College Football's 10 Best Performers Of The First Half Of The Season
We made it!
We’re now at the halfway point of the college football season even though it seems like just yesterday we were watching Southern Miss and South Carolina kick things off to start the year.
As they say—time flies when you’re having fun and the first half of the year sure has given us a whole bunch of fun moments.
We’ve witnessed some great performances from college football’s top players, and we are still nowhere near done trying to figure out who is going to play in the national championship game.
And really, that’s all you can ask for, right?
Let’s take a quick look at some of the best performers from college football’s first seven weeks.
QB Cameron Newton, Auburn
1 of 10
There’s no other player in college football that has willed and guided his team to success quite like Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.
The 6'6", 250-pound super-athlete has been an unstoppable force during the first seven weeks of the season, throwing over and running by any defense he’s gone up against.
The junior has already accounted for 25 total touchdowns and looks to be the clear front runner for the Heisman Trophy, as long as he can keep guiding the undefeated Tigers to more victories.
QB Denard Robinson, Michigan
2 of 10
Denard Robinson has tailed off a bit in the last few weeks, after setting college football ablaze with his fabulous playmaking skills to start the season. Nonetheless, the sophomore speedster still leads the entire nation with over 1,000 rushing yards.
Robinson is the heart and soul of this Michigan team. He’s obviously the clear-cut biggest reason why the Wolverines have been able to climb out of the hole they’ve been stuck in for the last two seasons.
It remains to be seen if the 6‘0", 180-pound QB can keep absorbing blows and still performing at the pace he’s already set. But whether Robinson maintains his performance or not, you have to appreciate the thrills he gave us in the first half of the season.
RB LaMichael James, Oregon
3 of 10
Could you build a running back more perfectly suited for Oregon’s spread offense than LaMichael James?
The answer: No!
James is a blur when he gets into open space, and his vision and breathtaking quickness make him one of the hardest players in the country to try and contain.
If Oregon wants to remain at the top of the polls, they’d be best served to keep feeding carries to the sophomore. He is averaging nearly 170 rushing yards a game.
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DE Da’Quan Bowers, Clemson
4 of 10
Da’Quan Bowers came into the 2010 season ready to prove his worth after failing to live up to his lofty recruiting status in his first two years as a Tiger.
By making a living in opponents backfields' this season, the 6‘4", 280-pound junior defensive end has reminded every evaluator why they thought so highly of him coming out of high school
Bowers currently leads all BCS players with 7.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.
If he keeps it up, the first round of the NFL draft could be in his near future.
WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
5 of 10
Dez who?
Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon has burst onto the Big 12 scene this season and made Cowboy fans forget about old what's his name who got in all that trouble last year.
Blackmon surpassed his 2009 total of two receiving touchdowns in the very first game of the year and hasn’t looked back since.
The 6‘1" sophomore currently leads the nation with 955 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, and he's a major reason why Oklahoma State is undefeated.
QB Kellen Moore, Boise State
6 of 10
They don’t play anybody!
That’s the same rap that every Boise State naysayer loves to throw out every time the Broncos are brought into the conversation. But guess what—Kellen Moore and his team simply don’t care what they have to say.
Moore is one of college football’s top competitors. And whenever someone says Boise State isn’t good enough, all the junior quarterback does is go out and win.
Moore, who is the proud owner of a 32-1 career record, has the top quarterback rating in the country. He has already guided the Broncos past BCS foes Virginia Tech and Oregon State this season.
LB Manti Te’o, Notre Dame
7 of 10
When people think of the Irish these days, they probably think about Brian Kelly’s newly-implemented spread offense led by quarterback Dayne Crist.
It’s on the other side of the ball, however, where Notre Dame’s top-impact player calls home.
Linebacker Manti Te’o has been a true monster in the middle for the Irish, averaging 11 tackles per game this season.
Notre Dame’s defense as a whole hasn’t played all that remarkable, but you can’t fault the 6‘2", 250-pound sophomore.
Te'o is the type of player that no ball carrier wants to see heading their way.
RB John Clay, Wisconsin
8 of 10
Ohio State’s defense just got done feeling the wrath of big Wisconsin running back John Clay, and it certainly wasn’t a pretty site.
Clay pounded the Buckeyes into submission in Wisconsin’s 31-18 Saturday night beat-down at Camp Randall Stadium, rushing for over 100 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
The powerful 250-pound back has rushed for over 100 yards in six out of Wisconsin’s seven games, and it doesn’t look like he’s about to slow down anytime soon.
WR Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
9 of 10
Oklahoma’s Ryan Broyles was able to form a nice chemistry with quarterback Landry Jones last season, when Jones filled in for the injured Sam Bradford.
That chemistry has certainly been evidenced in the junior receiver’s productive start to the season.
Broyles has been a consistent presence in the Sooners passing attack, and he presently leads the nation with 10 catches per game.
Expect Jones to keep looking towards Broyles, his No. 1 target, quite often in the second half of the season.
RB Bilal Powell, Louisville
10 of 10
A player that seems to be getting lost in the shuffle of the Big East’s early struggles has been Louisville running back Bilal Powell.
Powell was praised by Charlie Strong and his coaching staff coming into the season, and he has yet to disappoint.
The 6‘0", 215-pound senior is coming off consecutive 200-plus-yard rushing efforts against Memphis and Cincinnati. He has the type of talent and athleticism to be a major sleeper in the 2011 NFL Draft.
If Strong’s Cardinals are going to challenge for bowl contention, they’re going to need to keep leaning on Powell in the run game.
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