On paper, there weren’t many standout games on the Week 2 schedule, but this is college football — there are always standout games. Northern Illinois upset No. 5 Notre Dame. Boise State drove Oregon to the brink … again. And, of course, there were elite performances galore.
Without further ado, Week 2 College Football Players of the Week.
College Football Players of the Week | Week 2
Quarterback of the Week: Quinn Ewers, Texas
Quinn Ewers continues to prove himself as a big-game QB, leading No. 3 Texas to a 31-12 rout over No. 10 Michigan just a year after guiding the Longhorns to a road win over Alabama.
Ewers threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns, completing 24 of 36 passes against one of the nation’s top defenses.
“I just enjoy big moments,” Ewers said after the Longhorns held the lead throughout, snapping Michigan’s Big Ten record 29-game regular-season winning streak and 23-game home streak.
Honorable mentions: Kyle McCord, Syracuse; Kurtis Rourke, Indiana; Joe Fagnano, UConn; Matthew Sluka, UNLV; Carson Beck, Georgia; Thomas Castellanos, Boston College; Blake Horvath, Navy; Will Rogers, Washington; Cam Ward, Miami; Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss; DJ Lagway, Florida; Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Offensive Player of the Week: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
We might need to name this award the “Ashton Jeanty Offensive Player of the Week.” One week after single-handedly carrying Boise State to a 56-45 win over Georgia Southern, Jeanty ran all over No. 7-ranked Oregon.
He scored the Broncos’ first touchdown early in the second quarter before rumbling 70 yards for a TD on their first fourth-quarter possession. Then, Jeanty crested the end zone on an eight-yard run, giving Boise State a 34-27 lead — albeit only for a few minutes, as Oregon scored on the ensuing kickoff.
Jeanty did all he could to upset the Ducks, finishing with 192 yards and three TDs on 25 carries after generating a 20-267-6 line last week.
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“I want to be the next best running back to come through here,” Jeanty said during Mountain West Media Days this summer. “And I think [running for 2,000 yards] is one thing that will stamp me — certify me — as a legendary running back to come through Boise State.”
With back-to-back Heisman-worthy performances, Jeanty is not only cementing himself as Boise State’s go-to playmaker but also as the top running back in college football. If he keeps up this pace, 2,000 yards may be just the beginning of his legendary run.
Honorable mentions: Gunnar Helm, WR, Texas; Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green; Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State; DJ Giddens, RB, Kansas State; Ricky White III, WR, UNLV; Ja’Quinden Jackson, RB, Arkansas; Andrew Armstrong, WR, Arkansas; Antario Brown, RB, Northern Illinois; Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa; Nick Marsh, WR, Michigan State; Tai Felton, WR, Maryland; Henry Parrish Jr., RB, Ole Miss; Jam Miller, RB, Alabama; Donovan Green, WR, Wake Forest; Chris Dawn Jr., WR, Texas State; Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers.
Defensive Players of the Week: The Entire Nebraska Defense
Ty Robinson. MJ Sherman. Nash Hutmacher. Willis McGahee IV. JTommi Hill.
Any one of Nebraska’s 11 starters could’ve earned Defensive Player of the Week, so we’re giving it to the entire unit. Robinson, Sherman, Hutmacher, and McGahee all recorded a sack, with McGahee’s being the first of his collegiate career. Hill returned an interception seven yards for a pick-six on Colorado’s third possession of the game.
“That’s how we wanted to come out. Dominance,” Robinson said after the game. “We wanted them to feel us.”
Star Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders was sacked five times and faced relentless pressure throughout before being pulled from the game. Nebraska’s dominant defense fueled a 28-0 halftime lead — their largest since 2021 — and secured the program’s first win in the final matchup of a four-game home-and-home series with Colorado.
Honorable mentions: Glendon Miller, DB, Maryland; Tyler Baron, EDGE, Miami; Jamal Potts, DB, FIU; Brian Blades II, DB, FIU; Aydan White, DB, NC State; Will Brooks, DB, Tennessee; Kale Smith, CB, Oklahoma State; Elijah Herring, LB, Memphis; Jack Henderson, DB, Minnesota; Jack Kelly, LB, BYU; Ben Bell, DL, Texas State; Colin Ramos, LB, Navy; Car’lin Vigers, CB, UL Monroe; Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas; Xavier Scott, DT, Illinois.
Special Teams Players of the Week: Oregon’s Returners
There were several return TDs this week, but none meant more than those by Oregon’s Tez Johnson and Noah Whittington.
Johnson is Oregon’s best WR, but Boise State held him to -1 yards on three receptions. However, the best players make their presence felt no matter what, and Johnson did just with the game tied 20-20 in the third quarter.
With the game tied 20-20, Johnson caught a punt, broke a tackle, weaved his way through traffic, and exploded downfield for an 85-yard score. The play shifted the momentum toward Oregon … until Jeanty scored back-to-back TDs early in the fourth quarter.
But it didn’t take long for the Ducks to respond, as Noah Whittington took the kickoff the length of the field for a 100-yard TD — even though he dropped the ball before crossing the end zone.
In a game filled with big plays, Johnson and Whittington’s return TDs proved to be the difference-makers for Oregon.
Honorable mentions: Devin Bale, P, Arkansas; TJ Sheffield, PR, UConn; Logan Lupo, P, FAU; Jacquez Stuart, KR, Toledo; Matthew Rhodes, P, Army; Jaylin Lane, PR, Virginia Tech; Martel Hight, PR, Vanderbilt; Lewis Carter, LB, Oklahoma; Courtney Jackson, PR, Arkansas State; Colin Rogers, K, SMU.
Freshman Player of the Week: Nick Marsh, WR, Michigan State
Several freshman wide receivers exploded in Week 2, but none stood out more than Michigan State’s Nick Marsh. The consensus four-star recruit was the Spartans’ entire offense, hauling in eight receptions for 194 yards and one TD.
However, what raises Marsh’s performance to a tier above the rest is his one and only score. Down 24-17 with four minutes in the fourth quarter, MSU was in desperate need of a TD, and Marsh delivered on the first play of the drive, taking an Aidan Chiles pass 77 yards for a dive past the pylon.
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Then, on the final drive, Marsh caught two balls for 17 yards and drew a key pass interference penalty on a 3rd and 10 that led to the game-winning field goal.
Honorable mentions: Rolijah Hardy, LB, Indiana; Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State; Dylan Stewart, DL, South Carolina; Bryant Wesco, WR, Clemson; Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama; Greg Burrell, RB, UNLV.
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