CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Kentucky Wildcats beat the Virginia Tech Hokies in the 2019 Belk Bowl. Final Score: 37-30.
The annual college football bowl game has been hosted at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte since 2002.
Virginia Tech made its 27th straight bowl appearance when it faced Southeastern Conference foe Kentucky in the Belk Bowl on New Year's Eve in Charlotte.
The Hokies were led by quarterback Hendon Hooker, who took over for Ryan Willis as the starter after the team started 2-2. Hooker faced a stiff test against a Wildcats pass defense that ranks fourth in the country.
This was the fourth straight bowl appearance for Kentucky, which defeated Penn State last year in the Citrus Bowl.
Lynn Bowden Jr. threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Josh Ali with 15 seconds left and Kentucky rallied to beat Virginia Tech 37-30 in the Belk Bowl.
Bowden, a converted wide receiver, did most of his damage on the ground before the game-winning TD pass. He ran for 223 yards on 34 carries and scored two touchdowns for the Wildcats.
Trailing 30-24, Bowden drove his team 85 yards in 18 plays taking more than eight minutes off the clock before finding Ali in the end zone down the seam.
The Wildcats added a final touchdown as time expired when Jordan Wright returned a failed lateral attempt by the Hokies 28 yards for a score.
