holes too deep to crawl out of, despite noticeable in-game adjustments. In a loss to Tennessee, it self-destructed late in the game, though that was turnover-aided.
The Hokies must win this game against Arkansas in the film room, devising a way to stop a potentially high-powered offense that can get yards on the ground or through the air. Get a few early stops, and VT's offense can do the rest.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Players to Watch for Arkansas
4 of 7
Austin Allen
This was supposed to be a down year for Arkansas at quarterback, but the Razorbacks proved where there's an Allen, there's a way.
While few fans are pleased with a 7-5 final record, the younger Allen had a solid year. He threw for 3,152 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Though he struggled in the year-ending loss to Mizzou, he needs to hearken back to his form he had other than that game late in the year.
How Allen goes, the Hogs go this year. His poor performances against LSU and Mizzou led to losses. He hurt his knee in the embarrassment against Auburn. So, Arkansas needs him to perform well.
Especially because this could be a shootout against the Hokies.
Deatrich Wise Jr.
Some think the versatile, 6'5", 271-pound defensive lineman is the Razorbacks' top pro prospect, and even though his season was rife with injuries, he began to round into form late in the season.
Following his eight-sack performance a season ago, Wise looked strong in the team's biggest win of the year over Florida.
"Wise looked refreshed against Florida, however, making plays on the edge against the run and even sliding inside to defensive tackle to record two sacks and multiple pressures," CBSSports.com's Rob Rang wrote. "NFL coaches will be intrigued with his combination of initial quickness, long arms and power."
Arkansas needs him and Jeremiah Ledbetter to get in the backfield time after time.
Drew Morgan
Allen's biggest weapon is nowhere near the biggest player on the field. He's sixth in the league with 61 catches for 664 yards and three touchdowns.
Though he isn't a big-play guy, Morgan's a possession receiver who consistently helps sustain drives for the Razorbacks. The Hokies must know where he is at all times, or he'll keep those chains moving and put Williams and Whaley in position to rip off big runs.
Players to Watch for Virginia Tech
5 of 7
Jerod Evans
When it comes to the top quarterbacks in the nation, Evans must be included.
In his first year playing FBS football, he wound up being the ideal quarterback to run Fuente's spread offense. He had an outstanding season, finishing with 4,062 total yards and 37 total touchdowns, tossing the ball all over the field to emerging star receivers.
Evans made everybody around him and was the primary reason for the Hokies' resurgence that concluded in the ACC Championship Game and fell 23 yards shy of tying the game against Clemson.
"He's been here only a year, yet he’s emerged as Tech's unquestioned leader," Fredericksburg.com's Aaron McFarling wrote. "As he walked off the field, bitterly disappointed, he could take solace in the fact that he’s helped usher the Hokies back to national relevance. Neither he nor this program stayed down forever."
He's got another season to go in Blacksburg, too.
Bucky Hodges
Teaming with Isaiah Ford and Cam Phillips, the versatile Hodges helped transform VT's offense into one of the most elite in the ACC.
Is he a tight end? Is he a wide receiver?
He can line up anywhere, and that will serve the senior well on the next level. On the season, he finished with 640 receiving yards and seven scores. He can do a lot of things, and he's going to be a mismatch nightmare for the Hogs.
Woody Baron
The 6'2", 280-pound senior defensive tackle wasn't a heralded prospect coming out of suburban Nashville, Tennessee, but he has turned himself into a star for the Hokies.
He led an opportunistic defense with 17.5 tackles for a loss this year as well as tying for second with 4.5 sacks.
If Baron has a big game against the run, it'll be difficult for Arkansas to win the game. He also needs to disrupt the center of the line and get into the backfield to pressure Allen.
What They're Saying
6 of 7
The last time Fuente and Bielema met, TCU beat Wisconsin in the 2011 Rose Bowl when Fuente was the Horned Frogs' offensive coordinator.
Fuente told the Daily Press' David Teel he was proud of how the Hokies bought into his philosophy this season, and that showed in their disappointment following the loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game.
"I told them the reason that they hurt so bad is because they sold out for the cause,” Tech coach Justin Fuente said of his players. (deleted quotation mark)They poured their heart and soul into winning the game and believed they were going to do that. … There's nothing I could tell them to make them feel better because they did do that. … I'm proud of the way they competed. I'm proud of the way we handled the ups and downs of the game, the emotion. And we have come a million miles since where we started.
"
The season-ending loss to Missouri was disappointing, but Bielema told SEC Country's Trent Shadid his team does have one more opportunity to make up for the frustrating finish:
"Fortunately for us, we have an opportunity to rebound and play in a bowl game. Obviously we’ll have to own this one first and get a lot of good work with our young guys and guys that are returning. But we have to learn from this day moving forward. There’s no doubt in my mind our guys will own it, embrace it and make the best of a bad situation.
"
Why should Arkansas fans fear Evans? The Fayetteville Flyer's Terry J. Wood has your answer: "We’ve all seen the Razorbacks abused enough by mobile quarterbacks, operating out of the spread. It would be nice to avoid that in the bowl game."
Prediction
7 of 7
The Hokies looked like a team that can do some damage in the ACC Championship Game, and that was no surprise.
This team has totally bought into Fuente's scheme, and the first-year Hokies coach turned around his program at Memphis in a short amount of time following a successful tenure at TCU. He's proving to be one of the best young coaches in all of college football.
He also has one of the most exciting players in Evans and a slew of wide receivers that can do damage against any team they play. Ford, Phillips and Hodges are going to be a handful, and the Razorbacks haven't shown yet they've got enough dynamic difference-makers on defense to stop all those guys.
Toss in steady sophomore running back McMillian, and that's a lot of players with whom Arkansas must contend.
Arkansas has the potential to step out and dominate teams with the offensive playmakers it has, too, but the defense has issues that have lingered all season. Because of Evans and all of those Hokies players on that side of the ball, it's hard not to see a lot of points being scored.
If Tech can make a couple of big plays on defense, it could be a long afternoon for the Razorbacks.
Bielema is too good of a coach to allow his team to lay down. He'll have a scheme drawn up, and the Hogs will make it close. But Virginia Tech has too many offensive weapons to lose.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 38, Arkansas 33
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
