After this past week in college football, you can sense the contenders gaining more and more distance from their competition.
The #1 ranked team in the country (Alabama) showed why they are who they are against the 6th ranked Texas A&M. Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson added more highlights to his potential Heisman Trophy season, while the Washington Huskies continue to just climb and climb the polls quietly.
This past week also presented a signature win for Penn State head coach James Franklin as his Nittany Lions gave the #2 Ohio State a 24-21 upset, Auburn demolishes a top 20 team in Arkansas and Oklahoma and Texas Tech has themselves a rather festive game in Lubbock, Texas. Here are the top performers from week eight in college football.
Utah RB Joe Williams – 29 carries, 332 yards, 4 TDs: Williams torched the UCLA defense by averaging 11.4 yards per carry in Utah’s 52-45 win. Williams gashed the Bruins defense with touchdown runs of 64 yards in the third quarter and a 55-yard touchdown in the fourth. His rushing total was the most in a single game in Utah’s history.
Louisville QB Lamar Jackson – 421 total yards, 4 TDs (3 passing, 1 rushing): Jackson once again gashed another defense while also leading the Cardinals in rushing with 76 yards on 17 carries. Jackson also broke a single-season school record with all of his four touchdowns coming in the first half. At the conclusion of the game, Jackson totaled 34 passing and rushing touchdowns on the season.
Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield – 27/36, 545 yards, 7 TDs: In what can be labeled as the most entertaining game of the entire weekend, Mayfield returned to his own stomping grounds and carved up the Texas Tech defense. Mayfield connected with nine different receivers and got the scoring festivities started with long touchdown passes to RB Joe Mixon and WR Dede Westbrook.
Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes – 819 total yards, 7 TDs (5 passing, 2 rushing): Mahomes was defeated by Mayfield and the Sooners, 66-59. But his performance was still captivating as he completed 52-of-88 passes (88 PASSES!!) and singlehandedly kept the Red Raiders in the contest. Mahomes tied the NCAA record for most passing yards in the game.
Syracuse QB Eric Dungey – 32/38, 434 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT: Dungey led Syracuse to an upset over Virginia Tech last week and followed that up with this performance on the road against Boston College. Dungey also led the Orange in rushing with 54 yards on 17 carries.
LSU RB Leonard Fournette – 16 carries, 284 yards, 3 TDs: Fournette has been battling injuries this season and some questioned his ability at times but the man-beast of a running back used the Ole Miss defense as a punching bag. The dynamic runner broke the LSU single-game rushing record in just eight carries and scored touchdowns of 78, 76, and 59 yards.
