Y-Option's Go Go Go Awards - Week 5
Our distinct take on college football weekly awards and as always, seen through the lens of the West Coast
Week 5 saw our first conference games involving a pair of teams that moved together to a new conference. Arizona upset #10 Utah 23-10 in Salt Lake City while #8 Oregon made quick work of UCLA, 34-13, under the lights at the Rose Bowl. Washington, Colorado, and Stanford all played conference games on the east coast. The Huskies kicked away a 21-18 loss at Rutgers, the Buffs stuffed UCF and its run game 48-21, while the Cardinal’s sin was turnovers in a 40-14 loss at Clemson. And the present met the future in Idaho, as Boise State beat their future conference foe Washington State 45-24.
With that, it’s time to give out our weekly awards here at Y-Option, with a very distinct West Coast flavor to them… Y-Option’s Go Go Go Awards fueled by 76.
A reminder on what these awards are: they will honor the top players and coaches of the week through the eyes of the West Coast. The 4 honors we will give out every week:
“My 5-Star QB” - whether or not you were a 5-star recruit out of high school, you played like one this weekend.
“Go Go Gone” - the most explosive player of the week. Think big chunk plays as explosives and turnovers are the biggest predictor of wins and losses.
“That Dude!” - player who made an impact on either side of the ball. Not always about your numbers on the stat sheet.
“Headset Hero” - either a head coach or assistant coach who had their team ready and/or made the right in-game adjustments
Here are our Week 5 winners…
“My 5-Star QB” - UNLV QB Hajj-Malik Williams
From the ongoing realignment saga to their starting QB leaving the program over NIL disputes, UNLV was heavily in the news last week and not for its first 3-0 start since 1984. But with Matthew Sluka gone, in stepped Hajj-Malik Williams as the new starting quarterback in Sin City.
A Zero-Star prospect out of Hapeville Charter School in Atlanta (part of the same class of Georgia QBs as 5-stars Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields), Williams went to U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School for a year before signing with FCS level Campbell. After 5 seasons with the Camels, racking up over 8,000 pass yards and and another 1,600 on the ground, he arrived in Las Vegas in time for spring camp. Williams got his first run with the Rebels, coming off the bench in Week 2, with 88 rush yards on 10 attempts without throwing a pass.
Thrust into the spotlight this weekend, Williams put on quite a show in his first UNLV start and doing it against a conference rival they hadn’t beat since 2017.
13 of 16 through the air for 182 yards and 3 scores
12 carries for 119 yards and another score - 14th QB in UNLV history to rush for 100+ yards in a game
3rd FBS QB this season to have 3 pass TD and 100+ rush yards in the same game (New Mexico’s Devin Dampier at Arizona & Washington State’s John Mateer vs San Jose State)
A 59-14 thumping of Fresno State that helped them secure their first ever ranking in the AP poll (#25). The 59 points are UNLV’s most ever in regulation in a conference game.
“Go Go Gone” - Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty
For the 2nd time in this young season, Boise State’s back has set the tempo as our Go Go Gone winner. Ashton Jeanty has been hands down the best running back in the country this season and looks like he could be running his way towards the Heisman ceremony in New York City come December.
Saturday night against their future conference rival, Jeanty put up yet another incredible performance to lead the Broncos past Washington State 45-24. A season-high 26 carries for 259 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 Heisman pose. He now owns the top rushing performance in FBS this season (267 yards in Week 1 at Georgia Southern) and 3rd best (Saturday vs. Wazzu) and is the only player with multiple games of 200+ rush yards. And after putting up 6 touchdowns in that season opener, Jeanty is the only FBS player with 2 games of 4+ TD this season.
The 2023 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year now leads the country in rushing yards, all-purpose yards, rushing TD, rush yards per carry, points scored and total touchdowns. In historical terms, comparing it against 1988 Heisman winner Barry Sanders record-breaking season, through 4 games Jeanty has the advantage in rushing yards (845 to 813) on 13 fewer carries (95 to 82) while both had 13 rushing TD.
Saturday night, on Boise State’s 5th play from scrimmage, Jeanty broke 4 tackles on his way to a 64-yard TD run. The Bronco back bookended that with a 59-yard TD run in the 4th quarter. Jeanty has 6 runs of 50+ yards this season, twice as many as any other FBS player this season, and matches the most by any FBS player in a season over the last 5 seasons. Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard in 2019 was the last FBS player to have more than 6 runs of 50+ yards in a season. In fact, no other FBS team this season has more than 4 runs of 50+ yards.
“That Dude!” - Arizona QB Noah Fifita
This award has always been about more than just the stat sheet and Fifita’s performance in Saturday’s upset of #10 Utah definitely stands above just his final stats.
The redshirt sophomore’s numbers look just fine in the boxscore: 19-31, 197 pass yards, 2 pass TD, 1 INT. In fact, Fifita completed 13 of his first 14 passes in the game and the Wildcats held a 16-3 lead entering the 4th quarter. But he threw an interception on the 1st snap of the 4th quarter which the Utes turned into a 6-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a Issac Wilson to Caleb Lohner 20-yard score to cut the lead to 6 and give new life to the crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
But like the veteran he is, Fifita followed it up with an 8-play, 87-yard drive for the upset clinching score. The drive got off to a rough start when a holding penalty on the kickoff erased a 46-yard return and backed the Wildcats up to their own 13-yard line. After picking up a 1st down on a short completion to tight end Keyan Burnett, Arizona found themselves in 3rd and 11 at their own 25-yard line. Fifita picked up the 1st down and more, finding a Devin Hyatt streaking across the middle on a perfectly placed deep ball for a 41-yard gain and just the 3rd catch in Hyatt’s young career. 3 plays later, again in a 3rd and 11 hole, Fifita again came up with the perfect throw. Rolling out of the pocket, the Arizona signal caller threw an absolute dime across his body while on the run, hitting Burnett in stride in the back of the end zone for a 35-yard score. The first career touchdown for Fifita’s high school teammate.
For the first time in his career, Fifita beat a Top 10 team and not just any team. Noah watched the Utes growing up as 2 of his uncles played for Utah. And he did it with heavy heart as he honored his QB Coach, Lyle Moevao, who’s mother passed away this week and Fifita had “4 Sheila” written on his wristband.
“Headset Hero” - USC Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn
Much was made this offseason when USC head coach Lincoln Riley looked across town to help fix his defense, bringing in D’Anton Lynn from UCLA has his new defensive coordinator. And with good reason, in just one season with the Bruins he turned a defense that was 87th in the country in 2022 to one that finished 11th in the regular season in 2023.
So far the results have paid off. After a hard-nosed season opener against LSU, the Trojans shutout Utah State in Week 2 - USC’s 1st shutout since the 2011 season finale against UCLA. Last week, Lynn’s unit held Michigan to just 32 yards passing for the game and 102 total yards in the 2nd half (63 of them coming on the Kalel Mullings run) and were perhaps one missed tackle away from knocking off the Wolverines in the Big House.
Saturday in their Big Ten home debut, USC again got off to a slow start against Wisconsin, trailing 21-10 at halftime. But the defense absolutely took over in the 2nd half as the Trojans outscored the Badgers 28-0. Wisconsin could only muster up 82 total yards in the 2nd half, while going 1-6 on 3rd downs. The Badgers 6 possessions in the 2nd half ended with 3 punts, 2 turnover on downs and an interception that Mason Cobb returned 55-yards for the score.
Good choices and narratives for the Go-Go-Go awards!