Take a bow: The On3 players of the week for Week 13
Here are the On3 players of the week for Week 13 of the 2022 season. Each week, we pick players of the week in each Power 5 conference as well as an overall Group of 5 player of the week.
Everything being equal, more weight is given to big performances against “good” opponents.
ACC
Duke QB Riley Leonard
The buzz: One of the most under-the-radar stories this fall has been Duke going 8-4 under new coach Mike Elko. Leonard, a redshirt freshman, is a big reason for the big season. He capped off an excellent regular season by throwing for a career-high 394 yards and four TDs as the Blue Devils upset Wake Forest 34-31. Leonard’s final TD pass was a 20-yarder with 2:04 left that provided the winning margin. It was one of eight completions that covered at least 20 yards. He also threw two 30-yard scoring passes, as well as a 46-yard TD. Leonard has thrown for 2,794 yards, which is tied for 10th-best in Duke single-season history; his 20 TD passes is tied for fourth-best in school history.
Big Ten
Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy
The buzz: Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud came in as one of the top two Heisman contenders, but McCarthy outplayed him in the Wolverines’ 45-23 victory. McCarthy threw for 263 yards and three TDs and also rushed for a score as the Wolverines won in Columbus for the first time since 2000. McCarthy completed 12 passes, and four of them covered at least 33 yards. His three TD passes were a combined 189 yards. His TD run of 3 yards came early in the fourth quarter and gave Michigan a 31-20 advantage. McCarthy and the Wolverines outscored the Buckeyes 28-3 in the second half.
Big 12
Kansas State RB Deuce Vaughn
The buzz: K-State had to beat archrival Kansas to advance to the Big 12 title game, and Vaughn made sure it happened. He had 229 all-purpose yards and scored a TD in a 47-27 victory. Vaughn rushed 25 times for 147 yards and a score, and caught two passes for 82 yards. One was an 80-yard reception that may have been the key play of the game. Kansas had scored to cut the lead to 23-14 early in the second quarter, and K-State faced a third-and-12 from its 6. Vaughn took a short pass and raced to Kansas’ 14. K-State scored two plays later to take a 30-14 lead. It was Vaughn’s seventh 100-yard game of the season and gives him 1,295 on the year, seventh-best in a season in school history. Vaughn has 3,341 rushing yards in three seasons, second-most in school history to Darren Sproles’ 4,979.
Pac-12
Oregon State offensive line
The buzz: Oregon State used a one-dimensional offense to beat Oregon 38-34 and knock the Ducks out of a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Beavers completed six passes, including just two in the second half, but rushed for 268 yards and five TDs. Oregon State attempted 13 passes, with four in the second half and none after the 9:02 mark of the third quarter. The Beavers’ final 19 plays from scrimmage were runs, covering 148 yards and four touchdowns. In all, Oregon State had 43 rushes and there were zero for negative yardage. The Beavers’ starting five, from left to right: Joshua Gray, Marco Brewer, Jake Levengood, Brandon Kipper and Taliese Fuaga. What has to make coach Jonathan Smith happy: Kipper is the only one who is running out of eligibility this season.
SEC
Texas A&M RB Devon Achane
The buzz: Achane has been banged-up and it wasn’t certain he would play against LSU. Well, the Tigers certainly wish he hadn’t: Achane ran wild in a stunning 38-23 upset of the Tigers. Achane ran 38 times for 215 yards and two TDs. The number of carries and yards gained were career-highs for Achane, a third-year sophomore. It was just the second time in his career he had more than 20 carries, and his previous high was 25. It was the 10th 100-yard game of his career, and his previous career-high was 159. Achane opened the scoring on a 10-yard run late in the first quarter. He ded any doubt about the outcome with another 10-yard TD run midway through the final period that gave A&M a 38-17 lead.
Group of 5
Tulane RB Tyjae Spears
The buzz: Spears, a fourth-year junior, had perhaps the best game of his career at a great time, helping the Green Wave beat Cincinnati 27-24 and clinch the AAC regular-season title. Spears had 35 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns as Tulane ended Cincinnati’s 32-game home winning streak. None of his carries went for negative yardage, and just three were stopped for no gain. Spears rushed for 264 yards in a loss to Memphis last season but that was the final game in a 2-10 season. This one – against a solid defense – put Tulane in position to win a conference title for the first time since 1998, when it was in Conference USA. It would be Tulane’s second league title since 1949, when it won the SEC.
Other potential Group of 5 players of the week worth noting on the final weekend of the regular season: New Mexico State QB Diego Pavia accounting for six touchdowns as the Aggies crushed Liberty 49-14; Temple QB E.J. Warner – Kurt’s son – throwing for 527 yards and five TDs in a 49-46 loss to East Carolina; ECU RB Keaton Mitchell rushing for 222 yards and three TDs in the same game; UAB’s DeWayne McBride rushing for 272 yards and a TD on just 16 carries (a staggering 17.0 yards per carry) in a 37-27 victory over Louisiana Tech; and Ohio QB C.J. Harris accounting for four TDs in the first appreciable playing time of his three-season career in a 38-14 win over Bowling Green that clinched the MAC East title.