There were several must-watch games on the Week 12 schedule, but this is college football — every game is must-watch TV. The Stanford Cardinal caught the No. 19 Louisville Cardinals lacking. The Florida Gators sent the No. 22 LSU Tigers packing. And naturally, there was no shortage of eye-popping performances.
Without further ado, the Week 12 College Football Players of the Week.
College Football Players of the Week | Week 12
Quarterback of the Week: LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Entering Week 12, the South Carolina Gamecocks had never defeated three AP Top 25 teams in a row. After Week 12, they have. A large reason why? Starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
Against the No. 23 Missouri Tigers, Sellers completed 21 of 30 passes for 353 yards, a career-high five touchdowns, and one interception. And, as is customary from his dual-threat skill set, he also ran for 50 more yards on the ground.
None of Sellers’ completions were more important than his last: a quick pitch inside that RB Raheim Sanders took 15 yards for the go-ahead score with 15 seconds to go in the contest. Yet, the redshirt freshman’s play of the game came on the second-to-last drive, when Sellers broke out of a would-be sack to hit TE Brady Hunt for an 11-yard gain on 3rd and 10.
The Gamecocks have now won four straight SEC matchups for the first time since Steve Spurrier was the head coach in 2012. For that, South Carolina fans can thank Sellers — the engine driving their historic run.
Honorable mentions: Parker Navarro, Ohio; Owen McCown, UTSA; Darian Mensah, Tulane; Payton Thorne, Auburn; Shedeur Sanders, Colorado; Quentin Hayes, Air Force; Drew Allar, Penn State; Sawyer Robertson, Baylor; Jayden Maiava, USC; Jordan McCloud, Texas State; Sam Leavitt, Arizona State; Carson Beck, Georgia; Matthew Caldwell, Troy; Seth Henigan, Memphis; Devon Dampier, New Mexico; John Mateer, Washington State.
Offensive Player of the Week: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
All Tyler Warren does is produce, but we have to credit the Penn State Nittany Lions for ensuring he’s involved.
On top of hauling in eight receptions for 127 yards and one TD, he also took three carries for 63 yards and a 48-yard score on a direct snap.
MORE: 2024 College Football Power Rankings
“Tyler Warren continues to make plays in a ton of different ways,” head coach James Franklin said after the game. “I think he’s in the conversations for one of the best players in all of college football, let alone the tight end position.”
We couldn’t agree more, coach.
In line, in the slot, out wide, or in the backfield, it doesn’t matter — Warren will produce, as evidenced by his season-long receiving (67-808-5) and rushing (16-157-5) lines.
Honorable mentions: Justin Bowick, WR, Ball State; Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green; Terion Stewart, RB, Bowling Green; Keyon Mozee, RB, Miami-OH; Trayvon Rudolph, WR, NIU; Shane Porter, RB, UNT; Robert Henry, RB, UTSA; Quinton Cooley, RB, Liberty; Desmond Reid, RB, Pitt; Dante Wright, WR, Temple; Tre Stewart, RB, JSU; Rahsul Faison, RB, USU; Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame; Woody Marks, RB, USC; Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State; Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson; Jamaal Pritchett, WR, South Alabama; Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State; Justin Lockhart and Nick Nash, WRs, SJSU; Jordyn Tyson, WR, ASU; Omarion Hampton, RB, UNC; Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State.
Defensive Players of the Week: T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson
Did the Clemson Tigers narrowly defeat the Pittsburgh Panthers? Yes. But the only reason they even won the game was sophomore EDGE T.J. Parker.
Clemson had eight sacks on the day — Parker accounted for four of them, tying a school record. But he didn’t stop there, adding three more tackles, a forced fumble, and even a pass deflection.
Whether it was a dip-and-rip, pure bull rush, or any other move he wanted, the 6’3″, 265-pound defender had his way with every man across from him.
Honorable mentions: Anthony Dunn Jr., DL, Toledo; Shaun Dolac, LB, Buffalo; Tank Pearson, CB, Ohio; Zah Frazier, CB, UTSA; Owen Goss and Genesis Smith, DBs, Arizona; Kyle Louis, LB, Pitt; Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State; Mike Green, DL, Marshall; J.J. Roberts, DB, Marshall; Marlowe Wax, LB, Syracuse; Ceyair Wright, DB, Nebraska; Xavier Watts, DB, Notre Dame; Shemar James, LB, Florida; Jasheen Davis, DL, Wake Forest.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Tyler Loop, K, Arizona
On the surface, Tyler Loop’s stat line — 2 of 2 on field goals and 3 of 3 on extra points — doesn’t look all that impressive, but a deeper look paints a different picture.
His first field goal was a 62-yarder on the final play of the first half, giving the Arizona Wildcats a 10-3 lead. But more than that, the kick was a school record by five yards and was just the second 60+ yarder by any player this season (Temple’s Maddux Trujillo in Week 4).
Loop’s second kick was also a beaut, coming from 51 yards out on Arizona’s first possession of the second half.
Honorable mentions: Dylan Cunanan, K, Toledo; Mitchell Tomasek, P, EMU; Tate Sandell, K, UTSA; Buck Buchanan, K, Louisiana Tech; Riley Riethman, P, Navy; LaJohntay Wester, PR, Colorado; Aidan Swanson, P, Clemson; Jacob Ulrich, P, Kennesaw State; Jackson Kennedy, K, Sam Houston; James Rendell, P, Notre Dame; Trey Smack, K, Florida; Emmet Kenney, K, Stanford; Eddie Czaplicki, P, USC; Josh Green, P, Oregon State; Aaron Rodriguez, P, New Mexico.
Freshman Player of the Week: Emmett Mosley V, WR, Stanford
Most college football fans likely know Elic Ayomanor, but a different Stanford WR powered the program to an upset win over Louisville in Week 12.
Despite entering the contest as 20-point home underdogs, the Cardinal snapped a six-game losing streak on the back of true freshman Emmett Mosley V’s school-record 13 receptions, 168 yards, and three TDs. He even added 13 rushing yards to boot.
KEEP READING: Top 100 College Football Players in 2024
Down 35-21 in the fourth quarter, Stanford tied it with back-to-back TD passes to Mosley, the second coming from backup QB Justin Lamson with 45 seconds left. The Cardinal then got the ball at its own 45 and, thanks to an unsportsmanlike conduct call, put the game away with a 52-yard walk-off field goal.
Mosley’s breakout performance not only rewrote the Stanford record books but also put his name on the national map.
Honorable mentions: Justin Marshall, RB, Colo State; Demond Williams Jr., QB, Washington; Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State; Drelon Miller, WR, Colorado; Kadin Semonza, QB, Ball State; Cutter Boley, QB, Kentucky; Jamarion Wilcox, RB, Kentucky; Duke Watson, RB, Louisville; Joseph Williams, WR, Tulsa; Cam Coleman, WR, Auburn; Colin Simmons, EDGE, Texas; Bryson Washington, RB, Baylor; Marcel Reed, QB, TAMU.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.