Folsom Five Stars – Week 14

1 – Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia (vs #19 Tennessee)

18/28 – 268 yards – 1 touchdown / 20 carries – 165 yards – 1 touchdown

Americas quarterback was back at it again on Saturday, leading the Commodores to a 45-24 drubbing of in-state rival Tennessee to secure the programs first 10 win season in its 122 year history. It wasn’t all pretty, as Pavia did throw two interceptions in the first half, but after a 21-21 tie at halftime he led scoring drives on all four of Vanderbilts second half possessions to pull away and cement his (hopeful) spot in New York for the Heisman ceremony. Pavia has blown passed his previous career highs as a passer this season, setting personal highs in completion percentage (by over 10 points!), yards and touchdowns. Vanderbilt will likely miss the playoffs, but should still end up with a nice bowl landing spot as they finish the regular season in the Top 15 and take aim at win number 11.

2 – Louisiana Tech QB Trey Kukuk (vs. Missouri State)

8/13 – 87 yards / 16 carries – 172 yards – 3 touchdowns

The Bulldogs secured win number seven on the season with a season finale victory over Conference USA newbie Missouri State. Saddleback College transfer Trey Kukuk was the star of the show on offense, scoring three times on the ground in the second half to separate themselves from the Bears and take home the 42-30 victory. The junior dual threat has come alive on the ground in the final two games for Louisiana Tech, rushing for over 300 yards in late season wins over both this Missouri State squad as well as Liberty a week ago. At 7-5, the Bulldogs have secured their first winning season under head coach Sonny Cumbie and will play in a bowl game for the second consecutive season.

3 – Jacksonville State QB Caden Creel (vs. Western Kentucky)

12/19 – 204 yards – 2 touchdowns / 20 carries – 143 yards – 1 touchdown

The Gamecocks earned a spot in the Conference USA Championship game after beating Western Kentucky 37-34, thanks to an impressive outing from their freshman quarterback. Since taking over the starting job, Jacksonville State has gone 6-1 to finish the regular season 8-4 and Creel has accumulated over 2,000 yards of offense as a true dual threat from the quarterback position. Creel has 973 yards rushing and 1,245 passing yards while accounting for 14 touchdowns. After Rich Rodriguez’s exit last offseason, this program had plenty of question marks but they’ve rebounded quickly thanks to Creel and running back Cam Cook, who finished the regular season as the nations leading rusher, and have made the the Gamecocks rushing attack one of the most lethal in the country (3rd in yards per game, ahead of two service academies). Jacksonville State will host Kennesaw State in the Conference USA Championship Game on Friday night on CBS Sports Network.

4 – TCU RB Jeremy Payne (vs. Cincinnati)

26 carries – 174 yards – 2 touchdowns / 1 reception – 44 yards

The Horned Frogs capped off an 8-4 season by putting up over 500 yards of offense on the Cincinnati Bearcats in a 45-23 win at home. Before we highlight Payne, quarterback Josh Hoover also deserves some love for his 306 yard/4 touchdown performance through the air. On the ground though, Payne dominated the Cincinnati defense with 218 yards from scrimmage. The sophomore back has been largely a backup for TCU this season, accumulating just 71 carries before his 26 on Saturday, but he’s seen back-to-back 100+ yard performances as a key player in TCUs wins over Houston and Cincinnati. Expectations weren’t quite met for Sonny Dykes and his team, but at 8-4 they’ll now await their bowl game destination.

5 – Miami WR Malachi Toney (vs. #22 Pittsburgh)

13 receptions – 126 yards – 1 touchdown / 5 carries – 30 yards / 1 passing touchdown

Toney cemented a historic season for the the Hurricanes in their 38-7 beatdown of Pitt, setting the programs all-time freshman receiving yards record once held by Michael Irvin and last held by former standout Ahmmon Richards. Toney now holds both reception (broken a month ago) and yardage records for the Canes as he’s become one of the nations premier skill position threats. It doesn’t stop there though, as Toney added his second passing touchdown of the season on a 9-yard strike to tight end Elija Lofton. Miami will wait out what happens with the college football playoff committee this week, but a berth into the playoff seems unlikely with the way previous rankings have unfolded. Instead, Miami will await their bowl destination and Toney will enter 2026 as a preseason Heisman favorite.