Kirk Herbstreit reveals top-performing players from Week 13
Following an exciting Week 13 rivalry week slate, ESPN College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit has revealed his top-performing players from this past weekend.
From duos converting 31-yard fourth-down conversions to historic first career starts — here are the nine players from across seven teams that made this week’s list:
Jalen Milroe-Isaiah Bond, Alabama
One play put these two atop Herbstreit’s list, and it might just be the best play of the entire season. It certainly saved Alabama‘s College Football Playoff hopes.
Auburn forced Alabama into a 4th & 31 situation with goal to go — and with all the time in the world to do so, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe connected to Isaiah Bond in the back right side of the end zone for the improbable game-winning touchdown completion. The two would ultimately finish the game hooking up five times for 75 yards during the thrilling Iron Bowl victory.
Brennan Armstrong-Kevin Concepcion, NC State
Kevin Conception provided seven receptions for 131 total yards and two touchdowns during Saturday’s 39-20 trouncing of North Carolina. Brennan Armstrong completed 22 of his 31 passing attempts for 334 yards and three touchdowns, including zero interceptions.
If that wasn’t enough, Conception was the team’s leading rusher on the day with 11 carries for 55 more yards. Armstrong also provided 22 additional rushing yards to his final stat line as well.
Abu Sama III, Iowa State
It’s time to mark the name Abu Sama with sharpie into one of the most explosive running backs to keep an eye on for the 2024 season. The true freshman, who has over 600 rushing yards for Iowa State this season, has had some of his best performances in recent weeks.
Saturday’s 42-35 upset over Kansas State would not have been possible without Sama’s 276 rushing yards and three touchdowns during the contest. Two weeks prior, he had his first 100+ yard rushing performance against BYU where he accounted for two additional touchdowns.
Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
Ollie Gordon has become a weekly staple of this Herbstreit’s top players list. Gordon, who is the NCAA’s leading rusher to round out the regular season, put Oklahoma State on his back again this past weekend.
The superstar sophomore put up five touchdowns on the ground in what ended up being a 40-34 win over BYU in double overtime — which was good for every single touchdown Oklahoma State scored on the day.
Audric Estime, Notre Dame
Audric Estime had compiled five 100+ yard rushing performances for Notre Dame this season before Saturday’s 56-23 win over Stanford. Against the Cardinal, he was even more impressive.
On a season-high 25 rushing attempts, Estime ran in four touchdowns as a part of a 238-yard rushing performance against Stanford. That brought his season total up to 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground while averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Noah Fifita-Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
Noah Fifita has starred in his role as Arizona‘s starting quarterback since earning the job in late September. He’s passed for at least 200 yards in every game since, including three games with over 300 passing yards.
On Saturday, he was on a completely diferent level throwing for 41 attempts and passing for 527 yards, five touchdowns and an interception en route to a 59-23 victory over in-state rival Arizona State. He couldn’t have done it by himself, though, as wideout Tetairoa McMillan exploded for 266 receiving yards.
Jared Verse, Florida State
Florida State‘s defense came up big for the Seminoles during Saturday’s 25-14 win over in-state rival Florida. Jared Verse ended the game with a season-best six tackles including 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble during the contest.
His disruptive nature has been on display all season long, as the junior for Dayton, OH, has pushed his season totals to seven sacks on the season.