Kirk Herbstreit reveals his top performing players from Week 3
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit releases a list of the top performing players in college football each week, and his Week 3 rankings are out. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders comes in at No. 1 after leading the Buffaloes to a 43-35 victory against Colorado State in double overtime.
Florida running back Trevor Etienne came in right behind him at No. 2 after helping the Gators to a 29-16 win over Tennessee. Herbstreit’s rankings also featured two quarterback and receiver duos, including Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers of LSU.
You can view Herbstreit’s full list of the top performing players from Week 3 below.
1. QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Sanders was one of college football’s best players through the Buffaloes’ first two games, and that trend continued in Week 3. He finished 38-of-47 passing for 348 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, including throwing the game-winning score and two-point conversion in the second overtime period.
Through the first three games, Sanders ranks second in the FBS with 1,251 yards passing to go with 10 touchdowns and one interception. He’ll hope to continue rolling in Week 4 as Colorado faces its biggest test yet on the road at No. 10 Oregon.
2. RB Trevor Etienne, Florida
Etienne totaled more yards Saturday against Tennessee than he did in the previous two games combined to earn a spot among Herbstreit’s top Week 3 players. The sophomore served as the lead back for the Gators to total 172 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
He led all Power running backs in yards after contact in Week 3 and got the scoring started for Florida with a 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. After splitting carries fairly evenly with Montrell Johnson Jr. in Weeks 1 and 2, Etienne made a case for more touches in the win against the Vols.
3. QB Michael Penix Jr. and WR Rome Odunze, Washington
Penix leads the FBS with 1,332 yards passing, 12 touchdowns and an interception through the first three weeks of play. Odunze has so far been his top target, and that was again the case in a 41-7 victory against Michigan State on Saturday.
The receiver led the way for the Huskies with eight catches for 180 yards, though he failed to record a touchdown for the first time this season. That didn’t stop Penix from tossing in four scores — including three to tight end Jack Westover — as Washington won by 30-plus points for the third straight game.
4. QB Jayden Daniels and WR Malik Nabers, LSU
Daniels was extremely efficient in a 41-14 win against Mississippi State, completing 30-of-34 passes (88.2%). He finished with 361 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns, both of which went to Nabers, who had 13 catches for 239 yards.
The majority of the receiver’s production came in the first half. He totaled 10 catches for 188 yards and scored both touchdowns before halftime as the Tigers led 24-7 heading into the locker room. Daniels also made an impact with his legs to rush for 64 yards and two more touchdowns.
5. QB Brady Cook and K Harrison Mevis, Missouri
Mevis was Missouri’s hero on Saturday after he nailed a 61-yard field goal as time expired to give the Tigers a 30-27 upset win against No. 15 Kansas State. That set an SEC record as fans stormed Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium to celebrate with the kicker.
It was the third made field goal of the game for Mevis. He finished the day 3-for-4 on his attempts and a perfect 3-for-3 on PATs to account for 12 of Missouri’s 30 points. Before that, Cook paced the Tigers offense to go 23-of-35 passing for 356 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to Luther Burden.
6. QB Garrett Shrader, Syracuse
If you’re just looking at Shrader’s passing stats, you might find it puzzling why he made the cut for Herbstreit’s top Week 3 players. The Syracuse QB finished just 14-of-28 passing for 184 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, but it’s what he did with his legs that was truly impactful.
Shrader carried the ball 25 times and totaled 195 yards and four touchdowns, including a game-sealing run of 28 yards with 3:19 remaining. That score put the Orange up 35-20, the same score they would go on to win by.
7. QB Darren Grainger, Georgia State
Grainger threw for career high 466 yards passing and three touchdowns while completing 81.8% of his passes in a 41-25 win against Charlotte. All three of his scores were for 30-plus yards, including a 97-yard connection with Robert Lewis in the second quarter as the Panthers jumped out to a 17-0 lead.
He also had 23 yards rushing and ran in another touchdown. Georgia State is now 3-0 to start the year as it prepares to kick off Sun Belt play next week.