College Football Week 8: QB Country Players of the Week
It was an off week for many QB Country trainees, but a strong one for those who played. Several honorees earned national and conference recognition, making this week’s Co-Players of the Week a difficult selection. The Davey O’Brien Award released its Mid-Season Award Watch list and 12 QB Country trainees are on the list. Here’s the list of our top performers across QB Country:
Co-Players of the Week:
Bo Nix, Oregon
Bo went 22-of-28 ( 78.6%) for 286 yards and five touchdowns and added 64 yards on the ground in Oregon’s 45-30 win against No. 15 UCLA, making him the second quarterback in program history with two games with five touchdown passes in the same season. He earned Davey O’Brien Great 8 Quarterback of the Week honors, was a Manning Award Star of the Week, and was named Maxwell Award Player of the Week.
Michael Hiers, Samford
Michael was named FCS Offensive Player of the Week, going 45 of 51 (88.2%) for 442 yards and 4 TDs in Samford’s 55-45 win at ETSU. He also carried the ball 13 times for 50 yards and another TD. He connected with 11 different receivers while helping Samford improve to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the SoCon for the first time since 2013.
First Team:
Ben Wooldridge, Louisiana
Ben threw for a career-best 316 passing yards on 21-of-34 attempts and matched a school-record five touchdown passes to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 38-18 victory over Arkansas State. He was named a Manning Award Star of the Week as well as the Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week.
Holton Ahlers, East Carolina
Holton continued his strong play, going 30-of-36 for 311 yards and 1 TD and added a rushing score to lead ECU to a 34-13 AAC win over UCF. Holton earned a spot on the weekly AAC honor roll and Manning Award Star of the Week honors.
JUCO Spotlight: Lawson Pratt, Pearl River CC
Lawson turned in his best performance of the season to date, going 19-of-29 for 233 yards and 2 TDs to lead Pearl River to a 31-21 win over SW Mississippi. The victory ensured PRCC its first winning season since 2017. Over the last two games, both wins, Lawson has completed 68% of his passes.