College Football

Top 5 Receiving Performances of the 2016-2017 Bowl Season

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:12 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Zach Bigalke/FanSided via Saturday Blitz

Over the course of the 2016-2017 bowl season, we tracked the best receiving performances. Click ahead to read more about the best postseason performances.

40 games have come and gone, with only the College Football Playoff national championship left to contest. Over the course of the 2016-2017 postseason, we have seen some transcendent receiving performances by wideouts across the country. Receivers from schools big and small have put up big numbers over the course of the past three weeks.

We have been tracking the top receiving games throughout the postseason, highlighting every time that a receiver has gone over 100 yards in a bowl. But not all triple-digit games are the same, so now is the time to take a look at the top five receiving performances of this year’s bowl games. Click ahead to read more about the receivers that had the biggest output in their postseason contests.

Dec 29, 2016; Birmingham, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Deebo Samuel (1) is brought down by South Florida Bulls cornerback Tajee Fullwood (13) during the fourth quarter in the 2016 Birmingham Bowl at Legion Field. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood-USA TODAY Sports

Deebo Samuel

South Carolina

Though South Florida ended up preserving a 46-39 victory in the Birmingham Bowl, they needed overtime to do so after South Carolina engineered a late comeback to tie the game in regulation. A big part of the Gamecocks offensive turnaround was thanks to Deebo Samuel, who finished the game with 14 catches for 190 yards and a touchdown. The receiving effort wasn’t enough to stave off a Bulls victory, but it was enough to land Samuel on this top-five list.

Samuel was especially valuable in helping provide an outlet for Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley when he came under pressure. Consistently outmuscling USF defenders for the ball, Samuel caught nine passes that moved the chains and another for a touchdown. He showcased his physicality and his leaping ability over and over again on plays like this:

Samuel was a major threat throughout the contest, as he also added a four-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter and finished the game with 97 yards on four kickoff returns. The redshirt sophomore still has two years of eligibility left in Columbia, and he will enter 2017 as a player for both college football fans and NFL scouts to watch.

Dec 27, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver KD Cannon (9) catches a pass for a 30 yard touchdown as Boise State Broncos cornerback Jonathan Moxey (2) defends during the first half during the Cactus Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

KD Cannon

Baylor

Against a Boise State secondary that allowed fewer than 200 passing yards per game during the regular season, KD Cannon erupted in the Cactus Bowl to pass that mark by himself. The veteran Baylor receiver accounted for 226 receiving yards and two touchdowns, hauling in 14 of Zach Smith’s passes at Chase Field in Phoenix. His first touchdown, a 30-yard strike, opened up the scoring as the Bears manhandled the Broncos for a 31-12 victory.

His second touchdown catch showcased his skills, as he rotated back to the ball and then slipped under the hard-charging Boise State defender to coast for the 68-yard score. On the play, he showed off his precise route-running ability and his ability to adjust to any pass:

The junior has been putting up big numbers all throughout his college career at Baylor, and it was the fourth time in three seasons that Cannon had gone for over 200 receiving yards. But with this performance he set a new personal best for yards in a game. Having announced his intention to enter the NFL Draft this year, Cannon ended his college career on the highest possible note and bolstered his position on the boards of pro teams that increasingly rely on the aerial game.

Dec 17, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles wide receiver Allenzae Staggers (15) runs against UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns during the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl college football game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Southern Mississippi won 28-21. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Allenzae Staggers

Southern Miss

In a 28-21 victory over UL-Lafayette at the New Orleans Bowl, Allenzae Staggers put on a display of receiving prowess matched by few others this bowl season. After an uneven season that saw Staggers finish with 292 yards against Rice but fail to finish in triple digits in receiving yards in any other game, he finished his first year of FBS football with a bang. The junior college transfer finished with 230 yards and a touchdown on 11 catches, averaging over 20 yards per reception.

On the first offensive play of the game for Southern Miss, he caught a Nick Mullens pass and ran into the red zone for 55 yards:

His second catch was even better, as he evaded several Ragin’ Cajuns defenders to go 66 yards before being forced out of bounds. The reception put the Golden Eagles in position for another touchdown as they took a 14-0 lead:

The 230-yard receiving effort set a new Southern Miss bowl record, and Staggers now owns the first- and third-biggest single-game performances in Golden Eagles history. After coming out of East Mississippi Community College, the focus of Netflix’s series Last Chance U, Staggers proved that he is a legitimate FBS talent in his first bowl game and should be around to terrorize Conference USA defenders again next season.

Dec 23, 2016; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs wide receiver Trent Taylor (5) runs for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Navy Midshipmen at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Trent Taylor

Louisiana Tech

All season long, Trent Taylor has terrorized opposing secondaries with his combination of speed, crisp route running, and ability to get separation from defenders. He didn’t let up as Louisiana Tech prevailed over AAC West champion Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth. Taylor, who ranked seventh in the country in receiving yards per game during the regular season, exploded with the second-biggest performance by a receiver this postseason.

Taylor finished as the Armed Forces Bowl MVP on a day when he caught 12 receptions for 233 yards. Out of his dozen catches, 11 went for either first downs or touchdowns. He scored late in the first quarter on a 19-yard pass from Ryan Higgins for a 17-7 lead. But his skills were showcased best by his second touchdown catch of the game where he streaked up the middle and avoided several tackles en route to a 51-yard score:

Taylor was already rated among the top ten receivers available in this year’s NFL Draft. The win over Navy set a new personal best in terms of receiving yards in a game. It came at the perfect time to increase his prospects of landing with a pro team. As his Louisiana Tech career ends, this performance extended his team record for career receptions and solidified his spot at second in receiving yards behind Troy Edwards.

Dec 22, 2016; Boise, ID, USA; Colorado State Rams wide receiver Olabisi Johnson (81) makes a reception against the Idaho Vandals during the first half of the Idaho Potato Bowl at Albersons Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

Olabisi Johnson

Colorado State

The top receiving performance in the 2016-2017 postseason came in the highest-scoring game of the bowl season. It came from one of the most unlikely of sources. Olabisi Johnson had never racked up even 100 yards before in a college game in two seasons for Colorado State. He didn’t place among the top 200 receivers in the country in yards per game, averaging just 29 yards per game in the regular season. Twice this year he was held without a catch.

Johnson saved his biggest game for the end of the year. He finished the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Idaho with seven catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns. On his first catch of the game, Johnson shook off his defender and hauled in Nick Stevens’ pass for an untouched 52-yard touchdown:

His second touchdown catch of the game was a 73-yard strike from Stevens, and all but one of his seven of his catches went for at least 24 yards. All seven either moved the chains to extend Colorado State drives or put points on the board. While the Rams failed to come back against Idaho in a 61-50 thriller on the Smurf Turf in Boise, Johnson put up a breakout performance that sets him up as a receiver to watch in 2017.

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