FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas essentially played in a home game when it beat Kansas State last season in the Liberty Bowl.
The Razorbacks likely will be playing in a hostile environment this time around.
Arkansas is scheduled to play Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 29 in Charlotte, N.C. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. and will be shown on ESPN.
Virginia Tech Schedule (9-4)
Liberty - W 36-13
^Tennessee - L 45-24
Boston College - W 49-0
East Carolina - W 54-17
at North Carolina - W 34-3
at Syracuse - L 31-17
Miami - W 37-16
at Pittsburgh - W 39-36
at Duke - W 24-21
Georgia Tech - L 30-20
at Notre Dame - W 34-31
Virginia - W 52-10
*Clemson - L 42-35
^-Game played in Bristol, Tenn.
*-ACC Championship Game in Orlando, Fla.
Charlotte is a more than 900-mile drive from Arkansas' campus in Fayetteville, as opposed to less than 175 miles from Virginia Tech's campus in Blacksburg, Va. The Hokies are expected to sell several-thousand tickets to the game at the 75,412-seat Bank of America Stadium.
Virginia Tech fans accounted for about half of the more than 156,000 in attendance for a first of its kind game against Tennessee earlier this year at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Virginia Tech first-year coach Justin Fuente has improved the Hokies' win total by two over last season.
Here are five things to watch in this year's Belk Bowl:
Improved Pass Game: Fuente has developed a reputation as a quarterback guru, working with future NFL starters Andy Dalton at TCU and Paxton Lynch at Memphis. Fuente has had similar success in his first year with the Hokies as junior college transfer Jerod Evans has transformed into one of the nation's best passers. Evans (6-3, 238 pounds) ranks among the NCAA top 20 in multiple statistical categories this season after passing for 3,309 yards, 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Evans has college football's 16th-highest passer efficiency rating this season.
Strong Defense: Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster has long been considered one of the nation's best assistant coaches, evidenced by his Broyles Award win in 2006. Fuente retained Foster from Frank Beamer's staff and the Hokies' defense has remained strong. Virginia Tech ranks 19th nationally in total defense (342.8 yards per game) and 13th in pass defense efficiency. The Hokies are also ninth nationally in tackles for loss (7.9 per game), led by Woody Baron who averages 1.3 per game.
Good Kicking Game: Virginia Tech's Joey Slye is one of the nation's most accurate kickers. The junior has made 20 of 26 field goal attempts and 53 of 54 extra-point attempts this season. After making 13 of 19 kicks of 40 yards or longer last season, Slye has struggled with long kicks this year, connecting on just 1 of 6 attempts from 40 yards or more. Slye has 68 touchbacks on 87 kickoffs this year.
Turnover Prone: Only 14 teams in college football have more turnovers this season than the Hokies. Virginia Tech committed 24 turnovers - 17 lost fumbles and seven interceptions - in 13 games.
Bowl Tradition: Virginia Tech is playing in a bowl game for the 24th consecutive season, which is the second-longest streak in college football behind Florida State (35). The Hokies are 11-12 in the postseason during that span, including 2-3 vs. SEC teams.