College Football Rankings 2011: The 50 Best Individual Performances so Far

Football is the ultimate team game—perhaps the only one remaining in our culture today. Without teammates' aid, you cannot be successful. Conversely, good teammates can launch you to places you never thought possible.

That being said, every once in a while a single player does something that makes us say, "wow." They capture and command our attention, and make sure that they keep it throughout an entire three-hour game. That is when a player is doing something truly special.

How special are these 50 performances? 

Consider that teams have played on approximate average 6.5 games (most played either six or seven), and I considered approximately 25 players' performances per team for every game.

Finally, there are 120 teams. So, 120 teams times 6.5 games times 25 players gives us 19,500 individual performances to consider! Therefore, these 50 represent the top 0.25 percent of performances so far this season.

Fair or not, in an attempt to bring more widespread attention to lesser known players, I included only one performance per player on this list. A few players had a few good performances this season, but I included just their best. If they had multiple good ones, I tried to include a note on their slide.

50. Shaquille Richardson: Week 6 vs. Oregon State

The Box Score: 5 solos, 2 assists, 2 INTs, 1 TFL, TD

Beyond the Box Score: Richardson intercepted a pass on the first drive, setting the Wildcats up at Oregon State's 28, but Arizona came away with zero points. His pick-six came in the third quarter and cut the lead to 10. 

49. Keenan Allen: Week 4 vs. Washington

The Box Score: 10 rec, 197 yards, 1 TD; 2 rushes, 20 yards

Beyond the Box Score: Allen's first touchdown, a 90-yarder, came immediately in the first to put the Bears ahead. Allen caught four passes on Cal's final drive, getting them down to the Washington 1-yard line. 

Then Cal decided to run the ball, and they were stuffed, losing 31-23.

48. Micah Hyde: Week 3 vs. Pittsburgh

The Box Score: 9 solos, 1 assist, 2 INTs

Beyond the Box Score: The hero of the Insight Bowl last year (shown) came up big again against Pitt.  Hyde's first interception came in the second quarter on the Iowa goal line. Then, up 31-27, Hyde intercepted another pass with 1:41 left to seal the game.

47. Luke Kuechly: Week 3 vs. Duke

The Box Score: 17 solos, 6 assists

Beyond the Box Score: Kuechly is the leading tackler in the nation. His 17 solos against Duke are the most anyone has had all season.

46. Dwight Bentley: Week 1 vs. Oklahoma State

The Box Score: 5 tackles, 1 assist, 2 INTs, 1 TD

Beyond the Box Score: The undermanned, unmatched Louisiana-Lafayette defense had a long day against Oklahoma State.

No one had a bigger matchup than Bentley, though, as he drew All-American Justin Blackmon in coverage. Bentley held his own, intercepting two Weeden passes and returning one.

On the day, Blackmon had eight catches, his second fewest of the season.

45. Bernard Pierce: Week 4 vs. Maryland

The Box Score: 32 rushes, 149 yards, 5 TDs

Beyond the Box Score: Temple went on the road to Maryland and completely dominated them, thanks mainly to Pierce's efforts. It was a huge, lopsided win for Temple and the MAC.

Pierce's five TDs is a school record.

44. Omar Brown: Week 6 vs. UCF

The Box Score: 13 solos, 5 assists, 1 INT, 1 TFL, 1 FF

Beyond the Box Score: Brown did everything to help Marshall win. He forced a fumble on his own 16 in the first quarter and later made a tackle on fourth down at the Marshall five. 

Down 10 and once again in the shadow of his goalpost, Brown came up with an interception. If not for him, Marshall loses by 28 or more instead of 10.

43. Bryn Renner: Week 1 vs. James Madison

The Box Score: 22-of-23, 277 Yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 2 rushes, 2 yards, 1 TD

Beyond the Box Score: Renner completed his first eight passes, then was intercepted on a deep pass. 

After that, he completed 14 straight.

Renner broke the ACC record for highest completion percentage. His 95.7 fell just shy of the NCAA mark held by Tee Martin (95.8).

42. Russell Wilson: Week 5 vs. Nebraska

The Box Score:  14-of-20, 255 yards, 2 TDs, 32 rushes, 1 TD

Beyond the Box Score: Russell Wilson finally had a chance to showcase himself in prime time, and he didn't disappoint.

Welcoming Nebraska to the BigTen, Wisconsin dismantled the Huskers. After falling behind 14-7 in the second quarter, Wilson led the Badgers on three touchdown drives in 13 minutes.

41. Ronnie Hillman: Week 3 vs. Washington State

The Box Score: 32 carries, 191 yards, 4 TDs; 2 rec, 31 yards

Beyond the Box Score: Hillman scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, giving SDSU the lead. 

Then, after entering the fourth quarter down 24-21, he scored two more—including a 59-yarder to give the Aztecs a two-score lead.

40. Tyler Hansen: Week 2 vs. California

The Box Score: 28-of-49, 474 yards, 3 TDs; 7 rushes, 26 yards

Beyond the Box Score: Hansen gave Colorado its first real upset threat.  

After falling behind by 10 with 20 minutes left, Hansen put together back-to-back scoring drives, taking the lead in the fourth.  

Then, taking over down three with seven minutes left, Hansen led the Buffaloes on a 16-play, 70-yard drive to tie the game at the end of regulation.

Inexplicably, Hansen was given only one pass attempt in OT. Colorado settled for a FG, and Cal won 36-33. 

39. Jordan White: Week 4 vs. Connecticut

The Box Score: 12 receptions, 173 yards, 2 TDs; 4 punt returns, 32 yards

Beyond the Box Score: WMU fell behind in the fourth quarter, 24-17. 

On the ensuing drive, White caught three passes, including a tying touchdown. After WMU stopped UConn the next drive, White had a 14-yard punt return that set the Broncos up in good field position to go ahead.

WMU went on the road to the defending Big East champs and walked away with a win, 38-31.

38. Case Keenum: Week 5 vs. UTEP

The Box Score: 30-of-46, 471 yards, 2 TDs; 1 rush, 18 yards

Beyond the Box Score: This was Keenum's highest passing total on the season, which says a lot.  The Cougars needed every point Keenum produced, as they were losing in the third quarter and ultimately won, 49-42. 

In the past, this may have been a game Houston lost. This season, anytime UTEP got close, Keenum had an answer.

37. Marquess Wilson: Week 3 vs. San Diego State

The Box Score: 6 rec, 236 yards, 2 TDs

Beyond the Box Score: Wilson is one of the main reasons Washington State is enjoying a successful season. An insane 39.3 yards-per-catch average in this game, Wilson caught the Cougars' first touchdown, then another in the third quarter to put them up 24-14. The touchdowns were 80 and 79 yards long.

36. Trey Wilson: Week 3 vs. Ole Miss

The Box Score: 3 passes broken up, 2 INTs, 1 TD, 0 tackles

Beyond the Box Score: The zero tackles?

That means no receiver caught a pass against Wilson—and five were thrown his way; three were broken up and two were intercepted, one for a touchdown.

Vanderbilt has reemerged as a dangerous team, thanks in large part to Trey Wilson. Wilson's pick-six came in the second quarter to put the Commodores up 14-0, and Ole Miss didn't stand a chance after that.

35. Jahleel Addae: Week 5 vs. Northern Illinois

The Box Score: 8 solos, 10 assists, 1.5 TFL, 1 FF

Beyond the Box Score: Addae was a tackling machine in the Chippewas' upset win over NIU—their only win against an FBS opponent this year. 

Threatening in the third quarter, Addae made a huge stop deep in Chippewas territory, forcing NIU to settle for a field goal.

The 48-41 final isn't indicative of how much CMU was beating NIU; 10 NIU points came in the final minute.

34. Royce Pollard: Week 5 vs. Louisiana Tech

The Box Score: 10 receptions, 216 yards, 3 TDs

Beyond the Box Score: Pollard had 171 yards and two TDs in the first quarter.

That's a career day for some people. 

Pollard put the Warriors ahead for good. After that, Louisiana Tech adjusted to focus more on him, but Pollard still caught six passes for 45 yards and a TD, which is still pretty good for three quarters.

33. Paul Richardson: Week 2 vs. California

The Box Score: 11 rec, 284 yards, 2 TDs; 1 rush, 9 yards; 1 punt return, 4 yards

Beyond the Box Score: His 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter cut the lead to three. The 78-yard TD in the fourth put them ahead. 

As mentioned before, however, Colorado couldn't hold.

32. Jarius Wright: Week 5 vs. Texas A&M

The Box Score: 13 receptions, 281 yards, 2 TDs

Beyond the Box Score: Jarius Wright made sure the Hogs didn't get embarrassed against A&M early on by catching a 68-yard touchdown. 

Then things started to snowball, and Arkansas came back to win the game.

Wright was Johnny on the spot, recovering a Cobi Hamilton fumble in the end zone to tie the game at 35.

Down three with four minutes left, Wright caught two passes for 36 yards and got the Hogs down to the 3-yard line where they then punched in the game-winning touchdown.

31. Jamie Bender: Week 4 vs. ECU

The Box Score: 8 solos, 3 assists, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 1 TD, 2 FF

Beyond the Box Score: Bender forced two fumbles in the first half, but UAB couldn't get anything going on offense to cash in. 

Frustrated with UAB's offense, Bender decided to score on his own. 

In the third quarter, he intercepted a Dominique Davis pass and returned it to the house, giving UAB a 17-14 lead. 

UAB ended up losing 28-23, despite forcing seven ECU turnovers.

30. Antonio Allen: Week 1 vs. ECU

The Box Score: 7 solos, 9 assists, 0.5 TFL, 1 pass broken up, 2 FF, 1 FR, 1 TD

Beyond the Box Score: Starting the third quarter down 24-14, Allen immediately sent a message to ECU by forcing a fumble on the second play of the half. 

Four plays later, South Carolina scored to cut the lead to three.

Then, we have the attached video.

Just four minutes after forcing his first fumble, Allen forced another one, returning this one for a TD. All in all, South Carolina scored 21 points in 4:20. 

29. Travis Johnson: Week 6 vs. Hawaii

The Box Score: 5 solos, 3 TFLs, 2 sacks, 2 blocked kicks

Beyond the Box Score: Talk about making an impact on a game. 

The two sacks and three TFLs are great, but only tell part of the story.

Hawaii scored in the fourth quarter to take a 27-20 lead. Johnson blocked the extra point attempt, and Duke Ihenacho returned it for two points. 

Then Hawaii was threatening once again. 

On 3rd-and-9 from the SJSU 16, Johnson came up with a sack to force a field goal. The kick made it an eight-point game, but instead Johnson blocked it, keeping it a five-point deficit.

SJSU would take the ball down the field, score and win, 28-27.

It is safe to say that Johnson was responsible for at least a six-point swing over the course of the game.

28. Nathan Scheelhaase: Week 5 vs. Northwestern

The Box Score: 21-of-32, 391 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; 20 rushes, 35 yards, 1 TD

Beyond the Box Score: Down 28-10 in the third, Scheelhaase led the Illini on a scoring drive, hooking up with A.J. Jenkins for a 33-yard touchdown. Scheelhaase led two more TD drives in the fourth to take the lead, 31-28.

Then, trailing 35-31 with only 1:15 left, Scheelhaase orchestrated a six-play, 69-yard drive in just a little more than one minute. 

First, he found Jenkins for 28 yards. Then, he rushed for 22 yards. After a pass interference penalty put the Illini on the 4-yard line, Scheelhaase took it in himself to give the Illini a win and a 5-0 record. 

27. Alex Carder: Week 5 vs. Connecticut

The Box Score: 37-of-51, 479 yards, 5 TDs

Beyond the Box Score: Carder was as good as you can get on the road at the defending Big East champion. 

After starting 3-of-9 in the first quarter, Carder finished 34-of-42. Six of the next 10 drives ended in points, including all three in the fourth quarter (not counting the last one where they took a knee). 

The game ended up being huge for WMU and the MAC; another win for the conference, and the Broncos improved to 3-2.

26. Melvin Ingram: Week 2 vs. Georgia

The Box Score: 1 assist, 1 FR; 1 rush, 68 yards, 2 TDs

Beyond the Box Score: In addition to his traditional defensive end duties, Ingram was involved in a fake punt that went for a 68-yard touchdown (I love the reaction of Hairy Dawg).

Then he sealed UGA's fate in the fourth quarter when he scooped up a fumble caused by Jadeveon Clowney and returned it for a touchdown. 

25. Chandler Harnish: Week 7 vs. Western Michigan

The Box Score: 14-of-27, 203 yards, INT; 14 rushes, 229 yards

Beyond the Box Score: Harnish ran for more than 200 yards and threw for more than 200 yards, as the Huskies put up a huge 38 points in the second half.

The win was much needed for them, as they improved to 4-3 and got a win over WMU. 

24. Frank Alexander: Week 6 vs. Texas

The Box Score: 5 solos, 1 assist, 4 TFL, 3 sacks, 1 hurry, 1 pass breakup, 1 FF

Beyond the Box Score: Alexander was in Texas' backfield all day—just see for yourself. Texas had no chance with Alexander applying this pressure all day.

Side Note: I cannot get enough of these edited YouTubes that are just play after play of an individual player performing. If anyone who edits these and puts these together is reading this, please keep up the great work. 

23. Robert Woods: Week 5 vs. Arizona

The Box Score: 14 rec, 255 yards, 2 TDs; 3 kick returns, 77 yards

Beyond the Box Score: Woods continued his insane sophomore campaign, adding 14 grabs and 255 yards. 

Woods went for an 82-yard touchdown on the second play for USC. Then Woods caught a TD pass on the first drive of the second half, padding USC's lead to 34-12. The Trojans would need every point Woods put up, as they finished with a 48-41 win.

Woods also caught a school-record 17 passes the opening week against Minnesota. He is a great possession receiver, but also has the speed to beat you deep. 

22. Geno Smith: Week 6 vs. Connecticut

The Box Score: 27-of-45, 450 yards, 4 TDs

Beyond the Box Score: Smith threw for 450 yards as the Mountaineers avenged last year's defeat to the Huskies.

Smith "only" threw for 179 and zero TDs in the first half. As a result, WVU held a small 10-9 lead. 

After throwing for 271 and four TDs in the second half, WVU found themselves a 43-16 win.

21. Brandon Weeden: Week 4 vs. Texas A&M

The Box Score: 47-of-60, 438 yards, 2 TDs; 4 rushes for -26 yards

Beyond the Box Score: We wouldn't be talking about Oklahoma State's National Championship hopes if not for Weeden's second-half performance against Texas A&M.

Down 17 at the half, Weeden led the Cowboys on three touchdown drives in the third quarter alone. 

A 78.3 percent completion rate, 438 yards and a come-from-behind win are all impressive, but especially on the road at Kyle Field.

20. Marcus Lattimore: Week 3 vs. Navy

The Box Score: 37 rushes, 246 yards, 3 TDs; 4 receptions, 25 yards

Beyond the Box Score: A bittersweet entry since Lattimore suffered a freak injury last week and is out for the season.

While healthy, USC abused Lattimore, making him carry the ball 146 times in his first six games; 37 came here.

They needed every yard Lattimore contributed. He scored every touchdown for USC, the final one coming in the fourth quarter to put the team ahead 24-21—the eventual final score.

19. Tony Jefferson: Week 5 vs. Ball State

The Box Score: 3 solos, 2 assists, 3 INTs

Beyond the Box Score: The only player in the nation with three INTs in a single game this season.

Cynics may point to the fact they were playing Ball State, but the second pick is incredible.

Jefferson's three interceptions even came on three consecutive drives!

18. Vinny Curry: Week 7 vs. Rice

The Box Score: 5 solos, 4 assists, 4 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 1 FF

Beyond the Box Score: If you don't know the name Vinny Curry, you should. The defensive end will most likely be taken on the first day of the NFL draft.

Curry dominated the entire game, but Marshall still found themselves down 20-17 late in the fourth quarter.

With 3:30 left, Curry forced a fumble from Rice's Sam McGuffie to give Marshall the ball at the Rice 23.

Six plays later, Marshall scored, taking the lead, 24-20.

And just to make sure that was enough, Curry came up with another sack on the final drive, and Marshall won 24-20.

17. Matt Barkley: Week 5 vs. Arizona

The Box Score: 32-of-39, 468 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT; 2 rushes, 2 yards, 1 TD

Beyond the Box Score: Barkley set the school record for passing yards in this one, which pretty much says it all. He totaled five touchdowns and completed 82 percent of his passes.

16. A.J. Jenkins: Week 5 vs. Northwestern

The Box Score: 12 catches for 268 yards, 3 TDs, 4 kick returns for 60 yards

Beyond the Box Score: Jenkins couldn't be covered, and for the most part, Northwestern didn't.

Jenkins' two touchdowns in the second half cut the lead to five. Then Jenkins caught a big pass on the final drive to set up the game-winning touchdown.

Jenkins' 268 yards is a school record, and he was named co-National Wide Receiver of the week. On the year, he is second in the nation in receiving yards.

15. LaMichael James: Week 4 vs. Arizona

The Box Score: 23 rushes, 288 yards, 2 TDs; 2 catches, 15 yards

Beyond the Box Score: James could have totaled 400 yards if they kept giving him the ball. No one on Arizona could match his speed. 

His 288 yards was also a Ducks record.

14. Tyler Bray: Week 2 vs. Cincinnati

The Box Score: 34-of-41, 405 yards, 4 TDs; 2 rushes, 3 yards, 1 TD

Beyond the Box Score:  This was the Tyler Bray Vols fans had hoped to see. 

In a big non-conference game early in the season, Bray found himself going against a solid Cincinnati defense. Bray made them look silly, completing 83 percent of his passes.

Vols fans are missing him now.

13. Dustin Garrison: Week 5 vs. Bowling Green

The Box Score: 32 rushes, 291 yards, 2 TDs; 2 catches, 4 yards

Beyond the Box Score: The 291 yards is a national season high at this point and the second-most in WV history behind Kay-Jay Harris in 2004. 

Garrison went a long way in trying to establish a running game for WV.

Prior to this game, the Mountaineers had just 306 yards total in four games. Garrison, in only his second career start, almost doubled the total on his own. He had 65 yards rushing in the previous four games combined.

12. Whitney Mercilus: Week 3 vs. Arizona State

The Box Score: 3 solos, 2 assists, 2 TFLs, 2 sacks, 1 pass breakup, 1 hurry, 1 FF

Beyond the Box Score: Mercilus led an Illinois defense that held ASU to their lowest point total this season. In fact, ASU's next lowest total is 27 against Oregon, nearly double what they put up against Illinois.

Mercilus sacked Osweiler on the first drive, setting the tone. Then with the Illini struggling, Mercilus forced a turnover in the middle of the fourth quarter. Illinois took over at the 41 and scored five plays later.

Technically, Mercilus might have had a better "stat line" against Indiana, but his impact in a big game against ASU cannot be ignored. 

Mercilus leads the nation with 10 sacks, and the Illini as a team lead the nation in sacks with 26.

11. T.Y. Hilton: Week 2 vs. Louisville

The Box Score: 7 rec, 201 yards, 2 TDs; 2 kick returns, 61 yards

Beyond the Box Score: If there were a football equivalent to baseball's "5-tool player," it would be Hilton. He returns kicks, punts, lines up at receiver and also receives hand-offs.

He "only" returned kicks and caught passes in a game against Louisville, but as you can see, he had plenty of impact regardless. 

Hilton's speed is blinding. He can beat you deep or catch it over the middle, and get to the corner against a safety.

This nationally-televised game might be the most famous one for FIU to date. Don't be surprised to hear HIlton's name on Sundays in the years to come.

10. Ryan Swope: Week 7 vs. Baylor

The Box Score: 11 rec, 206 yards, 4 TDs

Beyond the Box Score: Clearly, Swope was tired of A&M blowing second-half leads—that's why he caught two of his four touchdowns in the second half. 

Swope's third TD was a diving effort that put the Aggies up 31-14. The final touchdown was a 68-yard strike that saw him break the safety's tackle and put the Aggies up 41-28. 

After that, Baylor's will was broken, and the Aggies finally held on to a lead.

Swope only had two touchdowns all season and 230 yards receiving in his previous three games.

9. Sammy Watkins: Week 3 vs. Auburn

The Box Score: 10 rec, 155 yards, 2 TDs; 7 rushes for 44 yards

Beyond the Box Score: Sammy Watkins was the hardest player to pick just one game to represent him.

I chose Auburn because he helped Clemson finally overcome what seems like a long string of disappointing performances in big games, and it gave the defending champs their first loss of the season.

As seen in the video, Watkins uses his blinding speed to break a 21-21 tie early in the third quarter. He added another TD at the end of the third.

Last week he was put on kickoff duty and totaled 205 return yards, including a TD that returned Clemson the lead, 49-45.

Watkins is the No. 1 reason why Clemson is currently undefeated.

8. Ray Graham: Week 5 vs. South Florida

The Box Score: 26 rushes, 226 yards, 2 TDs; 4 rec, 42 yards; 2 kick returns, 35 yards

Beyond the Box Score: After watching the game on a Thursday night, I looked up Graham's final stat line and was shocked that he only managed 270 total yards. Every time he touched the ball, he seemed like a threat to take it to the house.

Graham went a long way in knocking off nationally-ranked South Florida on national TV. Despite it being PItt's only Big East win, Graham leads the nation with 939 yards rushing. 

7. Andre Branch: Week 5 vs. Virginia Tech

The Box Score: 8 tackles, 3 solos, 6 TFLs, 4 sacks, 1 FF

Beyond the Box Score: We all know the criticism of Clemson: Just when they look like they're going to turn the corner, they fall flat on their face. 

Despite starting 5-0 in 2011, the same skeptics were abound. When Clemson traveled to Virginia Tech as seven-point underdogs, many felt Clemson would repeat their disappointing tendencies.

Instead, Andre Branch showed up and didn't allow Virginia Tech to do anything on offense.

Branch tallied four sacks and six TFLs!  On the day, VT tallied 258 yards offense—Branch was responsible for -35 of those yards.

6. Robert Griffin III: Week 1 vs. TCU

The Box Score: 21-of-27, 359 yards, 5 TDs; 10 rushes, 38 yards; 1 rec, 15 yards

Beyond the Box Score: Griffin III was nearly perfect the first Friday of the season, upsetting the defending Rose Bowl champions 50-48. 

He gave Baylor 47 points, but it wasn't enough. Down 48-47 with 4:27 left, Griffin III led the Bears on an 11-play, 60-yard drive to set up the game-winning field goal. 

Griffin III threw for five touchdowns and only six incompletions. This trend would continue; through the Kansas State game, Griffin had 18 touchdowns and 20 incompletions.

The performance was so good, that it attracted the attention of a foreign audience; the highlights are narrated in Russian (?).

5. Tyler Wilson: Week 5 vs. Texas A&M

The Box Score: 30-of-51, 510 yards, 3 TDs

Beyond the Box Score: Wilson refused to let the Hogs lose two consecutive games.

Instead, he pulled his own comeback against Texas A&M and has Arkansas in position for another BCS bowl this season.

Of his total yards, 307 of them and two of the touchdowns came in the second half. 

Attached are some generic highlights of the game. Don't ask me why they have the Jarius Wright highlight reel and the Ryan Tannehill highlight reel, but not Wilson. If you find it, feel free to post it.

The 510 yards are a national high thus far. 

4. Orwin Smith: Week 3 vs. Kansas

The Box Score: 5 rushes, 157 yards, 2 TDs; 2 rec, 108 yards, TD; 3 kick off returns, 49 yards

Beyond the Box Score: It isn't often that a kick return hurts your "yards per touch" average, but that was the case for Orwin Smith against Kansas.

Smith averaged 31 yards a rush and 54 yards a catch; he only averaged 16.3 yards a kick return. Three of his five carries came in the first quarter.

If Smith had around 20 touches, who knows how many yards he would have put up.

As a whole, Georgia Tech rushed for 604 yards and 768 total! Those are video game numbers.

The 95-yard touchdown seen here came on GT's first offensive play. 

Again, just like a video game.

3. Tajh Boyd: Week 3 vs. Auburn

The Box Score: 30-of-42, 386 yards, 4 TDs; 7 rushes, 30 yards

Beyond the Box Score: After being held scoreless in the first quarter and falling behind 14-0, Boyd led Clemson on three touchdown drives in the second quarter to tie the game at 21-21.

To start the second half, Boyd led another TD drive, hooking up with Sammy Watkins for a 66-yard TD pass (seen earlier). A fumble from Mike Bellamy canceled the next drive, but Boyd scored yet again on the subsequent drive.

All in all, that's five touchdown drives out of six in the second and third quarters. In the fourth, Boyd led Clemson to a field goal, and their second drive was their last. Clemson took over up 14 with 9:34 left, and Boyd didn't give the ball back.

That's efficiency. 

That's leadership. 

That's why Clemson is 7-0.   

2. Tyrann Mathieu: Week 1 vs. Oregon

The Box Score: 5 solos, 5 assists, 0.5 TFL, 2 pass breakups, 1 FF, 1 TD; 3 punt returns, 26 yards

Beyond the Box Score: Anything I say will be a disservice to how he played.

I will say that Mathieau helped show what happens when the Oregon offense goes against any physical defense with speed.

Other than that, I'll let the highlight package do the talking.

1. Nordly Capi: Week 1 vs. New Mexico

The Box Score: 5 solos, 2 assists, 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 4 FF, 1 FR

Beyond the Box Score: Capi forced four fumbles.

He added 3.5 sacks. 

That is awesome enough, but there's more.

Capi didn't even start the game. 

In fact, he wasn't even expecting to play.

Capi came off the bench early in the first quarter when starter Broderick Sargent went down with a major knee injury. Capi looked nervous at first, especially when he hit QB Tarean Austin well after the whistle blew.

But as you can see from the highlight reel, he quickly picked up steam. He went from a replacement to a dominant force.

Capi has parlayed his opportunity into something more. His eight sacks on the season has him ranked third in the nation. He's 6'3" and 249 lbs—and is only a sophomore. 

If he continues to improve, Capi could be a late-round NFL draft selection.

From benchwarmer at Colorado State to the NFL, thanks in large part to one game?  

That is why football is awesome.