The College Football Week 8 All-Heart Team
Heart in college football comes in various shapes and forms, which is why it's so odd that for the second straight week, the signature play came on a last-second special teams miscue.
But even outside of Atlanta, where Georgia Tech upset Florida State in almost the same way Michigan State upset Michigan, players took their effort to another level and registered signature moments.
Priority was given to power-conference players in high-profile games, since part of making this list includes playing well on the big stage. However, if the moment or performance was special enough, players from any FBS school were eligible to make the team.
Sound off below and let us know whom we missed!
DB Lance Austin, Georgia Tech
1 of 8For the second straight week, a Power Five defensive back led a top-15 upset by returning a kick or punt as time expired.
This week it was Georgia Tech's Lance Austin, who followed the footsteps of Michigan State's Jalen Watts-Jackson, along with former Auburn cornerback Chris Davis, by scooping a blocked field goal on the last play of the game and looping up the sideline for the win.
When Austin first picked up the ball, the play looked essentially dead. It seemed like Georgia Tech might ride the momentum of the block into overtime. But Austin made a heads-up play in crunch time and showed moxie to reach the end zone on his return.
"When I picked it up and started running up the field, I saw a lot of green," he told reporters. "So, I was like okay, maybe I can return it.
"Then I saw [FSU kicker Roberto] Aguayo and he’s a pretty good tackler. So, once I kind of made him miss [I knew I had a chance to score]."
Georgia Tech was 2-5 for the season before upsetting the 'Noles. A loss would have dropped it to 2-6 and put its bowl chances on life alert. Now it can afford one more loss and still make college football's postseason.
Austin is a huge reason why.
LBs Reuben Foster and Reggie Ragland, Alabama
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With Alabama's offense struggling, the defense stepped up and played at peak-Nick Saban levels against Tennessee.
The heart of that defensive effort came up the middle, where the nation's best pair of inside linebackers, Reuben Foster and Reggie Ragland, played like wild men with reckless abandon.
Foster posted 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one pass breakup. Ragland posted 12 tackles and one tackle for loss. They dominated the point of attack against Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd, an imposing physical specimen (6'4", 240 lbs) who on Saturday looked small and overwhelmed.
"Any time you run away from me, you're going to run into him," Ragland said of Foster after the game, per Ben Jones of TideSports.com.
As long as that's the case, Alabama remains a playoff contender.
LB Matt Galambos, Pittsburgh
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Matt Galambos did some of everything in Pittsburgh's win at Syracuse.
The junior inside linebacker posted five tackles, three tackles for loss, one interception and a clutch first-down catch on a fake punt down the stretch.
The 12-yard reception set the stage for Pitt's win, extending an epic drive that went 89 yards in 19 plays and sucked the final 9:20 off the clock. Kicker Chris Blewitt drilled the game-winning field goal as time expired, moving the Panthers to 6-1.
It was a blue-collar effort from a blue-collar player on a blue-collar team. Galambos is the perfect fit for Pat Narduzzi's defense, and his continued heart and leadership make the Panthers an ACC title sleeper.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
DL Dean Lowry, Northwestern
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When you break a school single-game record, especially for a stat such as tackles for loss, there's a good chance you'll make this list.
Dean Lowry did precisely that at Nebraska, recording six tackles for loss in a much-needed 30-28 Northwestern win.
The Wildcats lost 38-0 at Michigan and 40-10 against Iowa after starting the year 5-0. Last week's loss to the Hawkeyes, which came on Homecoming, was particularly painful because it…well, came on Homecoming. This team was in desperate need of a spark.
"Losing to Iowa was a very tough loss for us," Lowry told reporters, "but we responded well and I think guys can get through tough losses and set the tone with work ethic and attitude."
You think?
DB Brandon McDowell, Texas State
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Georgia Tech's return stole headlines, but Saturday featured more than one "Kick Six."
Far off the radar in the Sun Belt, Texas State defensive back Brandon McDowell returned a missed field goal 100 yards at the end of the first half against South Alabama, extending the Bobcats' lead to 19-3. They went on to log their first FBS win of the year, 36-18.
"As soon as I got back there," McDowell answered when reporters asked at what point he knew he could score. "Because if you missed, I knew there was a lot of linemen on the field and I knew I was going to set them up and then just, you know."
It mostly went unnoticed, but this play, like most "Kick Sixes," required ample heart and effort. McDowell deserves some credit for an awesome return.
RB Samaje Perine, Oklahoma
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It's been a rough year for Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine, who entered the season a Heisman Trophy candidate but has struggled to find his footing under Air Raid offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley.
But Perine smelled blood against a soft Texas Tech front seven, and he attacked that scent like a malnourished shark.
His crazy second effort near the goal line to give the Sooners a 14-0 lead was the signature play of his performance, but really that was just the beginning. Perine ran hard all game to finish with 201 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries.
"I just told myself that I wasn’t going to go down on the one-yard line," Perine told reporters of his second-effort touchdown. "I gave a little extra effort and got in the end zone."
That's an easy way to end up on this list.
QB Thomas Sirk, Duke
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Quarterback Thomas Sirk led Duke to a four-overtime win at Virginia Tech, recording 389 yards of offense and four touchdowns.
But it wasn't just Sirk's numbers that earned his place on this list. In fact, it was something that doesn't even show up in the box score.
With the game tied 43-43 in quadruple overtime, all Duke needed was a two-point conversion to win. Sirk rolled right but found no open receivers, so he decided to tuck and run. He was met by two Hokies, who appeared to have him stopped before the plane, but Sirk refused denial and pumped his legs toward the end zone.
His effort was rewarded as he toppled past the defense and fell across the line, giving the Blue Devils their sixth win of the season. It was also their second straight win in Blacksburg—a feat no road or home team had accomplished since the Hokies won back-to-back games there in 2013, according to Ben Swain of SB Nation.
All in all, it was a great day to be a Blue Devil.
DB Armani Watts, Texas A&M
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Even in a loss, Texas A&M safety Armani Watts deserves credit.
"Credit" might be too soft a word.
The true sophomore recorded 20—20!—tackles at Ole Miss, leading an Aggies defense that played well enough to win. Despite a stillborn offense that kept punting and sending the defense back on the field, Texas A&M kept things relatively close.
Watts was the biggest reason why. He flew like a bird toward the action, making plays both in the deep third and near the line. Along with his 20 tackles (16 solo), he also forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass.
"Armani Watts has every stat for Texas A&M's defense tonight," Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee tweeted during the game. "All of them."
Watts played his guts out in Oxford, and although the Aggies as a team looked awful, his individual effort deserves recognition.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
