Only two and a half weeks removed from winning the Cotton Bowl Offensive MVP, former LSU wide receiver Terrence Toliver laid a goose egg in his final collegiate game.
Toliver, who hauled in three touchdowns Jan. 7 in the Cotton Bowl, failed to record a catch Saturday in the 86th annual East-West Shrine Game in Orlando, Fla. Toliver’s lack of production, however, wasn’t a factor as the East won without him, 25-8.
But all may not be lost as Toliver flashed signs of his talent during East’s practice sessions.
ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay highlighted Toliver last week during a Shrine game segment as one of the players who proved the most to NFL scouts.
“Terrence Toliver of LSU has had a big week,” said McShay, who projects Toliver as a third-round draft pick. “This week … he’s really showed he could be a playmaker and get down the field and catch the ball over his head.”
Toliver entered his career at LSU as a freshman with high expectations. The 6-foot-5-inch, 203-pound Toliver was the No. 1 receiver and a five-star prospect out of Hempstead High School in Texas but never quite lived up to the billing.
After being used sparingly in his first two seasons, Toliver hauled in 53 catches for 735 yards as a junior and was expected to be one of the top receivers in the country in 2010.
“Last year, I did all right,” said a frustrated Toliver in September. “But my career here hasn’t been like I thought it was going to be.”
Even with the dominating Cotton Bowl performance, Toliver still only had 41 catches for 579 yards and five touchdowns this season.
“You watch him during the season, not always getting the ball consistently in the passing game the way other big time wide receivers do,” McShay said of why Toliver has gone under the radar.
Toliver’s tall frame should warrant him a look by NFL teams and could prove to be a mid-round steal.
Former offensive tackle Joseph Barksdale also participated in the Shrine game, though for the West squad. Barksdale is expected to be a late-round pick and could switch from the left tackle position he played at LSU to right tackle in the NFL.
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Football: Toliver fails to shine in Shrine game
January 23, 2011