Take a bow: The On3 players of the week for Week 7

Here are the On3 players of the week for Week Seven of the 2022 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

Syracuse WR Oronde Gadsden II
The buzz: Gadsden, the son of a former NFL wide receiver, has emerged as one of the better receivers in the ACC in Robert Anae’s first season as coordinator. Gadsden had eight receptions for 141 yards and two TDs as the Orange remained unbeaten with a 24-9 win over defense-minded NC State. The receptions total and yardage numbers were career-highs for Gadsden, while the TD total tied a career-high. Gadsden now has three 100-yard games this season.

Big Ten

Michigan RB Blake Corum
The buzz: In a matchup of top-10 teams, Corum and Michigan pounded Penn State 41-17. Corum rushed for 166 yards and two TDs on 28 carries as the Wolverines rolled up 418 rushing yards. Corum had 21 rushes for 91 yards and a TD in the first half. His 61-yard TD run midway through the third quarter extended Michigan’s lead to 34-17 and ended any lingering doubt about the outcome. It was his fourth 100-yard game in a row, and he leads the nation with 13 rushing touchdowns.

Big 12

West Virginia RB Tony Mathis Jr.
The buzz: With leading rusher C.J. Donaldson sidelined by injury, Mathis stepped up in a big way in the Mountaineers’ 43-40 victory over Baylor on Thursday night. Mathis, a redshirt junior, rushed for a career-high 163 yards and two TDs. Mathis’ 7-yard TD run opened the scoring in the first quarter; a 34-yard run in the fourth gave WVU a 40-37 lead midway through the final period. It was his second 100-yard game of the season and the third of his career.

Pac-12

Utah QB Cameron Rising
The buzz: Rising ran for the winning two-point conversion with 48 seconds left in a 43-42 victory over USC. That capped off a magnificent night for Rising, who transferred from Texas after the 2019 season. He accounted for 475 yards and five touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 415 yards and two TDs, and rushed for 60 and three more TDs, including a 1-yarder that preceded the winning two-point conversion. It was the second time Rising threw four TD passes this season; it was his fourth game with at least three TD passes.

SEC

Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt
The buzz: Hyatt, a junior, had the game of his life in the Vols’ epic 52-49 win over Alabama. The victory snapped Tennessee’s 15-game losing streak in the series. Hyatt had six catches for 207 yards and a school-record five touchdowns; the yardage total is sixth-highest in UT history. Hyatt had 36- and 11-yard TD receptions in the first quarter, a 60-yarder in the third quarter and 78- and 13-yarders in the fourth period; the 13-yarder tied it at 49 with 3:26 left. It was just the second 100-yard game in Hyatt’s three-year career.

Group of 5

QB Kyle Vantrease, Georgia Southern
The buzz: Vantrease threw for a school-record 578 yards and four TDs as the Eagles upset No. 25 James Madison 45-38. Georgia Southern rushed for just 12 yards on 16 carries, leaving it all up to Vantrease. He threw for only 18 yards in the first quarter. He threw for 119 in the second, 264 in the third and 195 in the fourth. Vantrease, a sixth-year senior who transferred from Buffalo in the offseason, tossed one TD pass in the second quarter, two in the third and the game-winner with 1:10 left in the game. The Eagles had three receivers with 100 yards. Vantrease has thrown for 2,511 yards in seven games, a school single-season record. He now has five of the top nine single-game performances in school history.