The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A CAREER year for Bahamian wide receiver Demitri Knowles saw him and his Virginia Tech Hokies earn the 21st bowl appearance in school history.

The Hokies are scheduled to face the No. 17 ranked UCLA Bruins in the  80th Hyundai Sun Bowl 2pm December 31 in Sun Bowl stadium in El Paso, Texas.

ACC contender Virginia Tech finished the season at 8-4 while the Bruins out of the Pac-12 come into the game, nationally televised by CBS, at 9-3.

“We are extremely excited to be coming to the Sun Bowl,” Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer said in a release on the school’s athletic website. “All my conversations with people who have been there have been extremely positive, and it is my understanding that the Sun Bowl people do an excellent job with their hospitality. It’s great for our kids and fans to be able to visit a different part of the country. The Sun Bowl was our first bowl in 1947, and it’s time to get back.”

The longest active streak in college football belongs to the Florida State Seminoles with 32 consecutive bowl game appearances.

As a sophomore, Knowles finished the regular season with career highs in nearly every statistical category. He was second on the team in receptions, yards and touchdown catches.

Knowles totalled 43 receptions for 619 yards and three touchdowns, good for an average of 14.4 yards per catch and a long of 56 yards.

As a freshman last season he caught 19 passes for 240 yards and one touchdown. He made the transition from a return specialist to the top receiving options in the Hokies’ offence.

In the season finale, he helped lead the Hokies to a 16-6 win over in-state rival Virginia on November 30 with four receptions for 48 yards.

Knowles’ best game of the season came when he set a new career high in receptions with eight catches for 99 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown pass in the Hokies’ 15-10 win on the road over the East Carolina Pirates on September 14. He earned the game ball from Beamer for his performance.

After struggling in week one with two catches for three yards against a vaunted Alabama defence and adding another two catches for 20 yards against Western Carolina, Knowles broke out against East Carolina.

During the Hokies six-game win streak he also had several other notable performances.

Knowles hauled in five passes for 67 yards in a 17-10 win over Georgia Tech, four catches for 57 yards and a touchdown, five receptions for 79 yards in a19-9 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers and in the game when the streak ended he totalled four catches for 69 yards in a 13-10 loss to Duke.

He caught his third touchdown of the season in Virginia Tech’s 42-24 win on the road over the Miami Hurricanes with two receptions for 25 yards, including the 19 yard score.

Knowles also made an impact in the return game with 22 returns for 480 yards, including a 88 yarder in a 27-24 loss to Maryland, November 16.

The Hokies sport a top 10 nationally ranked defence and began the season with a 6-1 start which propelled them to climb all the way to No.14 in the NCAA.

Defensively, Virginia Tech was ranked in the top 10 in the NCAA in total defence, scoring defence, rushing defence, pass efficiency defence and sacks. It will be the first meeting between the football programmes at Virginia Tech and UCLA.