Take a bow: The On3 players of the week from Week 13

Here are the On3 players of the week for Week 13 of the season. Each week, we pick a player 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 Devin Leary, NC State
The buzz: Despite iffy protection — he was sacked six times — Leary delivered when it mattered for the Wolfpack. He threw for 247 yards and four TDs, including two in a 26-second span in the fourth quarter as NCSU rallied from nine down to beat North Carolina 34-30. In the process, he set the school single-season record for TD passes with 35; Philip Rivers is second with 34 and Mike Glennon and Russell Wilson are tied for third with 31. Leary’s game-winning TD pass was a 24-yarder to Emeka Emezie with 1:09 left. That followed NCSU’s recovery of an onside kick. The onside kick came after Leary connected with Emezie on a 64-yard TD with 1:35 left. Leary also threw TD passes in the first and third quarters. It was Leary’s fifth game this season with four TD passes.

Big Ten

RB Hassan Haskins, Michigan
The buzz: Michigan’s victory over Ohio State will be remembered fondly by Wolverines fans for a variety of reasons; one will be Haskins’ masterful performance. Haskins ran for 169 yards and five TDs as the Wolverines bulldozed the Buckeyes up front in a 42-27 victory. Haskins scored on two 1-yard runs, a 2-yarder, a 13-yarder and a 4-yarder with 2:17 left that erased any lingering doubt and provided the final outcome. That 4-yarder capped off a five-play, 63-yard drive that was all Haskins — runs of 15, 6, 11, 27 and 4 yards. The five TDs tied a modern-day single-game school record. Haskins now has 18 rushing TDs, second-most in a season in the modern era at Michigan.

Big 12

RB Breece Hall, Iowa State
LB Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State
The buzz: Two players are sharing our player of the week honors in in the Big 12. Rodriguez stood out in the biggest league game of the week (and maybe the season), while Hall had a huge performance in a game that didn’t really matter. Let’s start with Hall, who rushed for a career-high 242 yards and three TDs and also had two receptions for 39 yards and another score in a 48-14 rout of TCU. Hall, a senior, set an NCAA record with a rushing TD in his 24^th consecutive game. The record-breaker came on a 39-yard run in the second quarter. Arkansas running back Bill Burnett had the old record of 23 (1968-70). Rodriguez, meanwhile, keyed an impressive defensive effort by the Cowboys in the second half of their 37-33 Bedlam win over Oklahoma. Oklahoma State’s defense allowed 24 first-half points to the Sooners, but held them scoreless on eight second-half possessions (OU’s second-half points came on a safety and a muffed punt). Rodriguez had 11 tackles, two sacks, another tackle for loss and a pass breakup. The Cowboys finished with six sacks and nine tackles for loss. It was Rodriguez’s fifth game of the season with double-digit tackles. In addition, he has had at least a half-tackle for loss in every game this season from his middle linebacker spot.

Pac-12

QB Anthony Brown, Oregon
The buzz: Brown has been inconsistent this season, but he rose to the occasion against Oregon State in a game the Ducks had to win to advance to the Pac-12 title game. He had perhaps the best passing game of his career, going 23-of-28 for 275 yards and two TDs; he also rushed for 83 yards and a score. His 10-yard touchdown run came late in the second quarter and gave the Ducks a 24-3 halftime lead; the outcome never really was in doubt after that. His completion percentage of 82.1 was the best of his career in a game in which he attempted at least 10 passes. The performance came against a defense that hadn’t allowed an opposing quarterback to complete even 70 percent of his passes in a game this season.

SEC

LB Damone Clark, LSU
The buzz: Clark has been a bright spot all season for an inconsistent LSU defense; he had one of his best performances of the season in the Tigers’ win over Texas A&M. Clark celebrated Senior Day in his hometown with 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one other tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. Clark and his teammates’ work against the run was noteworthy; the Aggies came in averaging 194.7 rushing yards per game, but the Tigers limited them to a season-low 54. Clark leads the SEC in tackles with 137, 17 more than anyone else.

Group of 5

WR Ali Jennings, Old Dominion
The buzz: Old Dominion hosted Charlotte on Saturday with bowl eligibility on the line for both teams. Jennings made sure ODU would be the team going bowling. He had nine receptions for 252 yards and three TDs in a 56-34 victory. Jennings had 46- and 34-yard TD catches in the second quarter, then a 36-yarder with 3:49 left that removed any doubt about the outcome (ODU added a defensive TD less than a minute later.) He also had a 51-yard reception in the third quarter to set up a TD that gave the Monarchs the lead for good at 35-28. Jennings is a West Virginia transfer who was a part-time starter as a true freshman for the Mountaineers in 2019. It was his third 100-yard game of the season, and his TD total vs. Charlotte was one more than he had on the season coming in.