College football Week 13 superlatives: Jalen Hurts joins elite group, LSU quadruplets, Chase Young’s Heisman chase

Ohio State beats Penn State, Oregon falls to Arizona State and a slew of records fell across college football in Week 13. This is a recollection of the best and the worst of the week.

Best Heisman statement: Chase Young vs. Penn State

After missing the last two games because of an NCAA suspension, Chase Young quickly made up for lost time with nine tackles, three sacks and four tackles for loss vs. Penn State. The Ohio State defensive end broke the program single-season record previously held by Vernon Gholston and now has 16.5 on the season. He’d be north of 20 if not for missing Maryland and Rutgers.

Entering the game, eyes were on Young’s teammate, quarterback Justin Fields, and his chance to make a Heisman statement to earn a trip to New York City as a finalist. Fields had a pair of passing touchdowns but also a pair of lost fumbles that let Penn State back in the game. I thought Fields was a lock to be a finalist, but now I’m not as convinced. It might be a year early for Fields. But there is no doubt that Young will be a finalist along with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Scarlet and Game site expert David Wysong thinks Chase Young has the best chance to represent the Buckeyes at the Heisman ceremony on Dec. 14.

"“Chase Young is the baddest dude on the planet and I think he locked up an invite. I think Fields will slide in the Heisman standings after losing a pair of fumbles vs. Penn State, and if only one Buckeye can be a finalist, I think it’ll be Young over Fields.”"

I don’t think the Heisman voters will actually vote for Young to win, but being a defensive player and earning an invitation is a significant achievement. That said, he might settle for being the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft which pays a little better than being the Heisman winner.

Not for nothing, Young’s got the respect of three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, JJ Watt.

Best makeover: LSU’s offense sets SEC record

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is going to win the Heisman, but he’s not the only one putting up spectacular numbers this year for the Tigers. Certainly, he’s the focal point and without him, the offensive output of his skill players wouldn’t be what it is, but LSU became the first SEC program to have a 4,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher (Clyde Edwards-Helaire) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Ja’Marr Chase, Jordan Jefferson) in their win vs. Arkansas.

This is a record no one could have seen coming for LSU this year or really any year. The Tigers have notoriously been a great running team but lacked the special quarterback play to put up those types of numbers. All that changed this year with the hire of passing game coordinator Joe Brady from the New Orleans Saints which put Burrow in shotgun and sent receivers streaking down the field. It’s been the biggest turnaround for an offense or defense I can ever remember.

Best appetizer to The Game: The Game – Ivy League style

Here’s a story I didn’t anticipate covering this week, but there were students, alumni and faculty who held a protest at midfield at halftime of the Yale-Harvard game.

Okay, so once The Game was resumed after police got the protestors off the field, Harvard and Yale played the best game of the week. The two Ivy League teams traded scores and regulation wasn’t enough to settle this one. It took two overtimes but Yale prevailed to win the Ivy League Championship with a 50-43 win in what is easily one of the best games, certainly one of the best finishes, in The Game history. And there was another demonstration by fans on the field afterward when Yale fans stormed the field in celebration. Have to wonder if the ‘other’ The Game next Saturday will be as dramatic when Michigan hosts Ohio State with the Wolverines looking to spoil the Buckeyes’ perfect season.

Best Tua Tagovailoa impression: Mac Jones

Mac Jones made his second career start in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa who is out for the season with a hip injury. Jones fared well in his first start vs. Arkansas and certainly fared well in the 66-3 win over Western Carolina. Jones threw three touchdowns and completed 10-of-12 passes for 275 yards.

Bama Hammer site expert Ron Evans thought Jones looked fine executing a smart game plan.

"“Mac looked capable of executing much of the Crimson Tide’s explosive offense. Steve Sarkisian deserves credit for a solid game plan that should work against any defense.”"

Jones can’t replace Tua. And he’s not asked to be Tua. However, a similar stat line like this against Auburn next week in the Iron Bowl and a little chaos around college football could be enough to get the Tide in the playoff. If that happens, Jones will be playing the role of former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones who helped lead the Buckeyes to the national title after the injury to J.T. Barrett.

Best Tua Tagovailoa impression by an actual Tagovailoa: Taulia Tagovailoa

There are two Tagovailoa’s on Alabama. In case you didn’t know, Tua’s younger brother Taulia Tagovailoa is the team’s new backup. He was a top recruit in his own right despite the unfair comparisons to his older brother. He’s played sparingly thus far but got to play some extended reps against Western Carolina and threw his first career touchdown.

https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/1198318318463131648?s=20

It’s been an emotional week for the Tagovailoa family after Tua’s injury and subsequent surgery. Tua was back on the sidelines at Bryant-Denny and received a rousing ovation from the fans. His parents were also in attendance to see Taulia throw his first touchdown with his older brother cheering him on from the sidelines. It’s not how this season was supposed to go for the Tagovailoa family, but I hope that this moment can go a long way toward healing their broken hearts.

Worst use of a helmet since Myles Garrett: Tom Herman

I’m seriously starting to worry about Tom Herman at Texas. After losing 24-10 to Baylor when they scored their only touchdown with one second left in the game, the Longhorns are now 6-5 on the season. It turns out Herman’s attempt at firing up his team before the game by headbutting one of his players who had his helmet on wasn’t the best decision. This was the second-dumbest use of a helmet since Myles Garrett used Mason Rudolph‘s lid as a weapon.

Best attempt at saving his job: Clay Helton

USC firing Clay Helton has felt like a foregone conclusion since he was hired. The ongoing Urban Meyer speculation about being a shoo-in to not interested is enough to drive Trojans fans mad with the uncertainty surrounding their program. Helton isn’t as bad as Twitter makes him out to be. Is he Pete Carroll? Of course not. But did winning five of the last six to finish the season 8-4 impress USC President Carol Folt and new athletic director Mike Bohn he should get another year?

Reign of Troy site expert Alicia de Artola speculated whether firing Helton was a foregone conclusion prior to the 52-35 win over UCLA.

"From the outside looking in, Helton’s resume is fine. Fans rightly focus on the blowout losses to Alabama, Notre Dame and Oregon. They point to disappointing performances even in victories and general failure to maximize talent. They highlight USC’s faltering recruiting class.But in four seasons as a head coach, Helton will have also won a Rose Bowl and a Pac-12 title. He will have achieved two 10-win seasons and recovered from a 5-7 disappointment with an 8-4 improvement (assuming he beats UCLA) and a place in the College Football Playoff Top 25.Don’t mistake this as a defense of Helton. He has not done enough to warrant keeping a job he wasn’t qualified for in the first place. The right choice would be to start fresh with a new face who could restore confidence in the Trojan fan base."

Best angry run: Michigan’s Hassan Haskins

Michigan’s offense has looked a lot better the second half of the season and a big reason for that is the development of running back Hassan Haskins. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound back had 100-yard rushing games in the wins vs. Illinois and Notre Dame. He saved his best with this angry run (h/t Kyle Brandt) against Indiana. This is the type of run where you have to consider retiring on the spot. Just walk off the field, hand the trainers your helmet, take off your jersey and shoulder pads, unlace your cleats and focus really hard on your academics the rest of your college career.

https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/1198352934901338112

Best college kickers moment: Zach Hintze drills one from 62 yards out

College kickers are usually the butt of a lot of jokes on Saturday with their propensity to miss field goals. We had a reverse #collegekickers moment happen just before halftime of the Wisconsin-Purdue game though when Zach Hintze set a program record with a 62-yard field goal. Yes, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. A college kicker actually made a field goal from 62 yards out. This is real life. This is not a dream. As it turns out, Hintze is no stranger to making field goals from 60 yards out. In a high school playoff game in 2014, Hintze booted a 61-yarder to set the Wisconsin state record.

https://twitter.com/BigTenNetwork/status/1198369399591161856

Best worst display of dancing: Alabama fan

College football is great in part because of all the great fans across the country. That was never truer than in Tuscaloosa when Alabama fans had a really awkward dance party. I mean, what else are you going to do when your team is playing a cupcake? May as well have some fun, right? You’re only in college for four years (well, supposed to anyway say the guy who went for seven years and isn’t a doctor) so make memories and dance in the stands and go viral on Twitter. So I have to hand it to the Alabama fan in the center of the video for her exceptional dance moves that would play really well at every wedding dance floor.

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1198325892231118849?s=20

Best QB stat of the week – Part 1: Sam Howell sets freshman TD record

Last year, Clemson freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence set an FBS record with 30 touchdown passes. Lawrence was hailed as the greatest innovation since bread could be sliced. Well, his record didn’t even make it a year as North Carolina’s Sam Howell tosses his 31st to set the record.

Howell has shown superstar potential for Mack Brown’s Tar Heels and came within a two-point conversion from upsetting Lawrence and Clemson earlier this year. UNC fans should be awfully excited about his future over the next two years in Chapel Hill before potentially leaving for the NFL. It should also make Florida State fans wonder what could have been for the former FSU commit who backed off his pledge to Willie Taggart in favor of Brown and UNC.

Best QB stat of the week – Part 2: Dual-threat Jalen Hurts joins elite group

You know Jalen Hurts is good. But did you know he’s putting up numbers only seen before from Lamar Jackson and Johnny Manziel? In his 11th game, the Oklahoma quarterback topped 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards, joining the 2012 and 2016 Heisman winners to reach that double feature in 11 games. Only Jackson’s 2017 season that saw the NFL MVP candidate reach the feat in only 10 games stands out as a bigger achievement. It was thought playing for Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma would be his biggest boost for his NFL Draft stock. But the electric play by Jackson for the Baltimore Ravens could significantly help Hurts as he hopes to hear his name called in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Wherever he goes, he’s going to make plays just as he did his entire college football career.

Best RB stat of the week: Jonathan Taylor is Mr. 200

Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor ran for 222 yards in the win vs. Purdue. This was the 12th time he’s had at least 200 rushing yards, breaking the FBS record he previously tied with Ron Dayne, Ricky Williams and Marcus Allen. Taylor hopes he can join Dayne, Williams and Allen in another club: Heisman Trophy winners. Taylor is looking at finishing third or fourth as a best-case scenario but he may have locked up an invite to New York to be one of the finalists. If he is, he can thank Nebraska and Purdue’s defenses because he’s shredded them this year, and every year, with 25 percent of his career yardage coming against those two teams in six total games.

Best tear-jerker of the week: Nathan Mays gets one last snap

Youngstown State quarterback Nathan Mays suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle three weeks ago against North Dakota State to end his season. In a show of how much he meant to his teammates, Mays got helped onto the field in the win vs. Illinois State for one last snap. He got to go out on his own terms after the injury deprived him of that opportunity so this is just a wonderful moment and display of what it means to be teammates. It’s also a testament to the program head coach Bo Pelini is running.

Best reason why zero bowl games are irrelevant: Charlotte goes bowling

Charlotte football joined the FBS in July of 2015. In November of 2019, they are eligible for a bowl game for the first time in the program’s short history. For some programs, this is an annual tradition that lasts for decades and it can be easy to take them for granted. The talking point of there being too many bowl games and the playoff making many of them irrelevant has been annoying. Charlotte is the latest example of why there’s no such thing as an irrelevant bowl game. There may not be a single team this year who appreciates everything it took to get to this point.

Best game day distraction at Northwestern: Rubik’s cube kid

Anyone who is going to see Northwestern football in the cold November weather in Evanston this time of year is a trooper. Considering the Wildcats have just two wins and their offense resembles something out of the Roaring 20s, anyone who shows up should be given an honorary degree. So you really have to credit the fans in the stands for staying entertained when the football team can’t deliver. That’s why this fan playing on his Rubik’s cube is my new favorite Northwestern fan since the crying kid who became a meme during March Madness two years ago.

https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/1198296341883039744

Best father-son moment: Selfie dad and baby

Indiana has had a great season but nothing went great for the Hoosiers against Michigan. The only good thing to come out of this game for Indiana is this dad owning the selfie game. I’m sure mom might have something to say about enduring the elements but this is a picture you put in the photo album (did millennials kill those too?) and look back at this picture every Thanksgiving. This is gonna make me cry.

https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/1198380048413347840

Best wholesome content featuring mascots: Uga and Reveille

Georgia held off Texas A&M to win in a rain-soaked affair to keep their playoff hopes alive. That would normally be the big story out of this game, but not today, not when Hall of Fame mascots Uga and Reveille met on the sideline. In such a violent game, it’s important to highlight wholesome moments like two canines bonding. Truly a beautiful sight when they booped noses. 14/10.

Best halftime performance: Ohio State band goes Looney Tunes

The Ohio State marching band put on a show every home game and they saved their best for the last home game of the year. The show had a Looney Tunes theme so just sit back, hit play on the video below and be in awe of what the band was able to execute. Can a band win the Heisman?

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1198339986522877954

That’s all folks.

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