1 – Georgia QB Gunner Stockton (vs. #10 Texas)

24/29 – 229 yards – 4 touchdowns / 29 rushing yards – 1 touchdown

Georgia trounced Texas 35-10 in Athens on Saturday night behind a superb defensive effort and the arm/legs of junior quarterback Gunner Stockton. Stockton eclipsed over 250 yards against a good Longhorn defense and accounted for all five of the Bulldogs scores as they finished SEC play 7-1 on the season and await status for the conference championship game. A question mark heading into the season, Stockton has thrown for over 2,000 yards with 19 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions on the season, adding 8 more scores on the ground. Over just his last four games, he’s thrown 13 of those touchdowns and has shown consistent growth leading one of the nations premier programs. Bulldogs finish the season with Charlotte and Georgia Tech, and aside from some sort of cataclysmic event they should be a lock to appear in the College Football Playoff.

2 – Georgia Southern RB OJ Arnold (vs. Coastal Carolina)

21 carries – 267 yards – 2 touchdowns / 4 receptions – 53 yards – 1 touchdown / 73 passing yards – 1 touchdown

It was a do-it-all performance for the Eagles senior tailback on Saturday in a 45-40 shootout victory over Sun Belt foe Coastal Carolina, eclipsing 300 yards from scrimmage and throwing a touchdown pass as Georgia Southern moved to 5-5 and kept its bowl season dreams alive. Arnold has put up modest numbers this season and has a shot at topping the 1,000 yard mark, but Saturday was just the second career 20+ carry game for the senior (his first was last game against Appalachian State) and he rewarded the team with a herculean effort, scoring a 41 yard receiving touchdown, a 62 yard score on the ground, and throwing a nice loft pass late that would be taken 73 yards for the score. Georgia Southern rounds out the regular season with Old Dominion and Marshall, needing just one win to secure a fourth consecutive bowl birth under Clay Helton.

3 – Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields (vs. #22 Pittsburgh)

7 receptions – 99 yards – 2 touchdowns

It was ultimately a collective effort from the Irish in their 37-15 demolishing of Pitt, but it was Fields who showed off multiple highlight reel plays on the offensive end that showed a side of the Notre Dame passing game we have rarely seen in recent years. On a 3rd and 15 free play (defensive offsides), CJ Carr found his 6’4″ receiver for a 35 yard gain (Carr would ultimately throw an interception on the next play). Late in the second quarter, Carr and Fields would hook up again on a similar play. The Panthers defense was offsides and Carr lobbed it up for Fields, who Moss’d the Panthers defensive back to take a 21-3 lead into halftime. It was just the second game of the season with 5+ catches for Fields and just his first with multiple touchdowns, but if he and Carr can build off this against a weak remaining schedule (Syracuse/Stanford) it could add a much needed threat outside of the run game heading into the Playoffs.

4 – USC WR Makai Lemon (vs. #21 Iowa)

10 receptions – 153 yards – 1 touchdown

USC helped hold back some narratives on Saturday by beating the Hawkeyes 26-21 in Los Angeles, but it required 19 unanswered points in the second half to get the job done. On offense, as it’s been all season, it was the Makai Lemon show as the projected first round receiver put up his third 10+ reception performance of the year and fifth game going over the 100 yard mark as a go-to target for Jayden Maiava. The junior ranks in the top ten nationally in catches, yards and touchdowns. Next week the Trojans travel to Eugene to face Oregon and will be needing another big game from their star pass catcher to pull the upset.

5 – Miami S Jakobe Thomas (vs. NC State)

2 interceptions / 1 touchdown

The Hurricane defense looked like the unit from the start of the season in their 41-7 decimation of the Wolfpack, and its star performer was transfer safety Jakobe Thomas. The former Middle Tennessee and Tennessee defensive back picked off CJ Bailey on back-to-back possessions at the end of the first quarter, including a pick-six in which Thomas sought out Bailey, gave him the finger and bulldozed the quarterback as he entered the end zone. Thomas has been a tremendous portal addition and one of the biggest catalysts for the defensive turnaround in Coral Gables, playing with the smarts, swagger and tenacity of throwback Miami safeties. The Hurricanes still have outside shots at the playoff and/or ACC Championship game but will have to make road trips to Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh to close the season.