MAXWELL MOMENTUM: COLLEGE FOOTBALL UPDATE WEEK 7
Maxwell Football Club College Football Update Week 7
Highlights of notable Maxwell Award candidates for the week ending Oct. 12
Who’s Hot on the Maxwell Award List
QB Evan Bullock, Louisiana Tech - Sonny Cumbie might have his quarterback of the future, which is cause for much-needed optimism in Ruston. The Bulldogs totaled a season-high 551 yards and seven touchdowns in Thursday night’s 48-21 rout of Middle Tennessee. Bullock was responsible for six of those TDs. The redshirt freshman from Anna, Tex. threw for 290 yards and five scores on 18-of-25 passing.
QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon - Saturday night versus Ohio State, Gabriel was everything the Ducks thought he’d be when they nabbed him from the portal. The former Oklahoma Sooner (and UCF Knight) was the poised and accurate presence Oregon needed him to be, piloting a thrilling 32-31 win over the second-ranked Buckeyes. Gabriel accounted for three TDs and 368 yards against the elite OSU D, while engineering the game-winning 74-yard drive late in the fourth quarter.
RB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa - The Hawkeyes rung up 40 points on a solid Washington defense, most of it generated from the legs of Johnson. The junior, who’s been the next best thing to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty at running back this year, ran 21 times for 166 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Johnson also caught three passes for 22 yards and another TD, and now leads the Big Ten in scoring.
QB Riley Leonard, Notre Dame - Leonard has found his groove as the Fighting Irish quarterback, and all is right in South Bend. Notre Dame has now won four straight since losing to Northern Illinois in Week 2, pummeling Stanford Saturday, 49-7. Leonard had his best passing day with the program, completing 16-of-22 for 229 yards and three TDs while adding 31 yards and another score on the ground.
QB Kyle McCord, Syracuse - For the third time this season, the Orange won a one-score game to move to 5-1 under first-year coach Fran Brown. Syracuse withstood a late rally from NC State to win in Raleigh, 24-17, Saturday night. McCord continued his hot start in his debut with the program, completing 31-of-42 passes for 346 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers.
RB Cam Skattebo, Arizona State - A year after going 3-9, Kenny Dillingham has ASU 5-1 and a bona fide Big 12 contender. Skattebo has one of the driving forces of the turnaround in Tempe. The Sun Devils spoiled the return of Utah QB Cam Rising with Friday night’s 27-19 win in front of an electrified home crowd. LB Caleb McCullough intercepted two of Rising’s passes and Skattebo had two clutch TD runs to go along with 199 total yards from scrimmage.
RB Tawee Walker, Wisconsin - See what happens when you tap into your roots, Wisky? The Badgers went old-school on Rutgers Saturday in Piscataway, running the ball 47 times in an unexpectedly lopsided 42-7 win. Walker has emerged as the feature back since injuries forced Chez Mellusi to step away from the game. He went for a personal-best 198 rushing yards and three TDs against the Scarlet Knights, and he’s now scored eight times in the last three games.
TE Tyler Warren, Penn State - The Nittany Lions earned one of their biggest wins under James Franklin, rallying from two touchdowns down to beat USC in the Coliseum, 33-30. Warren delivered an historically impressive effort in the victory. The senior set the Penn State record with 17 receptions as well as the school record for tight ends with 224 receiving yards. Warren also completed a pass, ran for four yards, and caught a TD pass on a play that began with him snapping the ball.
Who’s Hot on the Bednarik Award List
The Maxwell Football Club honors the nation’s best defensive player with the Chuck Bednarik Award. Here’s a look at last week’s standout defenders.
ED Brandon Berger, Ball State - Berger had the game of his college career Saturday, as Ball State defeated Kent State, 37-35, for its first FBS win of the season. The senior from Indianapolis, who only became a starter this season, invaded the Golden Flashes’ backfield for three sacks and three quarterback hurries. It was the first multi-sack game of Berger’s career in Muncie.
LB Isaiah Glasker, BYU - If you’re not already on the BYU bandwagon, it might be too late. The Cougars have been one of this season’s biggest surprises, opening 6-0 and rising to the top of the Big 12. In Week 6, BYU disposed of Arizona, 41-19, on the backs of the big-play D. Glasker added to his breakout sophomore season with his best game in Provo. The rangy 6-5, 235-pounder had five tackles, two stops for loss, a strip-sack, a pick-six, a pass breakup and two hurries of Noah Fifita.
LB Anthony Hill Jr., Texas - The Longhorns wanted revenge for last year’s loss to rival Oklahoma. They got it and then some Saturday afternoon in Dallas, 34-3. The Sooners were clearly overmatched, with a rookie under center and a MASH unit at wide receiver. Hill, the blue-chip recruit from 2023, took full advantage with one of his best efforts at Texas. He was all over the field and finished with a game-high 11 tackles, 3.5 stops behind the line, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
LB Carson Schwesinger, UCLA - Even at 1-5, the Bruins are playing their hearts out for rookie head coach Deshaun Foster. That’s no more evident than in the play of No. 49. Schwesinger had a career night against Minnesota in a game the defense allowed just 234 total yards and played well enough to get the win. The junior racked up 12 solo stops, 4.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks while earning a stellar 90.3 grade from Pro Football Focus.
DE Jimmy Scott, Pitt - The Panthers have stayed unbeaten and cracked the Top 25 behind the offense this season. However, on Saturday with Cal in town they won with defense. Pitt yielded just 15 points and harassed Bear QB Fernando Mendoza from wire to wire. Scott was not the only defensive catalyst, but he was the most ferocious one in the 17-15 win. The sophomore had six tackles, 3.5 of his team’s 11 tackles for loss, and a career-high three sacks.
LB Mac Uihlein, Northwestern - Who saw this coming? Northwestern went into College Park Friday night as a heavy underdog and hammered Maryland, 37-10. It was the fewest points scored by Maryland in two years. Uihlein anchored the defensive effort from middle linebacker with 13 tackles, 11 of which were solo stops. The junior also chipped in a forced fumble and a pass breakup in coverage.
LB Whit Weeks, LSU - Death Valley at night. LSU doesn’t lose these games very often. The Tigers rallied to beat Ole Miss in overtime Saturday night, 29-26, in what amounted to a likely playoff elimination game. Garrett Nussmeier threw the clincher to Kyren Lacy, but Weeks and DE Bradyn Swinson were the defensive stars that held the Rebels in check. Weeks was everywhere for the Bengals with 18 tackles, two stops for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup.
LB Jackson Woodard, UNLV - The Rebels needed to rebound quickly from last week’s first loss of the year. Woodard was determined to take care of business from his side of the ball Friday night at Utah State. The senior, who’s playing as well as any linebacker in the country right now, was all over the field for UNLV. Playing like a true three-down defender, Woodard had a game-high 12 tackles and was in on three turnovers, a fumble recovery and two interceptions.
Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award Player of the Week
The Maxwell Football Club supports former Alabama and Seattle Seahawks star RB Shaun Alexander in annually naming the top college freshman.
QB Ryan Browne, Purdue - The Boilermakers lost a heartbreaker in Week 7 and found a quarterback of the future. Browne filled in for the injured Hudson Card and nearly led an upset of No. 23 Illinois. In his first start, the redshirt freshman produced 49 points, five more than Purdue scored in the previous four games. Browne went 18-of-26 for 297 yards and three touchdowns, adding a game-high 118 yards on the ground. He became the first Boilermaker to pass for more than 200 yards and run for over 100 yards since Mike Phipps in 1969.
Must-See Week 7 Games
Nebraska (5-1) at Indiana (6-0) - Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET (FOX):
The Huskers and the Hoosiers in Bloomington for the Big Ten game of the week. That is not a misprint.
Nebraska and Indiana are two of the country’s biggest surprises so far this season. IU, behind new coach Curt Cignetti and new QB Kurtis Rourke, is off to its best start since 1967. Plus, the Hoosiers haven’t even been challenged late in games. However, Nebraska is the best team they’ll face through the first seven weeks. Big Red hasn’t bowled since 2016, but that streak will end with an upset Saturday. The Huskers have allowed more than 10 points in just one game, so this will be a very interesting test for Rourke & Co.
Alabama (5-1) at Tennessee (5-1) - Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC):
Bama-Tennessee always matters. But this chapter of the rivalry really matters.
The Tide and the Vols are playoff contenders, but neither has looked like it in recent weeks. So, who flinches Saturday at Neyland Stadium? Since halftime of the Georgia game, Alabama has gotten exposed defensively, lost to Vanderbilt, and nearly blew a home game to South Carolina. Meanwhile, Tennessee was upset by Arkansas in Week 6 and needed to rally Saturday to beat a Florida team that lost starting QB Graham Mertz. The offense has gone into hibernation and the program will also be battling history, having lost 16 of the last 17 to the Tide.
Notre Dame (5-1) at Georgia Tech (5-2) - Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN):
The Fighting Irish have regrouped with authority since the Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. But the Yellow Jackets have had this game circled for a very long time.
Georgia Tech keeps growing under Brent Key, pulling to within a victory of bowl-eligibility after Saturday’s exciting win at North Carolina. The offense is averaging 33 points per game and the defense is much improved from a year ago. Beating Notre Dame would be a nationally significant signature win for the program. However, that will be a heavy lift against the Irish. ND features one of the nation’s top defenses at 11.7 points per game allowed, and the offense is gradually becoming more balanced around QB Riley Leonard.
Georgia (5-1) at Texas (6-0) - Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC):
Is Georgia still among the small handful of serious national championship contenders? We’re about to find out Saturday night.
The Dawgs travel to Austin for the college football game of the week. Georgia is unusually vulnerable this season, unable to outclass opponents the way it has in recent years under Kirby Smart. Having already lost to Alabama, the Dawgs will be playing this one with a palpable sense of urgency. Texas has looked every bit like the top-ranked team, winning six games by an average score of 43-6. Plus, Quinn Ewers was able to shake off some rust in Saturday’s Oklahoma win. As good as the Horns D has been, it has yet to see a quality quarterback, facing true freshmen the last two weeks. It’ll be fascinating to see how they fare against Carson Beck, who’s a future NFL Draft pick.
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