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QB Jett Duffey, Texas Tech: - The Red Raiders snapped a 10-game home losing streak to ranked opponents Saturday in Stillwater, knocking off No. 21 Oklahoma State, 45-35. And they did so without their starting quarterback. Duffey, filling in for the injured Alan Bowman, accounted for five total touchdowns and 440 yards while completing 26-of-44 passes without a turnover.
RB Kenneth Gainwell, Memphis - Next man in. That's the mentality around the Memphis program, and it's paying off on offense. The Tigers have been without starting RB Patrick Taylor all year, but Gainwell has stepped in to fill the void. The redshirt freshman helped keep Memphis undefeated by rushing for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 14 carries in a 52-33 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
QB Sam Howell, North Carolina - Any chance the true freshman would suffer from a hangover after the close call with Clemson a week earlier? Not a chance. Howell rebounded like an upperclassman at the expense of the overmatched Georgia Tech defense. He carved up the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta for 376 passing yards and his first four-touchdown performance on 33-of-51 passing.
QB Jake Luton, Oregon State: - Second-year head coach Jonathan Smith has the offense humming in Corvallis, which has the Beavers optimistic about the second half of the season. Oregon State routed UCLA, 48-31, Saturday evening behind the efficient passing of Luton. The top-graded QB of Week 6, according to Pro Football Focus, connected on 18-of-26 for 285 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.
WR James Proche, SMU: - These Mustangs sure are looking like one of the teams of destiny for 2019. SMU, ranked for the first time in 33 years, rallied from a three-touchdown deficit Saturday to shock Tulsa in triple-overtime, 43-37. Proche made 11 grabs for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner on a beautiful contested grab over a Golden Hurricane defender.
QB Brock Purdy, Iowa State - Enough with the close calls. After losing twice in September by no more than two points, the Cyclones left no doubt by battering TCU, 49-24. Purdy was once again the do-everything sparkplug for Iowa State. He not only rushed for a game-high 102 yards and two scores, but also completed 19-of-24 balls for 247 yards, a pair of touchdowns and no picks.
RB Rodney Smith, Minnesota - The Gophers are beginning to roll on the ground, and that's going to make things very interesting in the Big Ten West. The rushing attack took a while to get cranking in September, but it flattened Illinois for a season-high 332 yards this past weekend. Smith, who missed most of 2018 with an injury, rumbled for a career-high 211 of those yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
QB Khalil Tate, Arizona: - What a difference a Tate makes. The Wildcats played without their star quarterback in Week 5, and struggled to survive versus UCLA. With Tate healthy again, however, they went into Boulder and upset Colorado to run their win streak to four straight. The multi-dimensional senior accounted for 427 yards and three TDs, while leading Arizona back from deficits on five separate occasions.
CB Luq Barcoo, San Diego State: - If Mountain West quarterbacks don't know by now to stop throwing in the direction of No. 16, it's on them. Colorado State elected to challenge the Aztec senior, who responded with three interceptions and a pass breakup. Barcoo also had six tackles in the 24-10 win, while earning Pro Football Focus' highest Week 6 grade among the nation's cornerbacks.
LB Jordyn Brooks, Texas Tech - Brooks is playing like an All-American for first-year head coach Matt Wells, a trend that continued in earnest in Saturday's upset of ranked Oklahoma State. While the game produced 80 points, Brooks was the most dominant player in the 45-35 victory. The Cowboys had no answer for the senior from Houston, who racked up 19 tackles, four stops behind the line, three sacks and a forced fumble.
LB Cale Garrett, Missouri: - After getting upended in the opener at Wyoming, the Mizzou defense has rebounded in resounding fashion. And Garrett has been at the center of it all. The Tigers have allowed an average of eights point per game during their current four-game winning streak. In Saturday's blowout of Troy, Garrett had six stops, three tackles for loss, a sack and two interceptions, including a pick-six and one that set up another score.
DT Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan: - The Wolverine D has been decent all season. On Saturday versus Iowa, the unit was great. And it could not have happened at a better time. Michigan shut down the unbeaten Hawkeyes behind a suffocating front seven led by Hutchinson. He was in on six stops, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup while earning an elite run-stopping grade from Pro Football Focus.
DE Patrick Jones, Pitt: - Duke entered the weekend on a tear. The Blue Devils ended it with their first loss since the opener. The Panthers squandered a lead before rallying late for a thrilling win in Durham. Jones led a D that held the host to just 288 yards, far below their usual average. He harassed QB Quentin Harris into an 18-of-43 night, sacking him twice, forcing two fumbles and earning Pro Football Focus' second best Week 6 grade for a defender with at least 50 snaps.
DE James Lynch, Baylor: - Baylor is unbeaten and rising up the rankings. And the Bears are getting it done with defense, an unfamiliar refrain around Waco. The team has yet to yield more than 21 points in a game, limiting K-State to one touchdown in Saturday's win. Lynch and NT Bravvion Roy ruled the line of scrimmage, with the former collecting four stops for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble.
DT Elijah Ponder, Cincinnati: - The entire Bearcat defense deserves credit for holding No. 18 UCF well below its usual scoring output and sparking a Friday night upset. But Ponder was arguably the biggest difference-maker who consistently pressured QB Dillon Gabriel from right up the gut. The junior from Atlanta had six tackles in the win and the first two-sack game of his career.
DE Shaka Toney, Penn State: - If sophomore QB Sean Clifford continues developing and the D keeps pinning its ears back, the Lions are going to be very difficult to topple this fall. Clifford accounted for four scores for a second straight game, while Penn State sacked Purdue QB Jack Plummer 10 times in a 35-7 win. Philly native Toney led the charge with the second three-sack game of his career.
Oklahoma (5-0) vs. Texas (4-1) - Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET (FOX) - It's the annual Red River Showdown, and all eyes will be on a couple of Maxwell Award contenders behind center. Sooner QB Jalen Hurts leads an offense that's yet to be held below 45 points against a Longhorn secondary that's been besieged by injuries. Meanwhile, Texas' Sam Ehlinger will need to go stride-for-stride with the potent Oklahoma attack, which he's capable of doing. He's already accounted for 20 total TDs over five games, including 17 through the air.
Alabama (5-0) at Texas A&M (3-2) - Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS) - How do you shake off a rocky start to a season? Shock one of the nation's elite programs. Texas A&M has already fallen twice, at Clemson and to Auburn, so a visit from top-ranked Alabama presents a huge opportunity for redemption. But the Tide has won six straight in the series, and the offense appears unstoppable. Bama averages almost 52 points per game behind QB Tua Tagovailoa and arguably the deepest and most electrifying group of players in the game.
Penn State (5-0) at Iowa (4-1) - Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC) - How will you respond, Iowa? The Hawkeyes are fresh off their first loss of the year, falling in Ann Arbor, 10-3. And now here comes Penn State, which is quietly blossoming into a bona fide Big Ten title contender. The Nittany Lions have rolled through their first two conference games behind QB Sean Clifford and a stifling D. But they've yet to play a ranked team or a tough road test... until now. This trip to Iowa City kicks off a brutal stretch of four games with quality league opponents.
Florida (6-0) at LSU (5-0) - Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) - With all due respect to the Cotton Bowl, the game of the week this Saturday will be played in Death Valley. It's a battle of the unbeatens, one from the SEC East and the other from the West. LSU has been a buzzsaw so far behind the passing of Joe Burrow and a talented receiving corps. However, Florida ranks among the nation's leaders in sacks, and just handed Auburn its first defeat. Edge rushers Jabari Zuniga and Jon Greenard will want to harass Burrow to make life easier for corners Marco Wilson and CJ Henderson.