Week 9 of the college football season has come and gone, and several players had enormous weeks to lead their teams to big wins. No. 10 Washington State topped Stanford in the final minute, and No. 6 Georgia pulled away from rival Florida in two of the biggest games of the weekend.
Who were the stars? Here are our Week 9 players of the week.
National Player of the Week
Gardner Minshew II, QB, Washington State: The graduate transfer from East Carolina lit up the stat sheet again, going 40-of-50 passing for 438 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-35 win over Stanford. That propels the Cougars into first place in the Pac-12 North and kept a shot at the College Football Playoff alive. Minshew leads the nation with 397.9 passing yards per game, and is the only quarterback in the country over the 3,000-yard mark.
SEC Player of the Week
Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia: After a miserable outing two weeks ago vs. LSU, the true sophomore signal-caller bounced back in a big way in the critical SEC rivalry game over Florida. Fromm completed 17-of-24 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns in the 36-17 win. The Bulldogs struggled on third downs two weeks ago, but all three of his touchdown passes against the Gators were on third down on Saturday.
Freshman of the Week
Tobias Oliver, QB, Georgia Tech: Oliver started over TaQuon Marshall on Thursday night in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech, and that move paid off for coach Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets. The freshman rushed 40 times for 215 yards and three touchdowns in the 49-28 win. A quarterback having a big day is nothing new for Johnson's triple option offense. But Oliver only attempted one pass on the night, so there was no passing threat. It didn't matter. Oliver took care of business with all eyes on him.
Week 9 Scholar Athletes
Fred Johnson, OL, Florida: Johnson is a family community and community sciences major for the Gators, and furthers his eduction outside of the classroom. The 6-foot-6, 330-pound senior of West Palm Beach is a regular volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club.
Mecole Hardman, WR, Georgia: The 5-foot-11, 183-pound junior isn't just a star on the field, he's planning for a future off it. Hardman is a sport management major who is planning for his life after the game, and is a regular volunteer at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.
