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College football programs have competed in bowl games dating back to the 1902 Rose Bowl between Michigan and Stanford. Since, numerous records have been set.
Those pertain to both team and player performances. There are many that have taken full advantage in the postseason to notch career games at the end the year.
Some of those contests stand out above the rest. Here, we’ll take a look at 10 of the best in college football history.
Best individual bowl game performances.
This list will dive into some of the most impressive single-player postseason outings. These each include displays of on-field dominance, some of which came on the brightest stages.
Let’s start with a monster outing from a Heisman trophy winner in the College Football Playoff.
Joe Burrow, 2019 Peach Bowl
LSU faced Oklahoma with a shot a national championship appearance on the line. Joe Burrow ensured that his team would advance in the CFP.
The quarterback threw for 493 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 63-28 win. LSU jumped out 49-14 before calling off the dogs in the second half. Burrow was on the sidelines for the majority of the fourth quarter.
In addition to his passing totals, he ran for a score to give him eight touchdowns accounted for on the day. That remains a bowl game record.
Byron Leftwich, 2001 GMAC Bowl
Marshall pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in college football history in the 2001 GMAC Bowl. The Thundering Herd fell behind 38-8 in the first half against East Carolina. They then came storming back.
Byron Leftwich was the catalyst. He threw for 576 yards and four touchdowns.
Marshall was able to force overtime before picking up a 64-61 win. That combined point total set a bowl game record. Leftwich’s passing yardage tied a postseason mark set by Ty Detmer in a 1989 Holiday Bowl loss.
Frank Gore Jr., 2022 Lending Tree Bowl
Southern Miss took on Rice in the 2022 Lending Tree Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Frank Gore Jr. lifted his team to a win with an incredible performance on the ground.
The tailback and son of the NFL star of the same name rushed for 329 yards and two scores on just 21 carries.
Gore ripped off big play after big play, including a 64-yard touchdown for his first points of the night. He then sealed a 38-24 victory with a 55-scamper to the endzone late in the fourth quarter.
His 329 rushing yards are a bowl game record.
Johnny Manziel, 2013 Cotton Bowl
Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel led Texas A&M into a Cotton Bowl matchup vs. rival Oklahoma in 2013. He’d help the Aggies leave with a convincing victory.
Manziel set a QB bowl game record with 229 rushing yards. He added 287 yards through the air to account for 516 yards on the day.
Texas A&M won the game 41-13. Manziel found the endzone twice on the ground and twice in the aerial attack.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 2022 Rose Bowl
Ohio State met Utah in the 2022 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Jaxon Smith-Njigba totaled 15 catches for 347 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
He scored on plays of 50, 52, and 30 yards to help the Buckeyes climb out of an early 14-0 hole. They’d go onto win the game on a late field goal, 48-45.
The wideout’s receiving total remains a bowl game record.
Chris Johnson, 2007 Hawaii Bowl
The East Carolina Pirates met the Boise State Broncos in the 2007 Hawaii Bowl. Running back Chris Johnson put on an absolute show.
The do-it-all ball carrier led the team with 223 rushing yards. He also added 32 yards and a touchdown as a receiver while totaling 153 yards as a returner.
His 408 all-purpose yards represent a bowl game record.
Riley Patterson, 2019 Cotton Bowl
Memphis lost a Cotton Bowl matchup against Penn State in 2019. That was at no fault of their kicker.
Riley Patterson connected on all six of his field goals, with five coming from 40 yards or more. His long on the evening was a 51-yard boot that got his team to within two points of the Nittany Lions in the second half.
Patterson’s 21 points led all scorers. His six made field goals are the most ever in the postseason.
Jim Dooley, 1952 Gator Bowl
The Miami Hurricanes played the Clemson Tigers in the 1952 Gator Bowl in Florida. Jim Dooley single-handedly took his opponent’s passing attack away.
The defensive back picked off the Tigers four times, tying a bowl game record. He won MVP honors while also playing on offense.
Dooley helped the Hurricanes pitch a shutout in a 14-0 win.
Lee Roy Jordan, 1963 Orange Bowl
Jordan was a star at both the college and professional levels. His final game with the Alabama Crimson Tide came in the 1963 Orange Bowl.
During that contest against the Oklahoma Sooners, the linebacker racked up a bowl record 31 tackles. It capped an incredible season in which he finished fourth in the Heisman voting.
Alabama won the game 17-0 thanks to that stout defensive effort. Jordan would later win Defensive Player of the Year honors with the Dallas Cowboys.
Shay Muirbrook, 1997 Cotton Bowl
BYU faced Kansas State in the 1997 Cotton Bowl, winning a low-scoring affair 19-15. Linebacker Shay Muirbrook played a large role in that victory.
The defender set a bowl game record with six sacks, including one that resulted in a safety. Those two points would prove crucial as the forced Kansas State to score a touchdown on its final drive.
While they were able to get into field goal range, the Wildcats were intercepted near the goal line to seal the Cougars’ win.