The 2016 Raycom Media Camellia Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the Appalachian State Mountaineers of the Sun Belt Conference and the Toledo Rockets of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Played on December 17, 2016, at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, it was the third edition of the Camellia Bowl and the final matchup of the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I FBS) football season for both teams.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers, the defending Camellia Bowl champions, entered the game with a 9–3 record and a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship (split with Arkansas State). With the exception of a loss to Troy, the Mountaineers had been dominant in conference play and had 12 all-conference players, the most in the Sun Belt. The Toledo Rockets also entered the game with a 9–3 record and had finished second in the West division of the MAC. They led the MAC with seven first-team all-conference selections, and quarterback Logan Woodside ranked among the most prolific passers in the country. The Rockets entered the game as one-point favorites, and the matchup was widely expected to be competitive and among the best matchups of the bowl season. Both teams were said to be evenly matched, with Appalachian State having a superior defense and Toledo having a superior offense.
Appalachian State never trailed during the game, but both teams traded touchdowns throughout the matchup; the first, second, and third quarters all ended with the score tied. In the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers took a 31–28 lead on a 39-yard field goal; Toledo had a chance to tie the game with a 30-yard field goal in the waning minutes, but their attempt sailed wide right. Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb, who combined for 245 yards in passing and rushing and two touchdowns, was named the game’s most valuable player.
Team selection
The Camellia Bowl, created in 2014 and owned by ESPN, was designed to match up a team from the Sun Belt Conference with a team from the Mid-American Conference (MAC); the two conferences, which ranked in the lower tier of Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I FBS), desired additional bowl bids. In 2016, the Sun Belt saw a record six teams selected for bowl games; although the conference only maintained tie-ins for five bowl games, the Idaho Vandals were selected for a bowl game outside of the five agreement bowls. In the MAC, six teams were selected, down from seven the year before. The Mountaineers, who had won the previous year's Camellia Bowl, were selected as the Sun Belt's representative for a second year in a row, while the Toledo Rockets were selected to represent the MAC.
The game was ranked as one of the best bowl matchups of the year by Sports Illustrated, USA Today, and CBS Sports. Toledo entered the Camellia Bowl as one point favorites; the game was anticipated to be close and both teams were said to be evenly matched. Although the Rockets had the 4th-ranked offense in the nation as compared to 55th for the Mountaineers, the 15th-ranked Mountaineer defense was ranked well above the 55th-ranked Rockets defense. Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports regarded both Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside and Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb as among the best in the Group of Five, and both teams also had strong running attacks; Appalachian State running back Marcus Cox (4,960 yards) and Toledo running back Kareem Hunt (4,825 yards) were two of the NCAA's three leading active rushers.
Appalachian State Mountaineers
The Mountaineers had finished the 2015 season, their first year of bowl eligibility following a two-year transition period from the FCS to the FBS, with an 11–2 record and a win over the Ohio Bobcats in the 2015 Camellia Bowl. Entering the 2016 season, the Mountaineers were anticipated to compete for a conference title. The Mountaineers were projected to win the Sun Belt by Athlon Sports, USA Today, and a poll of the conference's 11 head coaches. The team was returning 16 starters from the previous year; junior quarterback Taylor Lamb was selected to the preseason Davey O'Brien Award watchlist and the preseason All-Conference team along with three other Mountaineers. The head coach of Appalachian State, Scott Satterfield, was in his fourth year at the position.