David Pollack names his top 5 'dudes' from Week 8 of college football

Every week of the college football season, college football analyst and three-time All-American linebacker David Pollack names his top five dudes of the week. In previous weeks, his dudes have included established stars like Georgia tight end Brock Bowers and USC quarterback Caleb Williams as well as more unknown players such as James Madison defensive lineman Jalen Green.

Week 8 was a weekend that saw more surprises than one might have expected, even for the wacky world of college football. And with each surprise meant at least one player stepping up and having a moment to remember.

Pollock named his top five dudes from Week 8 of the college football season Monday. The list starts off with a running back coming off a major performance.

1. Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon has emerged as one of the top running backs in the country this season. He is among the top running backs in the country in rushing yards per game while helping the Cowboys to a 5-2 record.

That includes a monster performance this past weekend to lead Oklahoma State to a 48-34 win over West Virginia. Gordon carries the rock 29 times for 282 yards and four touchdowns. The Cowboys had only four other rushing attempts the entire game.

2. Sione Vaki, Utah

Saturday’s game between Utah and USC might go down as the day Sione Vaki became a national name after a standout performance against the Trojans. Just one week prior, Vaki had been unleashed on offense versus Cal as a Wildcat quarterback and running back, rushing for 158 yards and two scores while making five tackles.

Vaki was even more productive as the Utes walked off USC on a field goal to win 34-32. He carried the ball nine times for 68 yards and had five catches for 149 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He also had two tackles.

3. Jason Henderson, Old Dominion

Old Dominion linebacker Jason Henderson is a tackle machine, and has been for the past few seasons. He led the NCAA in tackles in 2022 with over 39 more tackles than Shaun Dolac in second place.

Henderson is once again on top of the leaderboard this year, and had another standout performance Saturday versus Appalachian State. He had 16 tackles in a 28-21 win for the Monarchs.

4. Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State

Mississippi State linebacker Nathaniel Watson has been a monster on the Bulldogs defense for a few years now, and this campaign is no different. Watson is already up to 71 tackles on the year, including two fumble recoveries, 8.5 tackles for loss and a career-high 7.5 sacks.

He led Mississippi State’s defense to its best performance of the year Saturday versus Arkansas. Watson had a season-high 14 total tackles and two sacks as the Razorbacks managed just 200 yards in a 7-3 Bulldogs win.

5. Hope Adebayo, St. Thomas (Minn.)

St. Thomas running back Hope Adebayo has been a key part of the Tommies transition to Division I over the past three seasons. He rushed for over 100 yards five times over the past two seasons.

But Adebayo hadn’t reached triple-digits in a game in 2023 heading into Saturday’s game versus Stetson. But the Minnesota native popped off for a career-best 197 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries in a 38-6 win.