College Football Week 2: PFF Team of the Week & Player Awards

• The PFF Team of the Week is once again led by Syracuse Orange quarterback Garrett Shrader, who claims the Offensive Player of the Week honor for the second consecutive week.

• The headliners on the PFF Offensive Team of the Week include budding Ohio State star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., five-star Penn State true freshman back Nicholas Singleton and Florida guard O’Cyrus Torrence, who cracked the team for the second consecutive week.

• The PFF Defensive Team of the Week features a slew of slept-on talents, including Levi Bell out of Texas State, who has made the team in back-to-back weeks.

PFF TEAM OF THE WEEK

Offense

QB: Garrett Shrader, Syracuse Orange
RB: Nicholas Singleton, Penn State Nittany Lions
RB: Marquis Crosby, LA Tech Bulldogs
WR: Charlie Jones, Purdue Boilermakers
WR: Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State Buckeyes
WR: Marvin Mims, Oklahoma Sooners
TE: Dalton Kincaid, Utah Utes
LT: Jack Nelson, Wisconsin Badgers
LG: Tyler Beach, Wisconsin Badgers
C: Brett Neilon, USC Trojans
RG: O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida Gators
RT: Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State Beavers

Defense

DI: Levi Bell, Texas State Bobcats
DI: James Carpenter, James Madison Dukes
Edge: Derick Hall, Auburn Tigers
Edge: Derek Parish, Houston Cougars
LB: Krishon Merriweather, Texas Tech Red Raiders
LB: Kyle Soelle, Arizona State Sun Devils
CB: Steven Gilmore, Marshall Thundering Herd
CB: Kordell Rogers, Texas State Bobcats
S: Jaxen Turner, Arizona Wildcats
S: Antavious Lane, Georgia State Panthers
Flex D: Jayce Rogers, Houston Cougars

Offensive Player of the Week: QB Garrett Shrader, Syracuse Orange

Entering the 2022 season, Shrader’s career-best PFF grade stood at 84.8. He broke that mark in Week 1 against Louisville (90.2) and then set a new career best this weekend against UConn with an astounding 94.5 overall grade.

• • Shrader completed eight of his nine throws over 10 yards downfield for 198 yards and three touchdowns.
  • The dynamic athlete recorded two designed rushing touchdowns, bringing his two-year total with Syracuse to 15.
  • When free from pressure, he went a perfect 16-of-16 for 237 yards and three scores against the Huskies.

Defensive Player of the Week: CB Steven Gilmore, Marshall Thundering Herd

Gilmore had been known for being the brother of NFL All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore, but he is making a name for himself while manning a starting cornerback spot for Marshall over the past few years. And in arguably the biggest game of his career Saturday at Notre Dame, he had his best performance yet.

• • Gilmore sealed the upset win for Marshall by jumping a hitch for a pick-six. Before the play, Notre Dame had a 35% chance of coming back and winning the game. After the play, that dissipated to nearly nothing.
  • Gilmore saw four targets for the game and allowed just one catch for six yards.
  • He earned a 90.0 coverage grade against the Irish, the highest of his career — which includes over 40 game appearances.

True Freshman of the Week: RB Nicholas Singleton, Penn State Nittany Lions

All five-star recruits come to campus with sky-high expectations. Some live up to them, some don’t. If Week 2 is any indication, running back Nicholas Singleton will comfortably belong in the former category. 

• • The Nittany Lion broke nine tackles on 10 carries while racking up 169 total yards after contact.
  • Singleton ripped off three 40-plus yard runs for the game, making him one of 17 FBS ball-carriers to record three such runs in a single game in the past five years.
  • Singleton is the lone FBS running back to have three 40-plus yard runs this season, and he’s just 20 carries into his freshman campaign.