College Football Week 5: PFF Team of the Week & Player Awards

• PFF’s Offensive Team of the Week is led by Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez for his monstrous day not through the air, but on the ground.

• Cincinnati off-ball linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. claimed a spot on the PFF Defensive Team of the Week for the second consecutive game. If it weren’t for a three-interception day from one of the best cornerbacks in the country, he would’ve gone back-to-back in winning PFF’s Defensive Player of the Week.

• Stanford football’s slump continued in Week 5 with a big loss to Oregon, but the Cardinal at least saw one of their blue-chip first-year talents shine en route to claiming PFF True Freshman of the Week honors.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

PFF TEAM OF THE WEEK

Offense

QB: Adrian Martinez, Kansas State Wildcats
RB: Sean Tucker, Syracuse Orange
RB: George Holani, Boise State Broncos
WR: Dante Cephas, Kent State Golden Flashes
WR: Jacob Cowing, Arizona Wildcats
WR: Christian Horn, Appalachian State Mountaineers
TE: Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas Longhorns
LT: Venly Tatafu, UTSA Roadrunners
LG: Jack Bailey, Kent State Golden Flashes
C: Brett Neilon, USC Trojans
RG: Zak Zinter, Michigan Wolverines
RT: Lyndell Hudson Jr., FIU Panthers

Defense

DI: Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh Panthers
DI: Jowon Briggs, Cincinnati Bearcats
Edge: Karl Brooks, Bowling Green Falcons
Edge: Hunter Echols, Arizona Wildcats
LB: Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati Bearcats
LB: Jamal Ligon, UTSA Roadrunners
CB: Clark Phillips III, Utah Utes
CB: Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State Bulldogs
S: Calen Bullock, USC Trojans
S: Stephan Blaylock, UCLA Bruins
Flex: Beau Brade, Maryland Terrapins

Offensive Player of the Week: QB Adrian Martinez, Kansas State Wildcats

Martinez’s strong suit dating back to his days at Nebraska was always his athleticism and impact on the ground. That was no different in the Wildcats' Week 5 win over Texas Tech.

• Martinez turned 11 designed carries into a staggering 172 yards and two touchdowns against the Red Raiders. Five of those 11 designed runs were an explosive gain of 10 or more yards.
• The 6-foot-3, 225-pound quarterback also scrambled one time for an 18-yard touchdown. It was the first time a Power Five quarterback totaled at least 190 yards and three touchdowns rushing in nearly three years. In all, Martinez posted a 92.4 rushing grade for the game.
• Martinez helped the Wildcats to 10.3 yards per rushing attempt on the ground, the highest single-game mark by a Power Five program so far in 2022.

Defensive Player of the Week: CB Clark Phillips III, Utah Utes

Phillips entered 2022 as a PFF Preseason All-American, and he has easily been living up to that billing. The Utah Ute now owns the highest coverage grade in the country after his three-interception performance in Week 5 against Oregon State.

• The Beavers weren’t afraid to go Phillips’ way despite him being one of the premier defensive backs out west. The 5-foot-10, 183-pound cornerback was targeted 12 times on 32 coverage snaps. Only three of those resulted in a first down, but that was all trumped by his three picks — one of which Phillips returned for six points.
• This elite outing from Phillips came in a game where he bounced between the slot and outside seamlessly. It was the third time of his career that he played at least 20 snaps in the slot and on the outside, which is notable considering his NFL projection.
• One of the top qualities Phillips showed prior to this season was his sharp processing ability, and that was once again on full display Saturday. This has helped him to an FBS-high four interceptions on the year in addition to six passing stops and zero touchdowns allowed.

True Freshman of the Week: Edge David Bailey, Stanford Cardinal

Stanford’s blue-chip recruit of the 2022 cycle was edge rusher David Bailey, who was flirting with five-star status. The 6-foot-3, 238-pound true freshman earned a starting job right away for the Cardinal and put together his best performance yet in Week 5’s loss to Oregon.

• Bailey racked up three run stops and four pressures against the Ducks, making way for a 76.5 PFF game grade on first review. That pressure mark is notable considering the Oregon offensive line is the second-highest-graded unit in pass protection in the Power Five.
• The edge rusher accumulated a couple of other pass-rush wins to help form a 21% win rate in the contest. Bailey had some smooth hand removal and, unlike most first-year players, won in a variety of ways.
• Bailey has 14 total pressures in four games this season, tying for the most among FBS true freshmen.