College Football Week 5: Team of the Week honors

With all eyes on a handful of top-15 matchups, Week 5 of college football did not disappoint. There certainly were plenty of players to choose from for our Team of the Week. Who made the list and why?

College Football Week 5: Team of the Week

The Week 5 slate saw some big point totals and some stout defensive performances. As we take a look at the college football landscape, it’s important to note the criterion for our selections. Players are selected based upon their overall impact on their team’s success or limiting the opponent’s.

Statistics matter, but so does the strength of the opponent, the time in which the player performed at his best, who he went against, and where he won. For more specifics on the selections, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter (@CamMellor).

First-Team Offense

We begin with the offense in our Week 5 Team of the Week.

QB: Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh

Kenny Pickett is playing like the best quarterback in his conference. Actually, he’s playing like the best quarterback in the country right now. The fifth-year Panther has completed 72% of his throws with 19 touchdowns and just 1 interception this season.

He put forth another dominant effort in Week 5 against Georgia Tech to round out an incredible first five games. Against the Yellow Jackets, Pickett went 23-of-36 for 389 yards and 4 touchdowns. He hit every level of the field beautifully, while his best throw was a red-zone dart off his back foot during a beautiful display of passing.

RB: Tyler Allgeier, BYU

It was back on Friday night that Tyler Allgeier put the Cougars on his back. While some top-25 ranked teams faltered on the road this week, BYU did not, thanks in large part to Allgeier. Big play after big play, Allgeier ran for 218 yards and 3 touchdowns on 22 carries.

It was Allgeier who started the scoring on the night and who ended it. He had touchdown runs of 1, 22, and 59 yards, the former being set up by a 67-yarder that saw him come down just short of the goal line. Allgeier manufactured enough on his own to certainly warrant his spot on our Team of the Week.

RB: Brian Robinson Jr., Alabama

Talk about a dominant performance. Robinson scored 4 touchdowns against Ole Miss, single-handedly outscoring the Rebels on Saturday. He grinded out yards and was the Crimson Tide’s rock as they kept the ball away from Ole Miss.

Robinson had 36 carries for 171 yards, routinely generating the tough yards to move the chains consistently.

WR: Skyy Moore, Western Michigan

In a weekend full of dramatic catches, Moore’s touchdown grab was particularly special. On a corner route in the red zone, Moore was literally blinded by his defender, who had his arm draped over his facemask. Somehow, however, Moore was able to come down with the lofted throw and plant his body inside the goal line for a 12-yard touchdown grab.

Moore added a 64-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter that gave Western Michigan their first lead of the second half. In total, he had 11 receptions for 163 yards and 2 scores.

WR: Ricky Pearsall, Arizona State

Setting the tone for the Sun Devils to race past UCLA, Pearsall had a pair of big plays late on Saturday night. He recorded touchdown catches of 54 and 65 yards in the second quarter alone.

On the night, Pearsall led all Arizona State receivers with 132 yards on just 4 receptions.

WR: Drake London, USC

Drake London took the weekend by storm with highlight-reel moments we’ll be seeing for a while. After skying to grab a pass between three defenders, London gave college football one of its best one-handed receptions in some time.

A perfectly thrown back-shoulder throw in the red zone from Kedon Slovis saw London covered terrifically. Yet, London made a miraculous one-handed snag and stuck his feet in bounds for the score. It was his lone score of the game, but it was worth the price of admission on its own.

TE: Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina

Isaiah Likely turned in a vintage performance, hauling in 5 receptions for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns against an overmatched UL-Monroe team on Saturday. Coastal jumped all over the Warhawks, leading 38-3 at halftime. Otherwise, he likely would have gone for more.

Likely had touchdown receptions of 5 and 30 yards in the game and provided value in the run game, setting the edge on multiple occasions.

Flex: Jayden Reed, Michigan State

It feels like we’ve been waiting a few years to see the real Jayden Reed stand up. On Saturday, we finally produced what we’d been waiting for. A dominant player with the ball in his hands, Reed had a touchdown reception of 46 yards and an 88-yard punt return for a score against WKU.

The Western Michigan transfer has looked exactly like the player we all thought he was when he was named an FWAA Freshman All-American in 2018. Reed is as talented as they come and much deserving of his place on our Team of the Week.

LT: Evan Neal, Alabama

You didn’t have to look far to see Evan Neal making plays against Ole Miss on Saturday. The big man was an imposing force, routinely enlarging gaps for Robinson and the Crimson Tide rushing attack to plow through.

His goal-line power is unmatched, and he put it on full display on Saturday.

LG: Javion Cohen, Alabama

Reaping the benefits of having Neal next to him, Cohen more than held his own on Saturday as well. He teamed up with Neal on occasion but found second-level defenders all his own in a terrific outing for the run and in pass protection.

C: Mike Caliendo, Western Michigan

If you’ve followed my Team(s) of the Week over the years, you’ll notice a few repeat performers. Caliendo is absolutely one of them because of the way he plays the game. He’ll call out signals at the line just the same as he’ll pancake defenders in the run game.

Caliendo is a stout pass protector on the inside and rarely gives up sacks, hits, or hurries. His play against Buffalo was top-notch yet again.

RG: Joe Tukuafu, BYU

When Allgeier wasn’t manufacturing yards on his own, he was running through large holes created by the right side of his line. Tukuafu helped carve out those rushing lanes while standing tall in pass protection all the same.

RT: Campbell Barrington, BYU

The other Barrington on the offensive line, Campbell looked terrific in all facets on Friday night. The right side of the line dominated on the ground and held clean pockets for Baylor Romney to work with. This offensive line is starting to come together as a unit, not just a group of five starters.

Kicker: Ryan Fitzgerald, Florida State

In getting the Seminoles off the proverbial schneid, Fitzgerald lands on our Team of the Week. Though he missed an extra point against Syracuse, Fitzgerald’s 34-yard field goal as time expired gave FSU their first win of the season.

Second-Team Offense

QB: C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
RB: Logan Wright, Georgia Southern
RB: Keaton Mitchell, Eastern Carolina
WR: Mac Hippenhammer, Miami (OH)
WR: Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama
WR: Chris Olave, Ohio State
TE: Derrick Deese Jr., San Jose State
FLEX: Jerreth Sterns, Western Kentucky
LT: Ilm Manning, Hawaii
LG: Jake Levengood, Oregon State
C: Olu Oluwatimi, Virginia
RG: Justin Britt, Iowa
RT: Cade Mays, Tennessee
Kicker: Gabe Brkic, Oklahoma

Honorable Mention Offense

QB: Will Rogers, Mississippi State
RB: Chase Brown, Illinois
RB: Bijan Robinson, Texas
WR: Zane Pope, Fresno State
WR: Stefan Cobbs, Boise State
WR: Will Sheppard, Vanderbilt
TE: Cole Turner, Nevada
FLEX: Tiyon Evans, Tennessee
LT: Tyler Steen, Vanderbilt
LG: Desmond Noel, FAU
C: Jerome Carvin, Tennessee
RG: Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
RT: Scott Lashley, Mississippi State
Kicker: Nick Sciba, Wake Forest

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