College News & Analysis

College Football Week 12: PFF Team of the Week and Player Awards

Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) throws a pass against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler: He took over Week 12 with a historic performance in the Gamecocks' win over the Tennessee Volunteers, who entered the day with playoff aspirations. He deservingly took home PFF Offensive Player of the Week honors for what is one of the best quarterback performances of 2022, if not the best.

Bowling Green EDGE Karl Brooks: He finished with 15 pressures against Toledo in MACtion — his third double-digit pressure outing since Week 5. The underrated Group of Five product looked to have PFF Defensive Player of the Week locked up before Notre Dame true freshman cornerback Benjamin Morrison pieced together a jaw-dropping performance for the second time in three weeks.

Estimated Reading Time: 3 mins

PFF TEAM OF THE WEEK

Offense

QB: Spencer Rattler, South Carolina Gamecocks
RB: Bijan Robinson, Texas Longhorns
RB: Kimani Vidal, Troy Trojans
WR: Juice Wells, South Carolina Gamecocks
WR: Jordan Addison, USC Trojans
WR: Jalen McMillan, Washington Huskies
TE: Dalton Kincaid, Utah Utes
LT: Peter Skoronski, Northwestern Wildcats
LG: Javion Cohen, Alabama Crimson Tide
C: Jacob Gall, Baylor Bears
RG: O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida Gators
RT: Dawand Jones, Ohio State Buckeyes

Defense

DI: Desjuan Johnson, Toledo Rockets
DI: Jonah Tavai, San Diego State Aztecs
Edge: Karl Brooks, Bowling Green Falcons
Edge: Aaron Lewis, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
LB: Xavier Cullens, Memphis Tigers
LB: JD Bertrand, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
CB: Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
CB: Steven Jones, Appalachian State Mountaineers
S: Jaden Voisin, South Alabama Jaguars
S: Daniel Scott, California Golden Bears
Flex: Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M Aggies


Offensive Player of the Week: QB Spencer Rattler, South Carolina Gamecocks

Rattler has endured a true up-and-down college career but is doing what he can to turn it into a bounce-back story at South Carolina in 2022. And his historic performance against a top-five Tennessee team in Week 12 could’ve kickstarted a resurgence.

Rattler earned a 93.1 PFF grade in his 433-yard, six-touchdown performance against the Volunteers — the highest of his 2022 campaign.

The former five-star recruit showed off the elite arm talent that once made him a Heisman Trophy and No. 1 overall pick favorite, tallying five total big-time throws and zero turnover-worthy plays.

His accuracy and ball placement were stellar throughout, with him turning in a 78% accurate pass rate against Tennessee, the fifth-highest in a game this season among Power Five quarterbacks who dropped back at least 40 times.


Defensive Player of the Week & True Freshman of the Week: CB Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

For the second time in three weeks, Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison takes home PFF’s True Freshman of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week honors. At just 18 years old, he has established himself as a rising star at one of football's most difficult positions.

Morrison had a performance of a lifetime a couple of weeks ago against Clemson with two interceptions in an upset win, one being a pick-six. This week, the true freshman managed to top that with three interceptions and one catch allowed in a shutout win over Boston College.

He saw a total of six targets against the Eagles and slipped up just once for a 32-yard gain, but the three interceptions helped make up for it en route to a 91.9 PFF grade on the day. Considering the amount of press-man the true freshman is tasked with, his performance as of late is truly special.

Morrison has put himself in position to make these plays on a weekly basis. He’s displaying a great balance of the requisite physicality needed at the position while not going overboard. All of this has added up to lockdown press-man numbers recently. Over the past three weeks in press coverage, Morrison has allowed just five catches on 15 targets while snagging four interceptions and forcing two other incompletions.

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