• Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.: He led the Huskies to a big upset win over Pac-12 rival Oregon, spoiling their College Football Playoff hopes. He lit the Ducks up downfield and turned in an elite grade for the game, earning him PFF Offensive Player of the Week honors.
• Georgia star interior defensive lineman Jalen Carter: He once again wreaked havoc in the Dawgs' big win over Mississippi State, but a three-interception performance from Miami safety Kamren Kinchens prevented him from taking PFF Defensive of the Week honors.
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PFF TEAM OF THE WEEK
Offense
QB: Michael Penix Jr., Washington Huskies
RB: Stacy Sneed, Houston Cougars
RB: Blake Corum, Michigan Wolverines
WR: Josh Downs, North Carolina Tar Heels
WR: Jalen Moreno-Copper, Fresno State Bulldogs
WR: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State Buckeyes
TE: Ben Sinnott, Kansas State Wildcats
LT: Graham Barton, Duke Blue Devils
LG: Atonio Mafi, UCLA Bruins
C: Brett Neilon, USC Trojans
RG: Zak Zinter, Michigan Wolverines
RT: Shedrick Rhodes Jr., Ohio Bobcats
Defense
DI: Jalen Carter, Georgia Bulldogs
DI: Levi Bell, Texas State Bobcats
Edge: Josaiah Stewart, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Edge: Tuli Tuipulotu, USC Trojans
LB: Harold Perkins, LSU Tigers
LB: Levani Damuni, Stanford Cardinal
CB: Marquis Williams, Pittsburgh Panthers
CB: Tyrique Stevenson, Miami Hurricanes
S: Kamren Kinchens, Miami Hurricanes
S: Calen Bullock, USC Trojans
Flex: Ike Larsen, Utah State Aggies
Offensive Player of the Week: QB Michael Penix Jr., Washington Huskies
Despite multiple season-ending injuries, a down season in 2021 before getting hurt again and a transfer across the country from Indiana to Washington, Michael Penix Jr. has managed to be one of the highest-graded quarterbacks in college football while taking the Huskies to new heights. This past weekend, he led Washington to a late comeback win over the top-10 Oregon Ducks.
• Penix went 12-of-16 on passes over 10 yards downfield for 305 yards and two touchdowns.
• Both of Penix’s passing touchdowns were big-time throws and 60-plus-yard scores. For perspective, Oregon had allowed a 60-plus-yard passing touchdown just once since 2020 entering Week 11.
• Penix had just one quarterback-fault incompletion on 35 passing attempts and turned in an 89% adjusted completion percentage from a clean pocket.
Defensive Player of the Week: S Kamren Kinchens, Miami Hurricanes
Miami safety Kamren Kinchens had arguably the best defensive performance of the 2022 season — and one of the best of the past few years — with a 94.9 PFF grade against Georgia Tech in Week 11.
• Thanks to his processing and tracking ability, Kinchens intercepted three passes and broke up one other pass for the game. The Miami Hurricane now has six interceptions and four pass breakups on the season with zero touchdowns allowed.
• The sophomore safety also made an impact against the run, with five tackles — one of which was for a loss — en route to a 77.8 run-defense grade for the game.
True Freshman of the Week: LB Harold Perkins, LSU Tigers
LSU off-ball linebacker Harold Perkins solidified himself as the best true freshman in all of college football with his performance against Arkansas.
• The 2022 top-10 recruit was all over the field for the Tigers, playing at least 15 snaps at outside linebacker, off-ball linebacker and slot cornerback in the win. That kind of versatility being carried out a high level isn’t common.
• Perkins allowed just four yards in coverage while forcing two fumbles — one on a hit on the scrambling Arkansas quarterback and the other a strip-sack on a slick ghost rush from the edge.
• The 6-foot-2, 220-pound LSU Tiger totaled seven total pressures on 13 pass-rush reps — six of which were a sack or a hit on the quarterback — en route to a 93.8 grade in the facet.
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