Kirk Herbstreit reveals his top performing players from Week 12
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit is back at it with his list of the top performing players following Week 12 of college football. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels once again led off the list after another massive performance as his Heisman hype continues to grow.
Daniels was joined by two more SEC players as Missouri running back Cody Schrader and receiver Luther Burden also made the cut. That put the SEC tied with the Big 12 as both conference had three players apiece.
You can view Herbstreit’s full list of the top performing players from Week 12 below.
QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
Daniels put together another massive performance this past week in a 56-14 blowout against Georgia State. The quarterback came one yard shy of his season high, throwing for 413 yards and six touchdowns while adding 96 yards and two scores on the ground.
He accounted for all eight of the Tigers’ TDs just one week after becoming the first player in college football history to throw for 350 yards and rush for 200 in the same game. Daniels performance this past week pushed him to No. 1 in the Heisman Trophy odds according to FanDuel with just one week remaining in the regular season.
QB Garrett Greene, West Virginia
Greene made his biggest impact with his legs in a 42-21 victory against Cincinnati this past week. The Mountaineers rushed for 154 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing for 210 yards and another score with one interception.
West Virginia raced out to a 21-0 lead and led 42-7 entering the fourth quarter before Cincinnati tacked on a couple of late touchdowns. Greene has been a factor on the ground all season with 605 yards and 11 touchdowns and will aim to carry over the momentum from Week 12 into the season finale against Baylor.
QB Josh Hoover and TE Jared Wiley, TCU
Hoover and Wiley were electric as the Horned Frogs snapped a three-game losing skid with a 42-17 victory against Baylor on Saturday. Hoover completed 82.8% of his passes for 412 yards and a pair of touchdowns — both of which went to Wiley — while adding a rushing touchdown.
Wiley turned in his best game all season with seven catches for 178 yards and the two scores, one of which went for 81 yards. TCU managed to keep itself alive to reach six wins and make a bowl, but must defeat No. 14 Oklahoma this weekend to do so.
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, New Mexico
Croskey-Merritt scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter of Saturday’s 25-17 victory against Fresno State. It was one of several big plays he made on the day as he finished with 209 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns.
The running back now needs just 48 more yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the season and has 16 touchdowns. His 952 yards this season is already a career-high for the Alabama State transfer.
RB Cody Schrader and WR Luther Burder, Missouri
Burden was big in Saturday’s 33-31 win against Florida, catching a 27-yard pass on the final drive to put Missouri in Gators territory. The Tigers went on to kick the game-winning field goal on that drive as the receiver finished the game with nine catches for 158 yards.
Schrader was equally impressive in rushing for 148 yards and a touchdown. He has now reached the 100-yard mark in four straight games as Mizzou has an opportunity to reach the 10-win mark this season for the first time since 2014.
DB Jabbar Muhammed, Washington
On a day where its offense wasn’t as explosive as usual, Washington leaned on its defense to earn a 22-20 victory against Oregon State. Muhammad was a big part of that as he finished with two interceptions, four passes defended and a fumble recovery.
The Oklahoma State transfer has been impressive this season with three picks and a team-high 10 passes defended along with two sacks. He’ll aim to keep up that level of play as the Huskies prepare for the Pac-12 Championship and a potential College Football Playoff berth.
LB Payton Wilson, NC State
Wilson rounds out Herbstreit’s list of the top performing players from Week 12. He led the Wolfpack with 11 total tackles (3.5 for loss) and one sack as they took down Virginia Tech to improve to 8-3.
Wilson has been the heartbeat of the NC State defense this season with a team-high 123 tackles (15.5 for loss), five sacks, two interceptions and two fumbles recoveries. He is one of the semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker.