Top 10 college football players of Week 5: Alabama’s offense goes nuclear

Tua Tagovailoa and one of his many offensive weapons DeVonta Smith set records in a lopsided victory against Ole Miss to headline our players of the week.

In an all-offensive week of rankings, several quarterbacks lit up the stat sheet both running the ball and slinging it downfield. Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan came up clutch for PJ Fleck against Purdue, Justin Fields continues his early Heisman run and Gabriel Davis came back with a great performance after a disappointing loss to Pittsburgh a week ago. Another record-breaking week in college football set up another difficult list to make in Week 5.

Oklahoma and Alabama, two potential college football playoff contenders, dominated this week’s rankings and have for a majority of the season.

College football players of the week

Honorable Mentions:

• Tommy DeVito, QB, Syracuse – 19/31 att, 269 yds, 4 TD, 1 Int
• Alex Hornibrook, QB, Florida State – 29/40 att, 316 yds, 3 TD
• Tony Jones Jr., RB, Notre Dame – 18 att, 131 yds, 3 TD
• Patrick Carr, RB, Houston – 16 car, 139 yds, 3 TD

10. Sean Clifford, QB, Penn State

• 26/31 att, 398 yds, 3 TD, 1 Int
• 7 rush, 54 yds, TD

In the biggest Maryland football game for the program since 2015, James Franklin and Penn State beat the snot out of their Big Ten foe led by junior quarterback Sean Clifford. Commanding the offense up and down the field, Maryland’s defense had no shot in stopping the dual-threat quarterback.

9. Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State

• 25 car, 296 yds, TD

How about those Cowboys? Oklahoma State’s lead running back Chuba Hubbard ran wild against a ranked Kansas State team at Boone Pickens Stadium. The FBS leading rusher continues to dominate defenses with his shifty footwork and blazing speed.

8. Gabriel Davis, WR, UCF

• 5 rec, 119 yds, 3 TD

Connecticut’s defense is not one of the nation’s best and Gabriel Davis took advantage of every target that came his way. Just five catches on the day overall, Davis found the end zone on three of those five touches.

7. Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati

• 18/22 att, 221 yds 4 TD

In a sneaky game against Marshall with some upset potential, sophomore quarterback Desmond Ridder rebounded after a rough start to the season. Heading into the game with only four touchdowns, Ridder doubled that total on Saturday.

6. Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

• 15/21 att, 212 yds, 3 TD
• 12 rush. 72 yds, TD

Ohio State fans have to be rejoicing with the way that Justin Fields has opened up this season. In a test against Nebraska, Fields continued his incredible start with another consecutive game with a rushing touchdown and three more passing touchdowns.

5. Tanner Morgan, QB, Minnesota

• 21/22 att, 396 yds, 4 TD

One of the most efficient passing performances of the year, Tanner Morgan tossed an incredible four touchdowns and 375-plus yards with only one incompletion against a struggling Big Ten team in Purdue.

4. Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma

• 16/23 att 413 yds, 3 TD 1 Int
• 9 rush, 70 yds, 1 TD

Lincoln Riley looks like a genius for persuading Jalen Hurts to take his talents to Norman, Oklahoma. Hurts, who has looked like a completely different quarterback this season, has flashed speed and arm strength that impacts his draft stock moving forward.

3. CeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

• 6 rec, 183 yds, 3 TD

Following the talents of Dede Westbrook and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is not easy, but CeeDee Lamb has shown similar speed and athleticism in Lincoln Reily’s offense. As the season continues to go by, Lamb and Jalen Hurts are continuing to develop a relationship.

2. DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

• 11 rec, 274 yds, 5 TD

Every week it seems to be a different receiver with unreal games for Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide. This week, DeVonta Smith had a career game with four touchdowns in the first half and over 220 yards of receiving.

1. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

• 26/36 att, 418 yds, 6 TD
• 4 rush, 1 yd, 1 TD

Tua is having a historic start to his junior season with five consecutive games without an interception and at least four total touchdowns in all five. Tagovailoa now has 25 total touchdowns without a turnover this season.

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