Kirk Herbstreit names top performing players from Week 9

Another exciting weekend of college football is in the books. After the Week 9 action, College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit has named his nine top performing players from the weekend. 

Kirk Herbstreit’s top performers from Week 9

RB Kenneth Walker III, Michigan State: The Spartans running back had an afternoon he will never forget. The tailback rushed for 197 yards and five touchdowns, delivering Michigan State the Paul Bunyan trophy for the second consecutive year. The Wake Forest transfer has given the Spartans a burst of elite talent time and again this season, and he put it on the national stage on Saturday afternoon in East Lansing.

QB Tyler Van Dyke, Miami: The Hurricanes played the role of upstarts this past weekend, knocking off Pitt on the road. A large part of that was thanks to the freshman quarterback, who has stepped in for D’Eriq King with ease. Van Dyke finished the game with 426 yards for three touchdown and an interception. More importantly, he was 32 of 42 passing the ball.

QB Will Rogers, Mississippi State: The Bulldogs defeated No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday night, 31-17. Rogers was a near perfect 36 of 39, passing for a touchdown and 344 yards in the win. The Mississippi State offense racked up 438 yards of offense, thanks in large part to Rogers.

QB Caleb Williams, Oklahoma: Oklahoma was in the conversation much this weekend, and that might be a good thing. A week after nearly losing at Kansas, the freshman quarterback engineered a convincing 52-21 victory over Texas Tech. He was 23 of 30 for 402 yards and six touchdowns in the win.

RB Sean Tucker and DE Kingsley Jonathan, Syracuse: The Orange were dominant against a Boston College team that looked like it had a shot to compete in the ACC about a month ago. Tucker rushed all over the Eagles, finishing with 207 yards on 26 carries and a score. Jonathan was all over the field, racking up a career-high three sacks.

Wisconsin defense: Simply put, the Badgers defense embarrassed Iowa. The Hawkeyes finished the game with just 156 total yards. They did not pick up a first down until just 1:15 remained in the second quarter. The Badgers forced three turnovers, produced six sacks and limited Iowa to 24 rushing yards.

LB Zakoby McClain, Auburn: The linebacker made 14 tackles and recorded two sacks in Auburn’s 31-20 upset victory of Ole Miss. He was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after his noteworthy performance.

RB Kyren Williams, Notre Dame: The tailback racked up 199 yards on 22 carries, averaging nine yards per rush. He also added a touchdown as the Fighting Irish picked up a 44-34 win over North Carolina.

RB Tyler Allgeier, BYU: The Cougars needed points in a hurry and the running back delivered. The sophomore finished with six touchdowns and 266 yards on 29 carries, helping BYU beat Virginia 66-49 and stay ranked in the AP top 25.