Crowder catches Vernon, finishes historic career in Sun Bowl

EL PASO, Texas—Duke has had several all-time great wide receivers and senior Jamison Crowder cemented his place in the group with his performance in the Hyundai Sun Bowl against No. 15 Arizona State Saturday at Sun Bowl Stadium.

The Monroe, N.C., native finished with seven receptions for 102 yards, a 68-yard punt return touchdown in his final game and a go-ahead 12-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-2 with 5:03 left.

Crowder was named to the CBS Sports All-Bowl team after all of the bowl games were completed as a punt returner because of his electrifying second-quarter touchdown. The 5-foot-9 speedster eluded multiple Sun Devils with jukes on his way to a momentum-changing score that got Duke right back in the game after a slow start.

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Crowder tied former teammate Conner Vernon atop the ACC's all-time career receptions list with 283 with a 45-yard reception on third-and-six on the Blue Devils' final possession of the game—which ended in heartbreak after an interception—and reached several other milestones Saturday.

Here is a list of some of the most notable ones:

  • Crowder's 3,641 receiving yards are the third-most in ACC history; only Vernon and Florida State star Rashad Green have more.
  • With his 102 receiving yards Saturday, Crowder reached the 1,000-yard threshold for the third consecutive season, joining Blue Devil legend Clarkston Hines—who played for Steve Spurrier—as the only players in Duke history to record three 1,000-yard seasons as wideouts.
  • Saturday also marked Crowder's 16th 100-yard performance, the second-most in ACC history and only one less than Hines.
  • Crowder finished his career by posting two or more receptions in 41 straight games, the second-longest active streak. Only East Carolina's Justin Hardy—who broke the FBS record for career receptions earlier this season—has a longer streak with 48 such contests.
  • The senior's 85 receptions this season are the second-most in Duke history; Crowder also has the most after posting 108 receptions for 1,360 yards—also a team single-season record—during his junior campaign.
  • Crowder's 5,575 career all-purpose yards are the fourth-most in ACC history.
  • The 5-foot-9 wideout's four career punt-return touchdowns are the most in Blue Devil history.

This post was updated Jan. 14, 2015 after Crowder was named to the CBS Sports All-Bowl Team.

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