The national player of the week in college football for the thirteenth week of the season is Devin Neal from Kansas.
The senior running back achieved an impressive 207 rushing yards and three touchdowns on a career-high of 37 carries, along with four receptions for 80 yards and an additional touchdown during the Jayhawks’ 37-21 triumph against Colorado.
Neal’s rushing performance marked the second best of his career and made him the first player in his program’s history to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in three separate seasons.
This game also signified the second occasion in his career where he scored four touchdowns in total and the fourth instance where he ran for three touchdowns in a single game.
Notably, Neal has had seven games this season where he rushed for over 100 yards, contributing to a school record of 19 such games throughout his career.
In the runner-up position is Illinois receiver Pat Bryant, who concluded an outstanding game with a 40-yard touchdown in the final seconds, securing a 38-31 victory against Rutgers.
The senior has accumulated three game-winning touchdowns within the last minute or during overtime this season, a feat unmatched by any other player in the country.
Bryant’s performance included seven receptions for a career-best 197 yards, with four catches for 140 yards occurring in the critical fourth quarter of the game.
His longest reception of 64 yards, also in the fourth quarter, was a personal best.
Honorable mentions in the weekly standout performances include Eastern Michigan linebacker James Djonkam, who recorded a remarkable 22 tackles in a 37-20 defeat to Buffalo, making it the highest tackle tally of the season in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings posted a career-high of 323 passing yards along with two touchdowns and added a touchdown on the ground during the 33-7 win against Virginia.
Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold rushed for 131 yards on 25 carries and completed 9 of 11 passes for 68 yards in a 24-3 victory over Alabama.
Auburn’s quarterback Peyton Thorne successfully connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a two-point conversion in the fourth overtime, leading to a 43-41 win against Texas A&M.
Lastly, Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo rushed 28 times for 147 yards and three touchdowns and caught three passes for 12 yards in a nail-biting 28-23 victory over BYU.
Looking at some impressive statistics, Ashton Jeanty has rushed for 2,062 yards over 11 games for Boise State, the highest total in the FBS since Chuba Hubbard recorded 2,094 yards in 13 games for Oklahoma State in 2019.
Kansas has made history by becoming the first FBS program with a losing record to defeat three consecutive Top 25 teams, having recently triumphed over Iowa State, BYU, and Colorado.
Auburn achieved a feat not seen since at least 1949 by having two receivers surpass 100 yards for two straight games, with Cam Coleman hauling in nine catches for 128 yards and KeAndre Lambert-Smith garnering six for 104 yards against Texas A&M.
Iowa State’s thrilling 31-28 victory over Utah marked their ninth regular-season win, the first time achieving this since 1906 when the team also recorded nine wins.
Army recorded the fewest turnovers in a game (four) since Georgia Southern had five in 2018, leaving out the unique circumstances of the 2020 pandemic season.
Indiana’s defense has permitted 47 big plays over 11 games this season, leading the nation in this regard, which is significantly lower by 42 compared to the same time last year.
A big play is classified as a rush of over 10 yards or a pass that exceeds 20 yards.