College Football Weekly Awards: Oklahoma Lights It Up, Oregon Continues to Shine
It is that time again to hand out College Football Weekly Awards to the stars and bums that grabbed the attention of the nation in Week 2.
This week, we saw every ranked ACC team take a tumble while every other ranked team flew right past them without a blink of an eye. The season is already gaining speed and teams are starting to shape into their true form right before our bloodshot, television-screen-staring eyes.
While some teams and players are taking us by surprise, many are proving that they are who we thought they were.
Things should start to heat up a bit more over this next weekend of play and if the ACC has taught us anything this week, it’s to always be aware that an upset is lurking somewhere in the Top 25.
Team of the Week: Oregon
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An away game in the always-hostile Rocky Top Nation this early in the season could have easily been a trap game for the Oregon Ducks. But even lightning bellowing down from the heavens could only slow down these steamrolling Ducks for so long.
After an hour long delay due to inclement weather, Oregon took a while to fully embrace the ruckus atmosphere and get into their groove. They finally realized that the crowd was not on the field and silenced them with a two-play touchdown drive to end the first half.
Everything fell into place for the Ducks from there on after.
From their offense to their defense and right through to their special teams, the Ducks took control of the game in the second half and flexed some Pac-10 muscle in the process.
A 72-yard run for LeMichael James, an 80-yard punt return by backup running back Kenjon Barner, and a 76-yard interception for a touchdown by Cliff Harris left many wondering how the rest of the SEC might handle these multi-faceted Ducks.
Oregon’s defense once again proved to be legit, allowing the Vols to convert on only 13 percent of their third-down plays and giving up only 14 first downs.
A perfect second half by their entire Duck team, especially on the road, pushes Oregon to top of this week’s list.
Runners up:
2. Alabama (vs. Penn State) – 24 PF, 2 PA, 409 total yards, 283 total yards against
3. TCU (vs. Tenn Tech) - 62 PF, 7 PA, 452 total yards, 150 total yards against
Offense of the Week: Oklahoma
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Oklahoma was the definition of a humming offense on Saturday against No. 17 Florida State.
The Sooners scored on their first four possessions, three of the drives accumulated 80 yards, and they did it through the air and on the ground.
Landry Jones connected on 30 of 40 attempts, threw for 380 yards, and laced four touchdown passes in one of his best performances as a Sooner.
Running back DeMarco Murray also added two touchdowns, culminating a 47-point day for Oklahoma.
The Sooners collected 487 total offensive yards and did it against what was supposed to be a very formidable opponent.
Runners up:
2. Houston (vs. UTEP) – 54 points, 656 yds, 7 TD
3. Wake Forest (vs. Duke) – 54 points, 500 yds, 7 TD
Quarterback of the Week: Denard Robinson, Michigan
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Denard Robinson baffled defenses for a second straight week, and it would be maddening for me to keep him off of the top of this week’s list.
Robinson broke Michigan records that he set a game prior, rushing for 258 yards, passing for 244, and collecting three total touchdowns. This double-edged sword is quickly becoming the answer to all of those Ann Arbor prayers.
Robinson led his team through a late, fourth-quarter comeback and in turn, is collecting massive amounts of Heisman Trophy buzz from the nation.
In that drive, Robinson’s feet and arm partook in every single play. He marched Michigan 72 yards down the field, completed five of six passes for 55 yards, and rushed for 17 yards and a touchdown.
Robinson makes Michigan extremely dangerous and stopping him will not be as easy as many might think.
Runners up:
2. Landry Jones, Oklahoma – 30/40, 380 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT
3. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas – 28/43, 400 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
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Running Back of the Week: Bryce Beall, Houston
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Every college football fan tuning into ESPN’s Friday Night Game expected Houston to beat up on UTEP, but most probably thought they would do it through the air with Case Keenum’s golden cannon.
While Keenum had a decent game (although he suffered a mild concussion in the third quarter), it was running back Bryce Beall who stole the show.
Beall scampered for 195 yards and three touchdowns in his first-ever 100-yard performance as a Cougar. He also averaged a spicy 10.3 yards per carry, snapping off three runs over 30.
His outstanding performance shoots him up to second amongst FBS running backs in average yards per carry (10.1) and in touchdowns (5).
Although Keenum isn’t expected to miss any games, Houston fans must be soothed by Beall’s performance if their star quarterback is ever shelved for a few games.
Runners up:
2. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina (vs. Georgia) – 37 car, 182 yds, 2 TD
3. Tauren Poole, Tennessee (vs. Oregon) – 23 car, 162 yds, 1 TD
Receiver of the Week: Jermaine Kearse, Washington
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Jermaine Kearse’s career-high, three-touchdown day against Syracuse once again highlights the fact that he is Jake Locker’s favorite receiver, and defenses need to take note.
Kearse caught nine passes for 179 yards, averaging 19.9 yards per catch in a day where Washington leaned upon him just as heavily as their NFL prospect quarterback.
The 6'2" receiver was thrown the ball four times on third-down plays that helped the Huskies extend draining drives. He was also Locker’s favorite receiver on first down plays, being thrown at seven times to start off these fresh set of downs.
After this highly productive week, Kearse lands second in the FBS with 287 receiving yards and ranks third in yards per catch (20.5) amongst receivers that have caught at least 10 balls.
With the caliber of arm that is getting him the ball, Kearse should have no problems continuing this success throughout the rest of the season.
Runners up:
2. Conner Vernon, Duke (vs. Wake Forest) – 8 rec, 181 yds, 2 TD
3. Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame (vs. Michigan) – 8 rec, 164 yds, 1 TD
Defensive Lineman of the Week: Rodney Gnat, Louisville
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Albeit it was against a rather weak opponent, Louisville’s Rodney Gnat gathered four sacks on Eastern Kentucky’s quarterbacks and included a fumble recovery just for good measure.
Gnat’s four-sack day launches him to the top of the FBS sack list, tied with four others.
While his performance might seem a little lofty due to the caliber of this opponent, it is hard to discount four sacks in a single outing.
Now if Gnat can continue to drag down quarterbacks against No. 25 Oregon State and throughout Big East play, then perhaps the Cardinals have a force to be reckoned with.
Runners up:
2. Vinny Curry, Marshall (vs. West Virginia) - 11 Tackles, 2 sacks
3. Jared Cricket, Nebraska (vs. Idaho) – 6 Tackles, 2.5 sacks
Linebacker of the Week: Justin Houston, Georgia
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In a day where defenses reigned supreme, Georgia’s Justin Houston played the biggest part in keeping the Bulldogs in this hard-fought SEC battle.
Although Georgia eventually lost, Houston wrangled in 10 tackles, three of which were sacks on South Carolina’s Stephen Garcia, and one of which forced a fumble.
Houston’s outstanding day catapults him into a tie for first in the FBS in sacks (4).
His presence around the line for Georgia is undeniable and he will need to be contained this week if Arkansas’s Ryan Mallett hopes to have time to go through his progressions.
Runners up:
2. Justin Springer, Kansas (vs. Georgia Tech) - 15 Tackles, 1 sack
3. Michael Mohamed, California (vs. Colorado) – 14 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD
Defensive Back of the Week: Ahmad Black, Florida
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South Florida’s B.J. Daniels threw four interceptions into Florida’s daunting secondary on Saturday and Ahmad Black nabbed two of them.
Black added on to the interception that he snatched in the opening week and is currently tied with Wake Forest’s Alex Frye with four. He also played a huge part in stopping any extended runs by South Florida, notching eight tackles on the day, four of the solo variety.
The senior safety is quickly emerging as this season’s shutdown member of Florida’s secondary. Don’t be surprised if he continues his interception streak this week in Neyland Stadium in Florida’s first SEC challenge of 2010.
Runners Up:
2. Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio State (vs. Miami) – 6 tackles, 2 INT
3. Alex Frye, Wake Forest (vs. Duke) – 4 tackles, 2 INT
Defense of the Week: Nebraska
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Yeah, Nebraska played a cupcake team, but the numbers that their defense put up were gaudy.
Nebraska’s defense violated Idaho’s offense, throwing their quarterback down for seven sacks and intercepting five of their errant passes.
Bo Pelini’s Black Shirts swarmed on the ball the entire day, allowing only 60 yards rushing, 219 yards passing, and seven points.
While this performance would have been much more impressive against a stronger offense, it is still an outstanding day nonetheless.
Runners Up:
2. Florida (vs. South Florida) – 14 PA, 249 rush yds allwd, 71 pass yds, allwd, 4 INT, 2 sacks
3. Alabama (vs. Penn State) – 3 PA, 126 rush yds allwd, 153 pass yds allwd, 3 INT, 1 FR
Bust of the Week: Jacory Harris, Miami
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Throughout the entire summer, Miami fans couldn’t stop talking about how Jacory Harris and the Hurricanes would march into the Horseshoe and tame the Buckeyes.
When all was said and done, though, it looked like Harris was not up to the tall task.
Harris completed only 56.4 percent of his passes against the chaotic Ohio State defense and the most disappointing part of his day were the four interceptions he let get away. Harris looked rattled for most of the game, and he was lucky that a few more passes weren’t taken the other way.
The Dumpit Award of the Week: Tron Martinez, Marshall
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Marshall appeared to have an upset all but wrapped up against No. 23 West Virginia.
With 10:16 minutes left, up by 15 points, knocking on West Virginia’s goal lines, Marshall handed off the ball three times to Tron Martinez and the third time, he simultaneously broke the hearts of all Herd fans.
Just inches away from making this a 22-point game, Martinez put the ball on the ground which sparked a remarkable comeback by Geno Smith and the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Like my last name (which immediately catches people's eye for the wrong reasons), this unfortunate event will leave Martinez's surname on the tongue of every Marshall student for the next week or perhaps even longer.
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