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(NOTE: In addition to numerous other awards, CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove is a season-end voter for these awards in this article: Ray Guy, Bednarik, Maxwell, Lou Groza, Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski)
In no particular order, here are the Players of the Week, as announced by some of college football's major award recipients.
The Maxwell Football Club announces that Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita has been named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Week after leading the Wildcats in a close loss to No. 9 USC in triple overtime. In the 43-41 loss, Fifita completed 25 of his 35 pass attempts, tallying 303 passing yards and 5 touchdowns with an interception. Two of Fifita’s touchdown passes came during the overtime periods, where he found wide receiver Jacob Cowing in both overtime and double overtime. The Wildcats fell short in knocking off the Trojans with an unsuccessful 2-point chance in triple overtime, but they still put up a tremendous fight against one of the top ranked teams in the nation. The Wildcats look to bounce back next week when they travel to Gesa Field to take on No. 19 Washington State.
Weekly Winners
Week 6: Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona
Week 5: Caleb Downs, DB, Alabama
Week 4: Rocco Becht, QB, Iowa State
Week 3: Jordan Castell, S, Florida
Week 2: Anthony Hill, Jr., LB, Texas
Week 1: Dylan Edwards, RB, Colorado
The Augusta Sports Council and the Ray Guy Award are proud to announce Austin McNamara of Texas Tech as the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week for Week 6 games. McNamara punted 3 times during the game against Baylor for a total of 144 yards. His gross average and his net average were 48 due to him having no punts returned. Three of his punts ended up inside Baylor's 20-yard line and he had a long punt of 53 yards.
Weekly Winners
Week 6: Austin McNamara, Texas Tech
Week 5: Oscar Chapman, Auburn
Week 4: Matt Hayball, Vanderbilt
Week 3: Tyler Perkins, Iowa State
Week 2: James Burnip, Alabama
Week 1: Ryan Rehkow, BYU
DALLAS (FWAA) – Walter Rouse has been an impact transfer player for the Oklahoma Sooners thus far, and last week in what will be his only season in Norman the left tackle left his own imprint in the Sooners’ lore Saturday in their 34-30 win in the Red River Rivalry. For pushing back two edge rushers at the same time and giving quarterback Dillon Gabriel an extra second to throw the game-winning touchdown pass, Rouse has earned the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 7, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
Rouse, a 6-6, redshirt senior from Silver Spring, Md., transferred to Oklahoma, enrolling in January after four years at Stanford. He started 39 of his 40 games at Stanford at left tackle and earned honorable mention on the 2020 All-Pac-12 team. Rouse was a 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy finalist and earned two Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll accolades.
His presence on the left side has been immediate. Rouse has started all six games at left tackle for the Sooners, who are fifth among FBS schools scoring 45.2 points per game scoring 35 touchdowns with eight field goals. Combined with two returning senior starters in guard McKade Mettauer and two-year-starting center Andrew Raym, the line’s protection has seen an offensive resurgence under Gabriel. Oklahoma is averaging 341.2 passing yards per game, sixth nationally. The Sooners’ 23 touchdowns in 33 red-zone trips are third in the nation and they score on 90.91 percent on their red-zone possessions.
On the play referenced above, Oklahoma faced second-and-goal with 27 seconds remaining. As Gabriel dropped back, Rouse was firmly in front blocking Texas’ defensive end. But when the Longhorns’ cornerback on that side charged toward the backfield, Rouse was able to extend an arm and hold him up just long enough to allow Gabriel to step up and find Anderson in the left corner of the end zone. It was an individual effort not to be lost among a game full of highlights and emotion-swinging plays. Also of note is that Gabriel threw for 285 yards and the winning touchdown but was the Sooners’ leading rusher as well with 113 yards and another touchdown.
Including Rouse, the Sooners have rebuilt their roster through the portal in two seasons under head coach Brent Venables. Rouse’s 39 career starts stand out on a team with 21 total transfers into this season’s roster who combined for 214 starts and 447 collective games at their previous schools. Only 26 of 116 players on Oklahoma’s 2021 end-of-year roster are on the 2023 roster.
Rouse has quite an academic profile along with his on-field accolades. Beyond last year’s William V. Campbell Trophy finalist selection, Rouse attended Perelman School of Medicine Medical and Surgical program at University of Pennsylvania, a Physician Scientist Training program in Biomedical Research Training at SMU and is a multidisciplinary studies major.
Oklahoma’s history with the Outland Trophy is vast with five previous winners, most recently in 2004 with offensive tackle Jammal Brown. Other winners include guard Greg Roberts (1978), defensive tackle Lee Roy Selmon (1975), guard J.D. Roberts (1953) and defensive tackle Jim Weatherall (1951). Offensive tackle Orlando Brown is the most recent finalist from 2017 and guard Duke Robinson was another finalist in 2008.
The Sooners are ranked 7th in the AFCA Coaches' Poll, 5th in the AP Poll and Super 16 Poll, and 13th in the Congrove Computer Rankings at CollegeFootballPoll.com.
No. 5 Oklahoma is idle this week. The Sooners then host UCF on Oct. 21.
Weekly Winners
Week 6: Walter Rouse, OL LT, Oklahoma
Week 5: Jeremy Flax, OL, Kentucky
Week 4: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Week 3: Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
Week 2: Anez Cooper, G, Miami (FL)
Week 1: Tanor Bortoloini, C, Wisconsin
Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been named Maxwell Award Player of The Week after the Sooners’ last-minute 34-30 win over No. 3 Texas. The Hawaii native completed 23-of-38 attempts for 285 yards, a career-high 113 yards rushing on 14 carries, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. Additionally, the redshirt senior’s performance would also bring the Sooners their first win against an AP top-five team since 2017. Oklahoma gained 486 yards and scored 34 points against Texas who entered the match allowing 290.8 yards and 12.8 points per game. Now 6-0 on the season, Oklahoma looks to take on UCF back in Norman on Oct. 21.
Weekly Winners
Week 6: Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma
Week 5: Ray Davis, RB, Kentcuky
Week 4: Cameron Ward, QB, Washington State
Week 3: Michael Penix, Jr., QB, Washington
Week 2: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
Week 1: Jordan, QB, Florida State
Old Dominion linebacker Jason Henderson has been named Bednarik Player of The Week after their 17-13 win against Southern Mississippi. The 6’1 227 junior tied his season-high with 17 tackles, 2.5 TFL, a sack, and a quarterback hurry. The Pennsylvania native currently leads the country with 93 tackles and 13 TFLs. Henderson also became ODU’s all-time leading tackler, passing Jordan Young who set the record in 2021. ODU is back at Kornblau Field to face off against Appalachian State on Oct. 21.
Weekly Winners
Week 6: Jason Henderson, LB, Old Dominion
Week 5: Howard Cross III, DL, Notre Dame
Week 4: Dallas Turner, LB, Alabama
Week 3: Daquan Evans, DB, USF
Week 2: Jaden Hicks, DB, Washington State
Week 1: Kaimon Rucker, LB, North Carolina
College football’s top kicking award is presented by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. Each week, they announce the Lou Groza Award "Stars of the Week".
Alex Hale of Oklahoma State matched the program record with five field goals in the Cowboys’ 29-21 win over Kansas State on Friday. The senior from Point Frederick, Australia, also tied his career-long with a 53 yard make among them, to go with connections from 43, 34, 31 and 25 yards out. He is the first Oklahoma State kicker with five field goals in a game since 2012. The 53-yard field goal is his third long distance kick of the season. He added two PATs for a crucial 17-point performance, the most by a kicker this week.
Brock Travelstead of Louisville, knocked home four field goals for the second time this season in a 33-20 upset of Notre Dame. The junior from Acworth, Ga. also made four in the season opener, making him the first kicker in program history with multiple 4-FG games in the same year. All four came in the second half, with a 44 yarder tying the game in the third quarter, and then late kicks from 45, 35 and 32 to help Louisville pull away. Travelstead and teammate Jawhar Jordan each have an ACC-leading 54 points this season.
Peyton Woodring of Georgia kicked three field goals in the 51-13 win over Kentucky. The freshman from Lafayette, La. has big shoes to fill, following in the footsteps of multi-year Groza semifinalist Jack Podlesny and 2019 Groza winner Rodrigo Blankenship. But after a shaky start going 2-for-5 in his first two games, Woodring is 5-for-5 in his last two, including kicks from 42, 36 and 32 this week. He added six PATs for a 15-point game and is a perfect 31-for-31 on extra point attempts this season.
Weekly Winners
Week 6: Alex Hale (Oklahoma State), Brock Travelstead (Louisville), Peyton Woodring (Georgia)
Week 5: John Hoyland (Wyoming), Will Reichard (Alabama), Drew Stevens (Iowa)
Week 4: Michael Lantz (Georgia Southern), Trey Smack (Florida), Dominic Zvada (Arkansas State)
Week 3: Harrison Mevis (Missouri), Jose Pizano (UNLV), Noah Rauschenberg (North Texas)
Week 2: Colton Boomer (UCF), Caden Davis (Ole Miss), Camden Lewis (Oregon)
Week 1: Josh Karty (Stanford), Andrew Stein (Southern Miss), Brock Travelstead (Louisville)
Florida State running back Trey Benson needed just 11 carries to rush for 200 yards in Florida State’s 39-17 win vs. Virginia Tech, breaking off touchdown runs of 62 and 85 yards to put the game away and extend the Seminoles’ win streak to 11 games. The performance earned him the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 7. The award is presented by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum
The 200-yard game for the 6-1, 223-pound redshirt junior from Greenville, Miss., is FSU’s first 200-yard rushing effort since Dalvin Cook did it in 2016, and Benson, an Oregon transfer, is the first Seminole player with multiple 60-yard touchdown runs in a game since Chris Thompson in 2012. The 62- and 85-yard scoring runs were the longest of his career and FSU’s longest plays of the season.
Benson set the FSU single-game record with 18.2 yards per carry, breaking Warrick Dunn’s previous mark from 1995. The big day moved his yards per carry to 7.63 on the season, sixth among FBS backs. His 200 rushing yards are the 5th-most in Doak Campbell Stadium’s 74-season history and the 2nd-most in the ACC this year.
The Seminoles’ 11-game win streak is the longest active streak in the ACC and the 3rd-longest active streak in the country. Florida State (5-0) hosts Syracuse in a noon ET kickoff televised on ABC.
Other candidates for the honor in Week 6 included:
Weekly Winners
Week 6: Trey Benson, Florida State
Week 5: Ray Davis, Kentucky
Week 4: DJ Giddens, Kansas State
Week 3: Trevor Etienne, Florida
Week 2: Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
Week 1: Dylan Edwards, Colorado
DALLAS (FWAA) – Safety Devin Grant set the tone for Buffalo’s stalwart defensive effort Saturday, tipping a pass to himself and returning its 29 yards for a touchdown in the Bulls’ 37-13 home win over Central Michigan. For his three interceptions in the game that included another pick-six later in the game, Grant has earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games during the weekend of Oct. 7, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
Grant, a 6-4 sophomore from Elmont, N.Y., was a terror for the CMU offense in both halves. The first interception came on the Chippewas’ third offensive play. The last one came on CMU’s opening drive of the second half when he stepped in front of the pass and raced 58 yards down the sideline for the score that gave Buffalo a 30-7 lead.
The second pick helped break open a close game in the second quarter. The Bulls led 13-7 late in the second quarter when Grant snagged his second interception, one of four takeaways for Buffalo. The short field turned into a touchdown a minute later, and a field goal as time expired put the Bulls ahead 23-7 at halftime.
Grant tied the program record for interceptions in a game and became the first Bull to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game. He is the first player in Buffalo's FBS era (since 1999) to have two pick-sixes in a game and the first Bull since Marcus Fuqua (last season against Toledo) to have three interceptions in a game. CMU averaged only 5.7 yards per pass attempt in the game. Grant also earned national player of the week honors from the Bednarik Award, the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award amd the Walter Camp Award as the Mid-American Conference’s East Division Defensive Player of the Week.
The three picks move Grant into a six-way tie for the national lead in interceptions with four. Grant, who worked his way into the starting lineup for Buffalo’s Camellia Bowl appearance last year, is second on the Bulls’ roster in total tackles with 34.0 and has two pass break-ups on the season.
Buffalo has not had a Bronko Nagurski Trophy honoree in its past. The Bulls’ first of three all-time FWAA All-Americans came from its defense when Khalil Mack earned First Team honors in 2013. Buffalo had two second-teamers on the 2020 FWAA All-America team in offensive lineman Kayode Awosika and running back Jaret Patterson.
Weekly Winners
Week 6: Devin Grant, S, Buffalo
Week 5: Caden Jenkins, CB, Baylor
Week 4: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
Week 3: Carlton Johnson, DB, Fresno State
Week 2: Ron Stone, Jr., EDGE, Washington State
Week 1: Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado