Week 9 saw some fantastic individual performances. Whether it was Kenneth Walker’s third game of 200+ scrimmage yards this season or Felix Anudike matching – albeit briefly – the FBS record of six sacks in a game, there was plenty to shout about. Here is my team of the week for Week 9.
QB – Caleb Williams, Oklahoma
Williams continues to impress as the Sooners’ starter. He led them to a 52-21 win over Texas Tech this weekend, going 23 of 30 for 402 yards and six touchdowns. In doing so he has become the first freshman in Oklahoma’s history to throw for six touchdowns in a game. This might have only been his third start of the season but he’s already creating Heisman buzz.
RB – Kenneth Walker, Michigan State
From one Heisman hopeful to another. Walker played a big role in the Spartans’ rivalry win over Michigan, who entered this game with the third best run defense in the FBS. Walker finished with 197 yards on his 23 carries, with five of those going for touchdowns.
RB – Tyler Allgeier, BYU
Allgeier put in the best performance of his collegiate career this weekend against Virginia. The BYU offense ran through him in this one and he racked up an impressive 266 yards on his 29 carries. He found the end zone five times too. Allgeier had seven runs of 10+ yards in this game, the most of any player this weekend.
WR – Nathaniel Dell, Houston
Houston edged out SMU in a thrilling matchup and Dell played a big role in the securing the win. He finished the game with nine catches for 165 yards and he scored three touchdowns. Both of those are career highs for Dell and he also had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 when targeted.
WR – Andrel Anthony, Michigan
This was Anthony’s breakout game for the Wolverines. The true freshman saw his first career catch go for a 93 yard touchdown and he continued to impress throughout the rest of the contest. He finished the game with six catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
TE – Peyton Hendershot, Indiana
This game saw Hendershot become the school leader in receiving yards from a tight end. He caused a tonne of problems for Maryland’s defense, racking up six catches for 107 yards. He also scored two touchdowns and averaged an impressive 17.7 yards per reception.
OT – Sean Rhyan, UCLA
Rhyan finds himself on this list for the second week in a row. UCLA couldn’t get the better of Utah, but Rhyan played brilliantly throughout, not allowing a single pressure on his 57 pass blocking snaps. He has now given up just two pressures in his last four games.
OT – Bamidele Olaseni, Utah
Rhyan wasn’t the only tackle to impress in the Utah-UCLA matchup. Olaseni looked excellent and makes his second appearance of the season on this list. He didn’t allow a pressure on his 29 pass blocking snaps and looked fantastic as a run blocker. He earned an 82.6 PFF run blocking grade, the second highest amongst Power Five tackles.
IOL – Connor Wood, Missouri
Wood put in an almost faultless performance against Vanderbilt. He held his own in pass protection and didn’t allow a pressure on his 30 pass blocking snaps. He also made his presence felt as a run blocker, helping the Tigers rack up 284 rushing yards in a strong performance.
IOL – Chris Glaser, Virginia
Glaser is in his his fourth year as a starter with Virginia and his experience was on full display this weekend. He did an excellent job shutting down BYU’s pass rush and didn’t give up a single pressure on 47 pass blocking snaps. He also earned a solid 79.3 PFF run blocking grade, which ranked fourth amongst interior linemen.
IOL – Kevin Jarvis, Michigan State
Michigan State’s victory was heavily reliant on their running game and Jarvis played a big part in that success. He created plenty of movement up front and delivered a number of key blocks to spring big runs. He also held his own against a very talented Michigan defensive front, allowing a single pressure on 42 pass blocking snaps.
IDL – Scott Matlock, Boise State
Boise State got the better of Colorado State this weekend and Matlock caused a tonne of problems. He was creating consistent disruption up front and finished with six pressures on his 31 pass rushing snaps with a very impressive 23.3% pass rush win rate.
IDL – Elijah Chatman, SMU
Chatman was part of a strong SMU defensive front that held Houston to just two yards per carry. He finished the game with seven defensive stops, the most of any interior defensive linemen. His 92.9 PFF run defense grade ranked second amongst defensive linemen this weekend.
EDGE – Felix Anudike, Kansas State
Anudike was initially credited with an FBS record six sacks this weekend against TCU. Whilst the NCAA later revised that number to four, there is no doubting the quality of his performance. The two sacks that were taken away were both forced fumbles that helped the Wildcats to a 31-12 win.
EDGE – David Ojabo, Michigan
Ojabo is beginning to make a name for himself as a talented 2022 Draft prospect. He had another great showing this weekend against Michigan State, finishing the game with five pressures and two sacks on just 23 pass rushing snaps. This included a forced fumble in the fourth quarter.
LB – Nakobe Dean, Georgia
Dean increased his draft stock even further this weekend. He has earned a reputation as a great blitzer and run defender, but this weekend his biggest impact came in coverage. Dean was targeted four times and allowed a single catch for just 11 yards. He also had a pass breakup and a pick six.
LB – Quay Walker, Georgia
Dean wasn’t the only Bulldog to impress this weekend. Walker finished the game against the Gators with zero misses on his 13 tackles in addition to his five defensive stops. He had two pressures as a blitzer and allowed just nine yards in coverage all game.
CB – Cam Taylor-Britt, Nebraska
Taylor-Britt has looked really impressive through the last few games and did so again this weekend. He was targeted 10 times in coverage, allowing just four catches for 36 yards. He had two pass breakups too, allowing a passer rating of just 50.4 when targeted.
CB – Charles Brantley, Michigan State
Brantley made headlines with his game-sealing pick as the Spartans beat the Wolverines in an epic rivalry matchup. He was excellent throughout though, allowing a paltry 34 yards on his six targets. None of his targets went for more than eight yards.
CB – Marcus Jones, Houston
Jones had a great all around performance against SMU. He allowed a 62.5% completion rate in coverage and had an interception in the fourth quarter. He didn’t miss a single of his nine tackle attempts and led all corners with five defensive stops. Jones’ biggest play came with his game-winning kickoff return for a touchdown, the eighth of his career.
S – Rashad Torrence II, Florida
There wasn’t much for Gators fans to enjoy this weekend, but Torrence’s performance will have been one of them. The sophomore had two interceptions on just four targets in coverage. He also came up with eight tackles and didn’t miss a single attempt.
S – Reed Blankenship, Middle Tennessee
Blankenship has been great for Middle Tennessee this season and he impressed against Southern Miss this weekend. He gave up a single catch for 11 yards whilst adding two pass breakups. He allowed a passer rating of just 39.6, his best mark since Week 2 of 2019. Blankenship also contributed nine tackles and two defensive stops.