Tracking the Top Passing Performances of the 2016-2017 Bowl Season
By Zach Bigalke
Which quarterbacks are putting up breakout games in this year’s bowls? Check in regularly as we track the top passing performances of the postseason.
The beauty of the college football bowl season is that sublime performances can happen anywhere and come from anyone. Quarterbacks regularly put up huge passing performances in bowl games big and small. Last year we saw some great games, and this year could be even better.
Some big passing games come when the stakes are highest. For instance, it is hard to forget Deshaun Watson’s 407-yard, four-touchdown battle against the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff national championship. The Clemson quarterback has the opportunity to put up another huge game before he concludes his college career.
If Watson goes off, he would fit right in with some of the other big passing displays of the 2015-2016 postseason. California’s Jared Goff parlayed a huge showing in the Armed Forces Bowl against Air Force into the top overall pick. The Los Angeles Rams selected him first in the 2016 NFL Draft after he threw for six touchdowns and 467 yards against the Falcons. Likewise, Dallas’ Dak Prescott augured a promising NFL future with a 380-yard, four-touchdown performance against NC State in the Belk Bowl.
And sometimes a big game from a quarterback can serve as a springboard for conference contention the following season. Last year’s biggest passing numbers came from West Virginia’s Skyler Howard. The Mountaineer racked up 532 yards and five scores in a one-point win over Arizona State at the Cactus Bowl. In total, just five quarterbacks went over 400 passing yards in their 2015-2016 bowl games.
Already this year, through the first 24 games of the postseason, we have already seen three quarterbacks eclipse that mark. Will somebody manage to match Howard and go over 500 yards in one of the remaining bowls? We will be tracking every passing performance of 250 or more yards throughout the rest of the 2016-2017 bowl schedule, so check back regularly to see how the monster showings from some of the nation’s best college quarterbacks rate against one another.
With some big-name quarterbacks left to play, we could see more reshuffling of NFL Draft boards. Stay tuned as we continue to follow how the rest of this year’s bowl games play out.