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Kirk Herbstreit reveals top performing players from Week 9

Barkley-Truaxby:Barkley Truax10/30/23

BarkleyTruax

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GREG SWIERCZ / USA TODAY NETWORK

After an exciting Week 9, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has revealed his top-performing players from this past weekend’s college football slate.

Listing seven players across six programs, as well as a team’s entire defensive line — here’s who made his list this week:

Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II
Mark J. Rebilas | USA TODAY Sports

Ollie Gordon II is the NCAA’s leading rusher heading into Week 10 — and he can thank his last two performances for it. After putting up 282 rushing yards and four touchdowns against West Virginia, he was just as impressive this past weekend.

Putting up 271 rushing yards and 25 carries to go with two touchdowns — Oklahoma State dominated Cincinnati 45-13 at home. The Cowboys head into Bedlam as a six-point underdog, but there won’t be any stopping Gordon for Oklahoma.

Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M

Texas-A&M-Turner-Nolen-defense
Sep 9, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (45) recovers a fumble against the Miami Hurricanes during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Texas A&M‘s Edgerrin Cooper did a little bit of everything during the Aggie’s 30-17 victory over South Carolina. Totaling seven tackles, he recorded one sack, a forced fumble — which he recovered — and a pass break-up.

On the season, he leads the Texas A&M defense with 7.0 sacks, and is only looking better as the season winds down.

UCLA’s entire defensive line

UCLA Helmet
Brian Rothmuller | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The UCLA defensive line’s performance against Colorado had Deion Sanders declaring to revamp his entire offensive line after the Bruins destroyed quarterback Shedeur Sanders on Saturday.

Five UCLA defenders recorded sacks during the contest, and ended the night with 7.0 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss. Star defensive lineman Laiatu Latu was responsible for 2.0 sacks during the contest.

TreVeyon Henderson and Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State

marvin harrison jr.-treveyon henderson-ohio state-ohio state football-buckeyes
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (left) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (right) celebrate a second-half Henderson touchdown against Youngstown State. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Marvin Harrison Jr. was his typical self against Wisconsin, taking six receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, TreVeyon Henderson returned from injury in mid-season form, contributing 24 touches for 162 yards and a touchdown as the Buckeyes cruised to a 24-10 victory.

Ohio State will enter November undefeated, and they have Harrison Jr. and Henderson to thank, in part, for getting them there in the first place.

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Haynes King, Georgia Tech

Credit: USA Today

If it weren’t for the Jayhawks, Georgia Tech‘s 46-42 victory over North Carolina would have been the talk of Week 9.

Haynes King was masterful under center, completing 23-of-30 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns. He also contributed 90 rushing yards during the Yellow Jacket upset victory.

Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams, UMass

Lynch-Adams
© Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

How do you bounce back from a 63-0 loss to Penn State? For UMass, junior tailback Kay’Ron Lynch Adams was the answer.

Defeating Army 21-14 Lynch-Adams amassed 234 rushing yards on 34 attempts (6.9 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. He now sits at No. 4 in the country in rushing yards with 926 with nine touchdowns to his credit.

Jordan Nubin, Minnesota

Jordan Nubin
© Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota sophomore Jordan Nubin emerged as a breakout talent for the Gophers on Saturday against Michigan State. Coming into the game with 25 rushing yards on the season, Nubin put up career numbers with 40 total carries for 204 yards and two touchdowns.

During 2022, Nubin had nine carries for 26 yards. He was unranked in the 2021 On3 Industry Rankings out of St. Charles (IL) — but maybe he should have been.