2016 Camellia Bowl

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.