B/R's College Football Weekly Awards: Week 9

Entering the 2021 season, Michigan State seemed like a borderline bowl contender. Fast-forward two months, and the Spartans are in the thick of the College Football Playoff race.

After upending rival Michigan, it should be no surprise MSU headlines the first November edition of B/R's Weekly Awards.

Regular readers of the Weekly Awards recognize our love of chaos. Unfortunately, though, Week 9 didn't provide a whole lot of that. Although a few undefeated teams lost, they all entered the matchup as an underdog or slight favorite.

Without question, chaos will return. But this week, the awards are largely focused on positive moments from Saturday's action.

If you're new here, hello! Every Monday this season, B/R will distribute a handful of awards. Some will review the previous weekend's slate, and others will preview what's coming up. A few topics might be humorous or downright strange.

Team of the Week: Michigan State Spartans

Al Goldis/Associated Press

Never a doubt, right?

Michigan controlled the opening half and led 30-14 in the third quarter, but Michigan State would not be denied. Star running back Kenneth Walker III keyed the 16-point comeback, and the Spartans stunned the rival Wolverines 37-33.

Two late takeaways and turnover on downs iced the victory for MSU, which improved to 8-0 on the season.

To be sure, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young remains the Heisman Trophy favorite. However, there is no denying Walker put together a Heisman-caliber performance with 197 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

"I don't know what else I can say. This is a huge stage; the whole world's watching," MSU coach Mel Tucker told reporters of Walker after the game. "You got a chance to see what type of player he is, and obviously, any recognition that he's getting, Heisman consideration, is well deserved."

Michigan State must avoid a letdown game next Saturday at Purdue, a team that ruined Iowa's undefeated year. But no matter what happens in November, it's been a remarkable season in East Lansing.

Play of the Week: Kyren Williams' Ridiculous Run

Early in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame held a 31-27 advantage on North Carolina. But after scoring on five straight possessions (excluding a kneeldown before halftime), the Fighting Irish's previous drive had ended in a three-and-out.

They needed a spark. And, friends, did Kyren Williams ever do that on a severely broken play.

Williams took a handoff from Jack Coan and shuffled toward the right side. Two UNC defenders immediately broke up the play, leaving Williams five yards behind the line of scrimmage with little room to run. However, he darted toward the left sideline, stiff-armed UNC linebacker Tomon Fox, picked up a block from teammate Michael Mayer and sprinted 91 yards for an improbable touchdown.

Thanks to that scamper, Notre Dame built a comfortable 11-point edge and later finished out a 44-34 triumph. Williams ended the contest with 214 total yards and a highlight-reel score.

Spoilers of the Week: Houston Cougars and Fresno State Bulldogs

Justin Rex/Associated Press

Along with Michigan's loss in the battle of unbeatens, two more programs took their first loss of the campaign. SMU fell at Houston, and San Diego State lost to Fresno State.

Houston outdueled the Mustangs behind an explosive passing game and a shocking special teams score. Clayton Tune threw for 412 yards and four scores, while Marcus Jones returned a kickoff for a touchdown with only 17 seconds left to play.

Moments before the return, SMU had evened the score at 37 and surely expected to have a chance to sneak out a win in overtime. Instead, Houston celebrated a wild 44-37 victory, jumped to 7-1 for the season and replaced SMU as the prime challenger to second-ranked Cincinnati in the AAC.

Later in the evening, Fresno State rode a balanced offense and two takeaways to a 30-20 triumph over San Diego State.

Jake Haener tallied 306 passing yards, Jordan Mims rushed for 186 and the offense scored 10 points on those two turnovers. Because of tiebreaking wins over SDSU and Nevada, Fresno State is now in great position to reach the Mountain West title game.

Track Meet of the Week: BYU Hangs 66 on Virginia

If you stayed up late, Virginia and BYU rewarded you with an absolutely crazytown bananapants game.

BYU sprinted out to a 21-0 edge against former coach Bronco Mendenhall. But then, Virginia scored a touchdown on six straight possessions with absurd efficiency. After a 12-play, 4:42 drive resulted in the first score, the Cavaliers needed just 18 plays and 6:50 to reach the end zone five times.

Virginia headed into the locker room up 42-38, but the second half—particularly the fourth quarter—belonged to the home team.

Tyler Allgeier ripped off a 49-yard touchdown run on BYU's opening drive, putting the Cougars back in front 45-42. Virginia responded to take a 49-45 lead before BYU scored 21 straight points in the closing frame to earn a thrilling 66-49 victory.

BYU piled up 734 offensive yards, led by Allgeier's 266 yards and five touchdown runs. Jaren Hall threw for 349 yards, rushed for 42 and accounted for four scores.

On the opposite side, Brennan Armstrong—who exited with a rib injury—totaled 431 yards and six touchdowns. Two late turnovers doomed the Hoos, but they still amassed 588 yards.

Who likes defense anyway?

History of the Week: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Matt Kelley/Associated Press

Maybe you don't believe Wake Forest is truly an elite team. So far, both human voters and computers have leaned that way despite an undefeated record. Wake Forest headed into Saturday's clash with Duke at No. 13 in the AP poll and exited the weekend 16th in Jeff Sagarin's ratings—a measure previously used in the BCS rankings.

But the Demon Deacons just keep winning. And now, they've done something no other Wake Forest team has before.

In the program's 114-year history, it had never held an AP ranking higher than 11th. Thanks to a dominant win against Duke, however, the Deacs rose to No. 10 in the nation.

They flat-out thrashed Duke, scoring the first 45 points of the contest and racking up 677 yards. Sam Hartman, who right now is a lower-tier Heisman Trophy contender, threw for 402 yards, scampered for 61 and totaled five scores.

Next up for Wake Forest is a trip to North Carolina.

Week 9 Rundown

Play of the Week Runner-Up: Florida State RB Lawrance Toafili

Context gives Kyren Williams the edge for Play of the Week; Notre Dame remains in the CFP hunt. But my word, Lawrance Toafili landed a spot on highlight reels for the 2021 season. The freshman back ran a wheel route and gained 55 yards before Clemson's Sheridan Jones swung Toafili toward the ground. However, he landed on top of Jones, rolled to his feet, toe-tapped for 10 yards down the sideline and scored an amazing 75-yard touchdown.

Bad Beat of the Week: Clemson's Last-Second TD Covers the Spread

Staying in that Clemson/FSU clash, our deepest condolences to those who wanted Florida State to cover the 9.5-point spread—that is, lose by nine points or fewer (or win). Clemson never built a lead of more than four points until it mattered most. FSU's desperation play began at the team's 33-yard line and included a 10-yard completion. Three laterals later, Clemson's Barrett Carter scooped up the ball to seal a 30-20 victory. And a gut-wrenching loss for FSU bettors.

Rapid Champion of the Week: Georgia Bulldogs

October just ended, yet Georgia already knows it's locked in for the SEC Championship Game. Between the Dawgs' 34-7 triumph over rival Florida and Kentucky's 31-17 loss to Mississippi State, 8-0 UGA clinched the East Division title on Saturday. Must be nice!

Best Week 10 Storylines

Vasha Hunt/Associated Press

The only Top 25 matchup of Week 10 pits No. 12 Auburn against No. 13 Texas A&M. Both teams, though, are chasing Alabama in the SEC West—and the Crimson Tide have a rivalry game on the way.

LSU coach Ed Orgeron, who won't return in 2022, has a final opportunity to upset Nick Saban's squad. Alabama obliterated the Tigers 55-17 in Baton Rouge last season, so Orgeron will be aiming for a more respectable end to his tenure.

While those SEC clashes headline the slate, Conference USA is gearing up for a critical showdown at the Sun Bowl. No. 16 and unbeaten UTSA travels to face 6-2 UTEP.

Otherwise, the weekend will be packed with storylines resulting from the first College Football Playoff rankings. This season's initial CFP poll will be unveiled Tuesday night.

Georgia will be ranked No. 1. But that's all we really know.

All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from NCAA.com, cfbstats.com or B/R research. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.