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Belk Bowl: Key Matchups For #22 Virginia Tech Against Arkansas

Belkbowl
[caption id="attachment_4305" align="aligncenter" width="700"]Virginia Tech will face Arkansas in the Belk Bowl [Credit: Evan Morrison] Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas in the Belk Bowl [Credit: Evan Morrison][/caption]With Christmas having come and gone, the Virginia Tech Hokies and Arkansas Razorbacks are in Charlotte making their final preparations for the Belk Bowl in the midst of plenty of a different-than-normal week filled with practices at high schools and unique team events put on by the Belk Bowl organizers. Both of these teams are looking to finish this season on a positive note with Virginia Tech having the chance to get to 10 wins and a top 15 ranking while the Razorbacks might be able to finish in the top 25 with a win. Virginia Tech will undoubtedly have a significant home-field advantage given the location of this game, but that won't change the importance of these matchups and the impact they could have on this game. With that said, here are our key matchups for the 22nd-ranked Hokies against Arkansas.

WR Cam Phillips vs. CB Henre' Toliver

Over the latter half of the season, Cam Phillips emerged as the top target after Isaiah Ford with Phillips having at least 6 catches in 6 of the Hokies' final 7 games including 12 catches against Clemson. Phillips has taken advantage of a lot of great matchups against linebackers while also giving nickel cornerbacks plenty of trouble working out of the slot as he has been able to use his speed and quick feet to create some space. However, Phillips will face one of his toughest matchups of the season in the slot against Henre' Toliver who has played consistently in the slot and been productive with 2 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, and 43 tackles this season. Toliver has done well in that role, but will face probably the toughest challenge he has faced in the slot all season against Phillips in this matchup. There is no doubt that Bret Bielema and his staff have seen how Phillips has been able to make a big impact and will likely have Toliver marking Phillips in the slot throughout this game. Containing Phillips will be critical as teams have been forced to put more attention on the slot and created one-on-one matchups on the outside that Isaiah Ford and Bucky Hodges have been able to take advantage of to make big plays happen and get touchdowns. However, Arkansas has a potential advantage in having a quality slot cornerback in Toliver who may be able to keep Phillips in check. If he can do so, the Razorbacks will have a better chance of slowing down the Hokies' high-powered offense but with the way Cam Phillips has played lately, that will be a very tough task.

DE Ken Ekanem vs. OT Dan Skipper

Injuries have slowed Ken Ekanem down for much of the second half of the season with Ekanem being unable to play against Miami. Despite the injuries, Ekanem still put together a strong season with 35 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks which led the Hokies this season. Now, Ekanem has had a few weeks to rest up and get healthy before getting one final chance to not only get a win but go out with a strong performance to catch the eyes of NFL scouts. However, Ekanem faces one of the toughest matchups he has faced all season against Arkansas's All-SEC First Team left tackle Dan Skipper. Skipper is a left tackle unlike any other you have seen with some believing he may be too big to have success in the NFL as he is 6'10'' but is also fairly lean with Arkansas listing him officially at 319 pounds. If there is one matchup in particular that will have the attention of NFL scouts, it will be this one given that both players are very likely to be drafted this spring with the potential to make a push to be a second day draft pick if they can play well in this game. Ekanem in particular has an opportunity to show how well he can play after having almost a month off to get fully healthy and show off how it was mostly injuries that prevented him from having a big senior season. Ekanem can also have a big impact on this game against an Arkansas offensive line that has struggled to protect the quarterback this season. If Skipper is unable to slow down Ekanem, Arkansas will have to keep an extra player or 2 to pass protect or find creative ways to get the ball out of Austin Allen's hands quickly or else the Razorbacks' passing game may be grounded.

Virginia Tech DTs vs. Arkansas Interior OL

Even as more people have either shifted to a spread offense or implemented more spread offense elements, Bret Bielema teams have continued to be built on playing smashmouth football emphasizing their ground attacks. This season, the Razorbacks were able to replace Alex Collins with Rawleigh Williams who has had 1,326 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while also averaging 5.7 yards per carry with his freshman backup Devwah Whaley also averaging 5.7 yards per carry with over 100 carries. Arkansas has done this despite the fact that they have given up 77 tackles for loss to opponents and had youth on the offensive line that have been criticized a lot this season, and are seen as a weak point. While Arkansas has started to use more spread offense styles in their offense, Bielema's offense is still more traditional which is a perfect matchup for Bud Foster's defense while Arkansas's young interior offensive line faces a very difficult matchup against four Virginia Tech DTs that have been absolutely dominant this season in run defense. Virginia Tech has been able to successfully blow up the middle in run defense time and time again with Woody Baron leading the way with 17.5 tackles for loss followed by Tim Settle having 7 tackles for loss, Ricky Walker having 6.5 tackles for loss, and Nigel Williams having 4 tackles for loss. Settle and Walker have seen their playing time grow throughout the season as they shown signs that they will be future stars on the defensive lines while Baron has had one of the best single-season performances for a Virginia Tech DT ever if not the best. Arkansas's young interior OL (2 sophomores and a junior) has faced some talented defensive tackles but this group is right up there at the top other than the impressive defensive line of Alabama and will make it extremely difficult for the Razorbacks to get any sort of running game going up the middle with the way that they can eat up space and either use elusiveness or power to get into the backfield. This is a clear mismatch as the Razorbacks' guards haven't been great this season while centers aren't supposed to be the best blocker necessarily on the interior. If Arkansas can find a way to get the Hokies' DTs on their heels and establish a ground game up the gut, it'll create the space on the outside they need to try and give Williams and Whaley the opportunity to make some big plays on the exterior. However, that'll be a very tall task against an extremely talented group of Virginia Tech defensive tackles that has given plenty of interior offensive linemen nightmares this season.

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