Top 5 Passing Performances of the 2016-2017 Bowl Season

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Dec 27, 2016; Annapolis, MD, USA; Temple Owls quarterback Phillip Walker (8) rolls out to pass during the third quarter of the Military Bowl against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Wake Forest Demon Deacons defeated Temple Owls 34-26. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Temple failed to get its running game going in a 34-26 loss to Wake Forest in the Military Bowl, finishing with -20 rushing yards. Phillip Walker was a big reason why the American Athletic Conference champions were still in the contest in the fourth quarter. The senior quarterback completed 28 of his 49 attempts for 396 passing yards and two touchdowns, helping engineer a comeback from 21 points down to nearly bring Temple back for the victory.

Walker was great from the outset. Perhaps his best throw of the game was his first. After Wake Forest turned the ball over on their side of the field, Walker unleashed this missile on Temple’s first offensive play of the game for a 48-yard score:

Temple goes deep on 1st play after turnover and Phillip Walker drops it into the bucket to Adonis Jennings for the 48-yard TD @AdrianFedkiw pic.twitter.com/UzHAw7V3V4
— Philly Influencer (@PHL_Influencer) December 27, 2016

Though Temple failed to pull off the comeback, Walker could hardly be blamed for the defeat. He threw an interception five minutes before halftime, but came right back and engineered a field-goal drive before the intermission. Coming out for the second half, he uncorked a 58-yard TD pass to begin the Owls comeback bid. While he is a longshot for NFL stardom, Walker ended his college career on a bang with one of the best passing performances of the bowl season.

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