Razorback Reflector: Remembering the last Arkansas Football bowl game

It may seem like it was forever ago that the Arkansas Football team played in a bowl game and well, that’s because it has been a while.

A lot has happened since the 2016 Belk Bowl between Arkansas and No.18 Virginia Tech. The Hogs are on their third head coach (Chad Morris, Barry Lunney, Jr. and now Sam Pittman) and have never won nine games in a season.

The Hogs are playing for a lot in this bowl game in 2022, but to truly appreciate it, let’s take a walk down memory lane from the last time we saw the Razorbacks in a bowl game.

The Arkansas Football team played No. 18 Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl

The Hogs opened up to a commanding 24-0 lead at halftime against the Hokies. The defense was playing great, the offense was flowing and the Hogs faced minimal resistance from the Justin Fuente-led team… for the first half of the game.

However, Fuente must have given a heck of a half-time speech because the Hokies came roaring back and pitched a shut-out of their own. They outscored the Hogs 35-0 in the second half, giving them the victory 35-24.

It signaled the beginning of the end for Arkansas Head Coach Bret Bielema. The following season, 2017, was his final stint as the head coach of the Hogs.

Wide receiver Keon Hatcher was the lone bright spot for the Razorbacks in this loss. He caught 6 passes for 105 yards and 1 touchdown.

QB Austin Allen finished with a line that was all too familiar for Razorback fans: 18-31 passes for 278 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He also rushed 11 times for negative 13 yards.

The Hogs had four turnovers and 12 penalties during the game. It was an embarrassment on all sorts of levels for Razorback fans.

Just remember how it felt after that bowl game and where the Razorbacks are at today. This program and this team is in great hands moving forward with Sam Pittman at the helm.