(This is a weekly article on Student Union sports covering the most ridiculous stat lines of the week)
Man, what a week. We had some close games, blowouts, upsets, and games that look like blowouts but really weren’t (I promise, Cincinnati was winning with 6 minutes left!!). We also had some amazing performances by individual players this week. Being Week 3, we are starting to see who has had a fluke game and who really is the next generation of stars in college football. Kind of like how you could take your favorite backup and make them a Heisman winner in NCAA Football video games, players are coming out of nowhere to put up some unbelievable weeks. I am here to fill you in on who had these games! So without further ado, here are the players who were On The Ball and put up the top stat lines for week 3:
Offense: QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville
WR James Washington, Oklahoma State
Stats: Jackson: 13-20, 216 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 146 rushing yards, 4 TD
Washington: 9 rec, 296 yards, 2 TD
I’m going to start calling this article “the Lamar Jackson video game stat line of the week”. He has been on it every week and shows no signs of slowing down. I’m pretty sure he is STILL running on Florida State as I write this (it’s Monday). I include James Washington because it isn’t fair just having Jackson as the offensive player every week. But also, Washington had an amazing game. 296 receiving yards is what happens when you have a 6’5 star receiver in your Dynasty on NCAA 14 and just throw it up to him every play. Oklahoma State ended up pulling out the win against Pittsburgh, and Washington helped his quarterback Mason Rudolph set a school record for passing yards.
Defense: DB Jordan Wyatt, SMU
Stats: 4 tackles, 2 INT, 1 TD, 1 PD
Nothing completely unbelievable this week from the defensive side, but Wyatt was one of 5 players to get 2 interceptions and he returned one of those for a touchdown. He also had a fair amount of tackles and had a pass defended. He happened to be in the right place at the right time and came away with two interceptions, albeit against a team that isn’t usually a powerhouse in Liberty. Wyatt added to his season total and now is sitting at 3 interceptions through 3 games.
Special Teams: UTIL Jabrill Peppers, Michigan
Stats: 40.5 kick return avg., 24.8 punt return avg., 1 TD
Peppers was all over the field during the Saturday win against Colorado. He had 24 rushing yards, a sack, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a punt return touchdown. The touchdown on the punt return was very impressive, as he took it 54 yards to the house while leaving numerous Colorado defenders in the dust. He also was getting big returns on every punt and kick, with an average just above 24 on punts and 40.5 average on kicks. The do-it-all Peppers just showed one more facet to his game that he has a huge impact on, and I am sure the Wolverines will be happy they have him in their hunt for the College Football Playoff.
I look forward to seeing you all back on Student Union for next weeks edition of On the Ball!