The College Football Week 12 All-Heart Team
This close to the end of the college football season, the fine margins between winning and losing could be the difference between competing for a championship and settling for a standard bowl game—or the difference between becoming eligible for the postseason and staying at home for the holidays.
This week's All-Heart team highlights those players, units and teams who refused to take a loss on a wild Saturday.
Some of them had to battle through adversity and underwhelming starts, while others had to adjust to new positions and roles in order to earn their victories. A few had to lay it all on the line and make the crucial hustle plays in the dying moments of the game.
In the end, everyone on the following slides showed tremendous heart to put their teams in the win column for Week 12.
As always, an entire weekend's worth of heart and hustle couldn't be limited to just a handful of players and teams. Tell us who you think showed the most heart in Week 12 in the comments section below.
Baylor QB Chris Johnson
1 of 10
A few weeks ago, Chris Johnson was a reserve wide receiver for Baylor's lightning-fast offense. The former backup quarterback found himself behind both Seth Russell and Jarrett Stidham on the early-season depth chart, and coaches wanted to take advantage of his athleticism out wide.
But after it was announced Seth Russell suffered a season-ending injury following a win against Iowa State, Johnson moved back to quarterback. Then, as Stidham limped off the field Saturday night against undefeated Oklahoma State, the Bears needed Johnson to keep them out in front in the second half.
Johnson did just that, coming off the bench to record three all-purpose touchdowns and 180 yards in Baylor's 45-35 road win in Stillwater. That's tremendous heart and effort from a backup who, as Lindsay Schnell of Sports Illustrated noted, didn't get much practice with the first-team offense.
"Well ‘none,’ I’m not sure, but I understand that’s a better story," Baylor head coach Art Briles said of Johnson's practice reps. "He hasn’t had a lot.… But I thought he was fabulous tonight."
Florida DT Jonathan Bullard
2 of 10
Florida defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard could have easily pulled himself from the Gators' ugly, grind-it-out matchup with two-win Florida Atlantic on Saturday. Bullard injured his knee in the first half and had to be helped off the field twice.
But instead of sitting on the sidelines, he helped the Gators hold FAU to just 14 points and force a stop in overtime. Bullard recorded four tackles and a pass breakup on a bad wheel, and head coach Jim McElwain commended him for his heart in the postgame press conference.
"The guy, because he cares so much about the Gators and because he cares so much about his teammates, came back and played his tail off—had every opportunity to say, 'You know what, I don’t want a piece of this,'" McElwain said, per Adam Silverstein of OnlyGators.com. "I think that speaks to what kind of person he is...He came back and gave us everything he had."
And Florida needed all that help from Bullard, especially after the Gators missed an extra-point attempt in overtime. The defense then kept the Owls out of the end zone and improved to 10-1 on the season.
Georgia LB Leonard Floyd
3 of 10
Like Jonathan Bullard, Leonard Floyd probably didn't think his team would have to go down to the wire with a Group of Five foe this past weekend. But Georgia Southern forced overtime with Georgia and received the ball first to start the post-regulation action.
That's when Floyd, the talented outside linebacker for the Bulldogs, sprung into action. He played a role in stopping all four of the option-running Eagles' plays in overtime, including a fourth-down stop.
Floyd finished with a dozen tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss Saturday evening. Two-and-a-half of those stops behind the line of scrimmage came in that one drive alone. As Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee put it, Floyd was trying to single-handedly pull out a victory for the Bulldogs:
"Leonard Floyd is gonna win overtime all by his damn self.
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) November 22, 2015"
It wasn't on the biggest stage, but the Butkus Award finalist's best game as a Georgia Bulldog was no less important for a team trying to finish its disappointing 2015 campaign on a high note.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Kansas State Defense
4 of 10
Kansas State was staring down a 35-14 halftime deficit and a possible seventh straight loss at halftime of its home game against fellow Big 12 struggler Iowa State.
But the Wildcats didn't give up, even when it appeared the Cyclones were going to hang onto a narrow win in Manhattan. Kansas State's defense landed on three fumbles in the final seven minutes of the game and pitched a second-half shutout to give the Wildcats a 38-35 comeback victory.
"A bunch of us seniors were over there and when we saw Iowa State take the ball back with 1:31 we just kind of looked at each other and understood that was it," Kansas State kicker Jack Cantele, who hit the game-winning field goal, told the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "That was our chance. That changed quickly, though. It doesn't take much to spark this team and give us some hope."
Coaches preach never giving up on a play, and these Wildcats did just that—repeatedly—in order to end their long losing streak. They took full advantage of any Iowa State mistake, even when the clock was against them.
Michigan State
5 of 10
Michigan State's 17-14 upset win over undefeated, defending national champion Ohio State on Saturday was a complete team effort that took a ton of heart.
Offensively, the Spartans were without star quarterback Connor Cook, and they had to rely on a run-heavy attack with backups Tyler O'Connor and Damion Terry. While they only completed one pass in the second half, they got the hard yards and points they needed on the ground—eight different players recorded carries in the win.
On defense, Michigan State held Ohio State's talent-laden offense—which featured a Heisman-contending running back, a red-hot quarterback and a former two-time Big Ten Player of the Year—to just 132 yards. The Buckeyes' two touchdown drives came off short fields thanks to Michigan State fumbles.
And last but certainly not least, Michigan State's special teams unit overcame a couple of missteps to nail the game-winning field goal as time expired. Michael Geiger had missed a 43-yard attempt earlier in the game, but he bounced back to hit the 41-yarder that put the Spartans right back into the thick of the playoff race.
Minnesota RB Shannon Brooks
6 of 10
Minnesota true freshman running back Shannon Brooks wasn't expected to have a huge impact on the 2015 season for the Golden Gophers. But when injuries threw him into a lead role, Brooks took over for his team and helped it grab a much-needed victory over Illinois.
"You always have to come in with a good mindset," Brooks said, per Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press. "When your opportunity comes, you've got to take advantage of it."
Brooks took 17 carries for 174 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, including a 75-yard scoring run with less than two minutes remaining that sealed a 32-23 win. Minnesota, which had lost four straight games, can now earn bowl-eligibility with an upset this week against Wisconsin.
The freshman running back was essentially Minnesota's entire offense in the second half, accounting for 98 of their 110 yards after halftime. But when the Gophers needed a spark to put the game away, they got it from a rather unlikely source.
North Carolina QB Marquise Williams
7 of 10
North Carolina quarterback Marquise Williams and the rest of his offensive teammates ran into a wall of adversity Saturday against Virginia Tech, where a hyped-up Hokies team was dead set on winning legendary head coach Frank Beamer's final home game.
Williams tripped up down the stretch, fumbling the ball twice in the final five minutes of regulation. Virginia Tech scored touchdowns off both of those turnovers and tied the game at 24. It was a similar scene from UNC's lone loss of the season, when Williams turned the ball over three times against South Carolina.
But this time, Williams shook off his errors and delivered a game-winning touchdown for the Tar Heels. Instead of throwing an interception in the end zone, he fired a five-yard pass to Quinshad Davis that gave UNC a 30-27 lead and kept its long-shot playoff hopes alive.
"He did not get fazed by the turnovers or anything," Davis said, per Logan Ulrich of the Daily Tar Heel. "I would say in the first game he was kind of shook up from the turnovers and felt like it was all on him. But we were able to comfort him in this game, and he felt like, 'OK, we made a mistake, now let’s go get it.'"
Oklahoma S Steven Parker
8 of 10
Oklahoma's playoff life flashed before its eyes Saturday night when TCU lined up for a two-point conversion with less than a minute to play, down 30-29.
But Sooner safety Steven Parker batted away any hopes of a Horned Frog upset—literally—by leaping high and breaking up the gutsy pass attempt from Bram Kohlhausen. OU Nation provided a video of the play on Twitter:
"Steven Parker (@Lil_Stevie21) with the defensive play of the century! #Boomer pic.twitter.com/WilTjaXP19
— OU Nation (@OUnation) November 22, 2015"
"I don’t think anyone else on this team could’ve done what he did," Oklahoma cornerback Jordan Thomas said, per Jake Trotter of ESPN.com. "Steven is a phenomenal athlete. He has great instincts and he’s a taller, longer guy."
Oklahoma's defense had allowed 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, but Parker made sure the Horned Frogs weren't going to get 18 in a row on the Sooners. His tremendous effort play kept the dreams of a Big 12 title and a spot in the final four alive for Oklahoma.
Rutgers RB/S Josh Hicks
9 of 10
Josh Hicks' defensive stat line Saturday against Army was already impressive on its own—six tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery in a 31-21 win over the Black Knights.
But Hicks isn't even listed as a defensive player on the Rutgers roster. He entered the weekend as the Scarlet Knights' No. 2 rusher with 120 carries for 613 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games. However, Hicks made a move to safety Saturday, as Rutgers' two starters at the position were ruled out.
"I probably couldn't have enough good things to say about Josh Hicks, who goes from being the MVP of our bowl game last year as a tailback and somebody who is a tremendous player at running back and tells me that he will play anywhere on the team if he can help the football team win," head coach Kyle Flood said, per Dan Duggan of NJ.com. "I will always appreciate that."
Hicks embraced a surprise move to defense this week for Rutgers, and it paid off in a huge way, with the Scarlet Knights snapping a four-game losing streak and grabbing a much-needed road win. His two forced turnovers turned out to be game-changers for a program that needed some good things to go its way.
UCLA Defense
10 of 10
UCLA's defense has been through a lot in the 2015 season. It lost several key players, including star linebacker Myles Jack, to long-term injuries. It allowed 38 and 56 points, respectively, in back-to-back midseason losses to Arizona State and Stanford. It was also fresh off a loss to Washington State.
But the Bruins buckled down on that side of the ball Saturday, holding Utah's offense to just nine points and 307 yards in a major road win in Salt Lake City. The Bruins, which had allowed more than 270 passing yards in four of their previous six games, gave up just 110 yards through the air against the Utes.
"We couldn't let [another loss] happen again," defensive end Takkarist McKinley said, per Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times. "Don't let them in the end zone; don't let them in the end zone. If we held them to three, that was a win for us."
Not only did the UCLA defense record several in-game wins over Utah's offense—the Bruins as a whole recorded a huge Pac-12 South win that kept them in the hunt for the division title. Now, thanks to a bounce-back effort from its defense, UCLA can earn a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game with a win over city rival USC this upcoming weekend.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
