The On3 players of the week from Week 3
Here are the On3 players of the week for Week 3 of the 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
QB Sam Howell, North Carolina
The buzz: Talk about efficient: Howell was 14-of-21 against Virginia, but the completions went for 307 yards and five TDs in a 59-39 victory. He averaged 21.9 yards per completion and 14.6 yards per attempt. He also rushed for a career-high 112 yards as he guided the Tar Heels to 699 yards of total offense. It was the second 100-yard rushing game of his career; he also reached that plateau last week against Georgia State. Three of his TD passes came in the first quarter; he also threw one on UNC’s first possession of the second half to give the Tar Heels the lead for good at 31-28. In three games against Virginia in his career, Howell has thrown for 1,103 yards, 13 TDs and one interception.
Big Ten
QB Sean Clifford, Penn State
The buzz: In one of the biggest games of the weekend, in front of a “White Out” crowd, Clifford had one of the best outings of his career in a 28-20 victory over Auburn. The Nittany Lions struggled to run the ball (just 94 yards on 33 carries) and had to rely on their passing game, and Clifford came through. He was 28-of-32 — that’s a completion percentage of 87.5 — for 280 yards and two touchdowns against one of the best defenses he will see all season. Clifford was 12-of-12 for 112 yards in the second half as Penn State kept Auburn at bay. He also rushed for 24 yards, the second-highest total for a Nittany Lion on the night. The completion percentage was the highest of his career; his previous high was 83.9 percent in a 59-0 rout of Maryland in 2019.
Big 12
RB Jaylen Warren, Oklahoma State
The buzz: Warren, a transfer from Utah State, rushed 32 times for 218 yards and two touchdowns as the Cowboys beat Boise State 21-20. Warren had a 75-yard TD run for Oklahoma State’s first score of the day and also got to the end zone on a 6-yarder late in the first half (there were no points scored in the second half). Warren had rushed for 46 yards on 20 carries in the Cowboys’ first two games and 252 yards on 39 carries for Utah State last season. He had one of the best high school seasons ever as a senior at Salt Lake City East in 2016, rushing for 3,099 yards in 14 games (285.0 yards per game).
Pac-12
QB Jaxson Dart, USC
The buzz: Dart, a five-star true freshman, saw his first action as a collegian and put up big numbers. He finished 30-of-46 for 392 yards and four TDs and led USC in rushing with 32 yards in a 45-14 victory at Washington State. (He also threw two picks and fumbled, but let’s move on.) Dart came on in the first quarter when starter Kedon Slovis was hurt. Dart started slow — he threw a pick on his first drive, the second ended in a punt and he fumbled on the third. Then, with USC trailing 14-0, he guided the Trojans on a touchdown drive to close the first half. Dart kept it up in the second half, with USC scoring on five of its seven possessions, including its first two of the half to take the lead for good.
SEC
QB Matt Corral, Ole Miss
The buzz: Corral didn’t let an almost-two-hour weather delay bother him, as he threw for 335 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for 68 yards and four more scores as the Rebels crushed Tulane 61-21. He is the first player in SEC history with four rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns in the same game. Corral ran for two TDs in the first quarter, threw two TD passes in the second quarter and ran for two and threw one in the third quarter. Corral came in with eight rushing TDs in his career.
Group of 5
QB Jake Haener, Fresno State
The buzz: In a game that lived up to all the wildness of a “Pac-12 After Dark” contest, Haener — playing with an injured hip and ribs that were, at the least, bruised — was magnificent in leading Fresno State to a 40-37 upset of No. 13 UCLA. Haener is in his second season as the Bulldogs’ starter after transferring from Washington. He was 39-of-53 for 455 yards and two TDs, including a game-winning 13-yard scoring pass to Jalen Cropper with 14 seconds left. The TD pass finished off a six-play, 75-yard drive that took 40 seconds and came right after UCLA had scored to take a 37-33 lead. There were five touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including three in the final 2:55; the last four TDs produced lead changes. Fresno State finished with 569 yards of offense.