The best individual performances from the college bowl season

Sure, football is a team sport and all. It’s true that consistent winning is the result of strong play in all three phases of the game as well as depth at a majority of positions. Let’s be real, though: The moments we often remember most are those when a specific athlete plays lights out. Vince Young in the ’06 Rose Bowl. Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary game. Johnny Manziel in the 2013 Cotton Bowl. Stellar performances tend to stand out even more in the postseason, so we’ve rounded up the top action from the 2018-19 season.

Xavier Ubosi vs. NIU

It’s a sports movie waiting to be made — the death and subsequent resurrection of UAB football, capped with the program’s first-ever bowl game win against NIU. If that feature film ever does get produced, Ubosi will be a central figure in the big-game scene. The senior wide receiver didn’t have an especially outstanding 2018 campaign, but he was nothing short of dynamite in the Blazers’ postseason contest. Ubosi had seven catches, 227 receiving yards and three touchdowns, as UAB finished the season 11-3. A happy ending, indeed.

Zach Wilson vs. Western Michigan

It wasn’t quite the season BYU had hoped for, but years from now Wilson’s stat line against the Broncos will still be worthy of a double-take. In a 49-18 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl rout, Wilson was a perfect 18-18, with 317 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. The freshman became just the second player in NCAA history to finish a bowl game with a 100 percent completion rate, and his four TDs tied the school bowl game record. Did I mention he’s a freshman? The Cougars finished the season 7-6, but with Wilson running the offense, it could be a bright few years for BYU.

Tua Tagovailoa vs. Oklahoma

He may not be a reigning national champion or a Heisman trophy winner (yet), but he’ll always have the Orange Bowl. Against his Heisman-usurper, Kyler Murray, Tagovailoa got the best revenge of all: a win to advance to the national championship. The sophomore was nearly flawless in the contest, going 24-27 with 318 yards and four touchdowns...to four different receivers, no less, and he was playing on an injured left ankle to boot. When all’s said and done, we may still remember Tagovailoa best for his breakout evening in the 2017-18 title game, but his output against the Sooners was football poetry in motion.

Sam Ehlinger vs. Georgia

This year’s Sugar Bowl felt like a seminal moment in the return of Texas football, and that’s mostly thanks to Ehlinger. The sophomore quarterback was a force, as the Longhorns took down the heavily favored Bulldogs, with three rushing touchdowns and 169 yards through the air. The Texas defense did its part, fending off a fourth-quarter comeback attempt by Jake Fromm and Georgia, but this one will no doubt be remembered for the way Ehlinger pounded the rock. To echo his postgame proclamation: Longhorn football is back.

Dwayne Haskins vs. Washington

What a farewell for Urban Meyer. In the living-legend coach’s final game, Haskins made sure Meyer would go out on top. The granddaddy of ‘em all wasn’t too big a stage for the Heisman finalist and first-round draft pick shoo-in. Haskins sliced through secondaries all year, and though Washington owned one of the best DB corps in the game, he took full advantage in the Rose Bowl. Haskins’ 251 yards, three touchdowns and sheer command in the Buckeyes’ quick start have Ohio State fans mourning his early departure.

Cole Tracy vs. UCF

Hey, kickers are people too. If you ever need a reminder of that, revisit Tracy’s performance in the Fiesta Bowl that snapped UCF’s 25-game winning streak. Symbolically and mathematically, LSU couldn’t have won without Tracy’s deadly accurate leg. The senior was a pristine 4-of-4, including two in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. The fourth field goal was the 97^th of his career, good enough for a new NCAA career record. Ice. Cold.

Josh Allen vs. Kentucky

For the second year in a row, we’re set to have guy named Josh Allen taken in the top 10 of the NFL draft. Thanks to his utter domination over Penn State in the Citrus Bowl, this year’s Allen may even slide into the top three. The big linebacker, who’d already taken home some Lott IMPACT Trophy hardware when he suited up against the Nittany Lions, had his way with the Penn State offense. Allen recorded three sacks and blocked a field goal. In so doing, he also set new Kentucky records for career sacks and sacks in a season.

Trevor Lawrence vs. Alabama

The freshman flavor of the year is Clemson’s Lawrence, and with good reason. And after his dominant performance in the championship game, the 2021 draft talk has already begun. Lawrence’s skater-boy hairstyle and laid-back manner off the field belie the way the Tigers’ starting QB can command a contest. He looked every inch the veteran against a Crimson Tide team most thought he couldn’t beat, throwing for 347 yards and three touchdowns and carving up the ‘Bama secondary. Much has been made of the rocket Lawrence calls his arm, but perhaps more impressive is the way it seems no moment is ever too big for the young signal-caller.