As you can see, this weekly series is called on the ball, which usually is a phrase to show that something is consistent and doing exactly what it needs to do. Unfortunately, my schedule got packed up and I missed two weeks of this article, meaning I was not, in fact, On the Ball (come on, too easy, I had to).
With that horrible joke out of the way, let’s get to some football. And man, what a week it was. Three top 10 teams go down, other teams continue to look shaky and tumble down the rankings (sorry Louisville/Michigan) while other top teams took care of business like they needed to. Surprisingly (and possibly as punishment for missing a few weeks of the article) there were not too many huge performances. Guys had solid weeks, but the upsets were really based around great team play rather than one guy stepping up for the most part. But, that does not mean we have a lack of video game stats, as some guys still carried their teams and put up the stats we have come to know and love from our NCAA Football games (thanks for ruining that, he-who-shall-not-be-named). Without further adieu, let’s get into the top performers of this exciting week 7!
Offense: WR Michael Gallup, Colorado State
Stats: 13 catches, 263 yards, 3 TDs
Congrats to Michael Gallup for being the first wide receiver to win this prestigious Offensive Player of the Week from Student Union! It is well deserved, as Gallup ran circles around the Nevada defensive backs. It was much needed also, because despite the huge game from him, Colorado State only won the game by 2 points. That shows how big of an impact some talented players can have, even for smaller schools. If Gallup keeps performing like this, his already decently high draft stock will continue to soar. Watch some Colorado State games and you can see how he puts up crazy stats like this week’s.
Defense: DL Marcus Davenport, UTSA
Stats: 8 tackles, 4 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 FF
This was a weird week on defense. Through all of my research for a Player of the Week, I could not find one that really stands out. There were some two interception games here, a touchdown there, but nothing really made my eyes pop. So, I decided to give some credit to a small-school guy who put up a solid game. Davenport did a little bit of everything for UTSA in their narrow loss to North Texas. He was a disruption in the backfield and even forced a turnover as the cherry on top. Nothing eye popping, but a great game deserving of some recognition.
Special Teams: K Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia
Stats: 4/4 field goals, 5/5 extra points, 17 points scored
Besides having a name worthy of consideration for the All-NCAA name team (and the owner of some sick glasses), Blankenship had a solid day in a Georgia win. While his team took care of business, it is always nice to have a consistent kicker who can be counted on to make the easy ones (after all, we usually get #collegekickers). He connected on all four of his field goal attempts as well as all five of his extra point attempts. Solid day all around for Blankenship and the Georgia Bulldogs (again).
Special Mention: P Kaare Vedvik, Marshall
Reason: 92 yard punt!
Punters never get love, but this dude got a touchback on a kick from his own 8 yard line. That is deserving of something.
Check back next week for the most absurd performers of week 8!