Postseason college football bowl game
Annual NCAA football game
The 2019 Belk Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2019, with kickoff at 12:00 p.m. EST on ESPN .[6] It was the 18th edition of the Belk Bowl , and was one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season . The game was sponsored by department store chain Belk .
Teams [ ]
The game was played between the Virginia Tech Hokies from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Kentucky Wildcats from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). This was the 20th meeting between the programs; Kentucky entered the game leading the all-time series, 11–6–2.[7]
Virginia Tech Hokies [ ]
Virginia Tech entered the bowl with an 8–4 record (5–3 in conference). They finished second in the ACC's Coastal Division. The Hokies were 1–1 against ranked FBS teams, defeating Wake Forest and losing to Notre Dame . This was Virginia Tech's second Belk Bowl; their 2016 team won that season's Belk Bowl over Arkansas , 35–24.
Kentucky Wildcats [ ]
Kentucky entered the bowl with a 7–5 record (3–5 in conference). They finished in the three-way tie for fourth place in the SEC's East Division. The Wildcats lost to both ranked FBS teams that they played, Florida and Georgia . This was Kentucky's first appearance in the Belk Bowl.
Game summary [ ]
Game information
First Quarter
(11:15) VT – Brian Johnson 54 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 39 yards, 3:45; Virginia Tech 3–0 )
(4:20) UK – Lynn Bowden 25 yard rush, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:55; Kentucky 7–3 )
(2:04) VT – Hendon Hooker 18 yard pass to Damon Hazelton, Brian Johnson kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:16; Virginia Tech 10–7 )
Second Quarter
(10:20) VT – Hendon Hooker 6 yard pass to Dalton Keene, Brian Johnson kick (Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 4:40; Virginia Tech 17–7 )
(0:53) UK – Christopher Rodruiguez Jr. 2 yard rush, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 4:09; Virginia Tech 17–14 )
Third Quarter
(11:29) UK – Matt Ruffolo 40 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 43 yards, 3:31; Tied 17–17 )
(9:57) VT – Deshawn McClease 43 yard rush, Brian Johnson kick (Drive: 4 plays, 76 yards, 1:26; Virginia Tech 24–17 )
(7:57) UK – Lynn Bowden 61 yard rush, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:00; Tied 24–24 )
(3:13) VT – Brian Johnson 40 yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 53 yards, 4:44; Virginia Tech 27–24 )
Fourth Quarter
(12:47) VT – Brian Johnson 27 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 2:46; Virginia Tech 30–24 )
(0:15) UK – Lynn Bowden 13 yard pass to Josh Ali, Matt Ruffolo kick (Drive: 18 plays, 85 yards, 8:10; Kentucky 31–30 )
(0:00) UK – Jordan Wright 28 yard fumble return (Kentucky 37–30 )
Statistics [ ]
Statistics
VT
UK
First downs
20
22
Plays–yards
55–329
68–404
Rushes–yards
33–219
55–331
Passing yards
110
73
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
12–22–0
6–13–1
Time of possession
24:14
35:46
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Virginia Tech
Passing
Hendon Hooker
12/22, 110 yards, 2 TD
Rushing
Deshawn McClease
11 carries, 126 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
James Mitchell
3 receptions, 36 yards
Kentucky
Passing
Lynn Bowden
6/12, 73 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Lynn Bowden
34 carries, 233 yards, 2 TD
Receiving
Josh Ali
4 receptions, 52 yards, 1 TD
References [ ]
^ Jeff Drummond [@JDrumUK] (December 31, 2019). "Cats presented with Belk Bowl trophy as MVP Lynn Bowden holds his son alongside Mark Stoops. #BBN" (Tweet) – via Twitter .
^ "Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky - Game Summary" . ESPN.com . Retrieved December 31, 2019 .
^ "2019-20 bowl officiating assignments" . footballzebras.com . December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019 .
^ Nick Carboni [@NickCarboniWCNC] (December 31, 2019). "44,138 is @belkbowl attendance" (Tweet) – via Twitter .
^ "2019 Bowl Schedule" . collegefootballpoll.com . Retrieved December 13, 2019 .
^ "2019-20 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, times, TV channels" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved June 19, 2019 .
^ "Kentucky Wildcats vs. Virginia Tech Hokies football series history" . winsipedia.com . Retrieved December 8, 2019 .
External links [ ]
Pound sign (#) denotes national championship game.