College Football 2014: Week 13 heroes

Another weekend of college football is in the books, so let’s go through who was great on the gridiron with my Week 13 heroes.

Samaje Perine
It took 15 years for LaDainian Tomlinson’s single-game rushing record to be smashed, and then a mere seven days for it to be broken again.

Last week, Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon was the toast of the college football world and now he’s little more than a footnote, as the impressive freshman Perine, the focal point of Oklahoma’s ground game this year, ran for 427 yards – 19 more than Gordon did last week – and five touchdowns, and that was without finishing out the game.

The record-breaking 42-yard run came early in the fourth, and that was it. Honestly, though, the way Perine was running, he could easily have topped 500 yards.

I wrote seven days ago that Gordon’s record-setting day of steamrolling Nebraska was an incredible effort and Perine’s was no different – from a freshman, no less.

The only difference was that Gordon’s came against what was considered a pretty good ‘Huskers defence and Perine’s came against… Kansas.

Still, numbers are numbers.

Should we expect the record to fall again next week? I jest, but, on a more serious note, the last few weeks have shown us anything, it’s that the Madden-type mark of 500 rushing yards in a single game isn’t as fanciful as we might have thought. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it broken in the next season or two.

Grant Hedrick
The Boise State quarterback has thrown for more than 3000 yards this season, and becomes only the fifth Bronco to reach that mark. Contemporaries Kellen Moore and Taylor Tharp are among the others who’ve reached that milestone. He finished with 246 passing yards and three touchdowns in the 63-14 win over Wyoming.

Minnesota
Native of the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Matt Birk said on College GameDay that this is probably the best Minnesota football team he’s seen in his lifetime, and you’d be hard pressed to argue that. A week after losing narrowly to a very good Ohio State team, the Gophers went into Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium – not an easy place to get a win – and toppled the Cornhuskers 28-24.

Like Wisconsin’s last week, Minnesota’s victory against Nebraska came by way of a brutal running game. Sparked by quarterback Mitch Leidner (111 yards rushing and two touchdowns) and David Cobb (80 yards on the ground, and one score), the Gophers, more recognised as a hockey powerhouse than a football one, railed from a 14-point halftime deficit, and a 10-point one in the third, for a big victory. Their hopes of a Big Ten Championship berth are still alive as they head into a huge rivalry against Wisconsin next week.

Marcus Mariota
The Oregon quarterback should be your Heisman favourite, despite the recent efforts of Melvin Gordon. Simply put, the Ducks are only as good as Mariota, so it’s pretty lucky for them that he’s on fire this season.

On Saturday, in their 44-10 victory over Colorado, Mariota broke the Pac-12 single season scoring record, accounting for now 42 touchdowns on the year

Both Mack Brown and Danny Kanell on ESPN suggested that Oregon is the best football team in America at the moment, and it’s hard to argue. The defence, once-maligned, has really stepped up since that Michigan State win – despite the unexpected loss to Arizona, and, let’s face it, most of the top 25 have had an unexpected loss or two this season.

Of course Mariota is a gun. He threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns against Colorado, and added 73 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Clearly, he’s the nation’s best example of a dual-threat quarterback.

Illinois
Beat Penn State 16-14, for their first victory against the Nittany Lions since 2010, and somehow they’re Bowl eligible now. A much-needed win for under-fire head coach Tim Beckman. Sadly, the student section was basically empty on Senior Day.

UCLA
This hurts to write, but the Bruins own Los Angeles college football at the moment, convincingly beating (my) USC Trojans 38-20 in the Rose Bowl on Saturday night. It’s the third straight victory in the cross-town series for Jim Mora’s squad after years of being used as a punching bag by high-powered Trojan teams. Suffice to say, those days are over.

The balance of power has shifted, and Mora, something of a controversial hire when it was announced, has been a masterstroke. Proof is in the pudding and he’s 3-0 against his biggest rivals.

Arkansas
When it rains, it pours, and it really did rain in Fayetteville as the Razorbacks, who last week snapped a 17-game SEC losing streak against Louisiana State, backed up that victory with a far more emphatic 30-0 blanking of a listless, reeling Ole Miss Rebels.

The victory was made possible because the Hogs defence forced six turnovers, including a 100-yard pick-six touchdown off a throw into the end zone from Rebels quarterback Bo Wallace, who was in his dreaded ‘Bad Bo’ guise this week.

Saturday’s win also marked the first time Arkansas has registered back-to-back shutouts since joining the SEC in 1992, and the win lifts them to Bowl eligibility for the first time in three seasons, which seemed an improbable mark a month ago.

The Razorbacks are one of those teams you just don’t want to play at the moment.

Melvin Gordon
Although his NCAA-record heroics of last week were overshadowed by Samaje Perine this week, the Wisconsin back was still on fire as the Badgers outlasted a plucky Iowa team on the road in Iowa City, winning 26-24. Gordon ran for an even 200 yards and two scores. Incredibly, he now has more than 2000 rushing yards on the season.

Harvard
The Big Game against Yale. Winner takes the Ivy League title. Huge stage, and despite letting Yale battle back from 24-7 down to tie the game, the Crimson stood up when they needed to, their game-winning drive ending with a 35-yard pass from quarterback Connor Hempel to Andrew Fischer inside the final minute. Harvard’s defence forced a late turnover to ice the game, recording a 31-24 victory.