Young athletes that take it to an exceptional level.
College football is enjoyable on a weekly basis. It’s the jaw-dropping performances by exciting, young athletes that takes it to an exceptional level, and we witnessed plenty of those in Week 11.
Across the country, fans saw an incredible level of monster stat lines from running backs and wide receivers. This week’s action also treated us to some striking performances by quarterbacks, especially on the ground.
What made Week 11 even more special was three unheralded outside linebackers being constant nuisances for their quarterbacks with overpowering performances.
Here are the 15 most jaw-dropping performances in college football Week 11.
Daniel Jones, quarterback, Duke Blue Devils
A monster performance can feel great whenever it happens, but it’s even more meaningful when it comes against one of your school’s biggest rivals.
Jones put on a clinic in Saturday’s big win over North Carolina with a sharp performance through the air and on the ground. He threw for 361 yards with three touchdowns and added another touchdown with 181 yards on the ground.
Jones, 21, showed everyone in attendance why he needs to be on the NFL radar. He is a machine at quarterback with outstanding dual-threat ability. Of course, Jones will need to do even more if Duke wants to compete against Clemson on Nov. 17.
David Pindell, quarterback, Connecticut Huskies
The role of a quarterback is often to set the tone offensively and make things happen in the passing game. Pindell is taking things to another level in Connecticut as the do-it-all player for this offense.
Pindell racked up touchdowns with ease in a high-scoring battle against SMU. The senior threw for three scores and completed 19-of-25 passes in a sharp performance through the air. Of course, most of his damage came via the ground with 163 rushing yards and two touchdowns. While the Huskies are 1-9, Pindell is finding new ways each week to rack up numbers.
Anthony McFarland, running back, Maryland Terrapins
A week after coaching turmoil stole the headlines, Maryland’s freshman running back gave the fan base something to feel good. Once starting running back Ty Johnson exited the game, a star emerged in Maryland.
The Terrapins turned to the redshirt freshman more than they ever have before. McFarland entered Saturday with no more than 16 touches in a single game, but he received 27 carries against Indiana.
McFarland turned the massive workload into an impressive 207 rushing yards. While Maryland fell short in a heartbreaking 34-32 loss, fans can at least feel some excitement for McFarland’s role in Matt Canada’s offense.
Trayveon Williams, running back, Texas A&M Aggies
While not everything has gone well for the Aggies this season, the reemergence of Williams under Jimbo Fisher has been extremely fun to watch.
When given a little room to run, Williams is among one of the best running backs in the SEC. He put his talent on full display against Ole Miss and made the Rebels remember him for quite some time.
The Aggies made Williams the focal point offensively with 34 total touches and another 200-plus yard performance. The junior rushed for 228 rushing yards with another 15 receiving yards and his 12th total touchdown on the season.
Devine Ozigbo, running back, Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska is starting to find its footing offensively under Scott Frost, and plenty of the credit must go to Ozigbo. In an offense with a freshman quarterback, Ozigbo has stepped up as a leader and a difference maker.
The senior turned in his most efficient game of the season against Illinois. Ozigbo turned 14 touches into a season-high three total touchdowns with 198 total yards. It was simply an incredible performance to watch with big plays on nearly every touch as the Cornhuskers picked up their third win in their past four games.
David Long Jr., outside linebacker, West Virginia Mountaineers
While so much attention is given to West Virginia’s offense, a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball emerged against TCU. Long Jr. flashed everywhere on the field on Saturday and always seemed to have a nose for the football.
The junior destroyed TCU’s quarterback with three sacks and frustrated him even more with three pass breakups. Long Jr. finished the day with four tackles for a loss and served as a constant nuisance for TCU’s offense. This defensive masterpiece was a pleasure to watch and should put Long Jr. on the national spotlight a little more.
Qadree Ollison, running back, Pittsburgh Panthers
A week after his teammate Darrin Hall dropped a 200-yard rushing performance, Ollison joined the action with an equally impressive performance in Week 11.
The senior tailback turned 16 carries into 235 yards and three scores in a performance that seemed out of this world. He split carries with Hall, who rushed for 186 yards and a score on seven touches, in a drubbing of Virginia Tech’s defense.
Just an absolute stunner by Pittsburgh’s running attack with a backfield that is making 200-yard, three-touchdown games seem common.
Willie Gay Jr., outside linebacker, Mississippi State Bulldogs
Facing the Alabama Crimson Tide and Tua Tagovailoa, Gay Jr. made Saturday a living hell for the Heisman Trophy frontrunner.
The sophomore linebacker put constant pressure on Tagovailoa and turned the pressure into production with two sacks. His most impressive sequence came on consecutive plays with a sack followed by an interception, making sure Tagovailoa would remember his name.
Mississippi State might have lost this game 24-0, but Gay Jr. and this defense delivered a stellar performance. Putting this kind of pressure on a future NFL quarterback in the worst game thus far in his career at Alabama is the type of game that puts young players on the map.
Jordan Love, quarterback, Utah State Aggies
In a battle of ‘Love,’ Saturday proved one Love can be stronger than another. In this case, Utah State’s Love rose above San Jose State’s Love.
Jordan Love picked San Jose State’s defense apart and seemingly made it a game of seven-on-seven. Love completed 32-of-41 passes for 491 passing yards and scored six total touchdowns as the Aggies humiliated their opponent.
The intriguing sophomore quarterback has now found his footing at the collegiate level with 23 total touchdowns over his past six games. Now with an upcoming matchup against Colorado State, Love will have a chance to reign supreme again.
Darnell Mooney, wide receiver, Tulane Green Wave
While a 24-18 contest doesn’t seem like the type of game where fans would find an eye-popping stat line, Tulane’s six-point victory over East Carolina provided just that.
Mooney turned six receptions into 217 receiving yards and two scores. The junior receiver hauled in half of quarterback Justin McMillan’s completions and accounted for nearly 60 percent of his passing yards. He essentially won this game on his own and the Green Wave are now one win shy of bowl eligibility because of it.
Darrell Taylor, outside linebacker, Tennessee Volunteers
Before the Volunteers celebrated in the locker room following a shocking upset over the No. 11-ranked Kentucky Wildcats, Taylor should have received a Gatorade shower.
The junior linebacker drew national attention this season with a three-sack performance against Georgia. He took things a step further against the Wildcats with a shocking four-sack performance.
Tennessee’s entire defense stepped up in this upset win, however, Taylor’s jaw-dropping performance deserves an even more unique celebration for his remarkable dominance.
Tylan Wallace, wide receiver, Oklahoma State Cowboys
An in-state rivalry turned into a non-stop scoring fest in Oklahoma. While several players stood out on both sides, Wallace made the biggest impact of them all.
The sophomore receiver quickly became the go-to receiver for the Cowboys facing a secondary that had no answer for him. He stepped up again with the game on the line, hauling in a 24-yard touchdown pass in the final minutes.
While the Cowboys fell just short on the two-point conversion and saw an upset win slip from their fingers, Wallace let nothing slip on Saturday. He finished with 10 receptions for 220 receiving yards and two scores in a breathtaking performance.
Tre Walker, wide receiver, San Jose State Spartans
Very few things have gone right, or even remotely close to it, for the Spartans this season. While Saturday proved to be another embarrassing loss for the team, at least their sophomore receiver stood out.
Walker did everything humanly possible to keep his team in this game. The sophomore turned seven receptions into a stunning 209 receiving yards with 35- and 75-yard touchdown receptions.
Frankly, Walker’s numbers are even more preposterous because San Jose State’s quarterbacks are horrific to watch. For a wide receiver to post 200-plus yards in spite of cringe-worthy quarterback play, that is a truly jaw-dropping game.
Ryquell Armstead, running back, Temple Owls
There are no words to capture Armstead’s historic night in Week 11 against the Houston Cougars. The senior came into Week 11 with six rushing touchdowns, he matched that number in a single game.
Armstead’s domination started early with three scores in the first half. He clearly developed a liking for the end zone because he racked up another three rushing scores in the second half.
The end result was a six-touchdown, 210-yard performance against a Houston Cougars team that entered with a 7-2 record. We’ve seen some unbelievable performances this year, but Armstead’s stat line will leave jaws dropped to the floor for the rest of the year.
D’Eriq King, quarterback, Houston Cougars
On a night when Temple’s running back stole the show with his six-touchdown performance, King might have delivered the most unheralded six-touchdown game in football history.
Even when Houston’s defense repeatedly allowed Armstead to find the end zone, King’s arm and legs carried this team back and nearly pulled off the victory. The electrifying dual-threat quarterback finished with 322 passing yards, 125 rushing yards and six touchdowns against Temple.
Following his thrilling performance on Saturday, King now sits at 48 total touchdowns on the season. Colt Brennan holds the all-time record with 63 touchdowns responsible for in a season. King has potentially four games left remaining this year, so he could have a great chance at college football history.
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