Take a bow: The On3 players of the week from Week 5

Here are the On3 players of the week for Week 5 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 Kenny Pickett, Pitt

The buzz: Pickett continued his scorching start to the season by throwing for 389 yards and four TDs as the Panthers ripped Georgia Tech 52-21. Pickett is second nationally with 19 TD passes and fifth at 346.2 yards per game; he has thrown just one pick and is completing 72.0 percent of his passes. Pickett was 17-of-25 for 300 yards and three TDs in the first half, which ended with Pitt leading 42-14. Each of his four TD passes went to a different receiver.

Big Ten

QB Spencer Petras, Iowa

The buzz: Petras, a fourth-year junior, may have played the best game of his career in the Hawkeyes’ 51-14 demolition of host Maryland. Yes, the Terps helped big-time with seven turnovers, but Petras made sure the Hawkeyes cashed in. Petras was 21-of-30 for a career-high 280 yards and three TDs, which tied a career-high; he also rushed for two touchdowns, which was half his career total coming in. He helped Iowa finish with 453 total yards, the Hawkeyes’ third-highest total in their past 34 games against a Power 5 team (that goes back to 2017).

Big 12

LB Malcolm Rodriguez, Oklahoma State

The buzz: Oklahoma State’s defense carried the day in the Cowboys’ victory over Baylor in a battle of Big 12 unbeatens. The Bears came in averaging 271.8 rushing yards per game, but Rodriguez and his defensive mates shut down the run, surrendering just 107 rushing yards. Rodriguez finished with a team-high 11 tackles, with two tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. It was his third game this season with double-digit tackles.

Pac-12

WR Ricky Pearsall, Arizona State

The buzz: Pearsall, a junior who went to high school about 7 miles from Arizona State’s campus, had a huge night as the Sun Devils stamped themselves as the team to beat in the Pac-12 South with a 42-23 victory at UCLA. Pearsall had four receptions for a career-high 132 yards and a career-high two TDs. He came in with one career TD reception, and he had never had more than 44 receiving yards in a game. Pearsall had a 65-yard TD catch with 8:26 left in the first half to tie it at 17, then added a 54-yarder about six minutes later to give ASU the lead for good at 24-20.

SEC

DT Devonte Wyatt, Georgia

The buzz: Georgia’s defense has been … well, your choice of adjectives: stifling, dominant, smothering, soul-crushing … this season, and it was so again Saturday in a 37-0 rout of Arkansas. The Bulldogs allowed just 166 total yards and nine first downs, with four of those on the Hogs’ final drive. Wyatt and his linemates dominated up front; he finished with a team-high six tackles — yep, a defensive lineman leading the team in tackles — and added 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble as the front seven wreaked havoc. The Bulldogs have allowed 23 points and 51 first downs in five games.

Group of 5

QB Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati

The buzz: Ridder guided the Bearcats to maybe the biggest victory in school history, a 24-13 victory at Notre Dame that sets up Cincinnati as a team with legit College Football Playoff hopes. Ridder, a fifth-year senior, threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for a score. Both TD passes came in the first half and staked the Bearcats to a 17-0 halftime lead. His 6-yard scoring run came with a bit more than five minutes left in the game and sealed the win.