Ad Disclosure
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit watched plenty of college football over the weekend, but only a select few players made the cut for his “Players of the Week.” No surprise, the SEC dominated the commentator’s list.
Headlined by Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, Herbstreit listed 4 players from the conference for their efforts in Week 1. Others included Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, Georgia defensive back Christopher Smith and Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers.
Richardson made headlines for his efforts against No. 7 Utah in ‘The Swamp’ Saturday evening. While he was limited to only 168 yards passing, the junior shined in space, rushing for 106 yards on 11 carries for 3 touchdowns en route to a 29-26 upset.
Here are my top performing players from WEEK 1! ?
1. Anthony Richardson @GatorsFB
2. Tory Taylor @HawkeyeFootball
3. Stetson Bennett @GeorgiaFootball
4. Jacob Cowing @ArizonaFBall
5. Jared Verse @FSUFootball
6. Christopher Smith @GeorgiaFootball
7. Will Rogers @HailStateFB pic.twitter.com/MuFnRpATOJ— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 6, 2022
Richardson became the first Florida quarterback since Tim Tebow in 2008 to throw for 100 yards and rush for 3 touchdowns.
Bennett, who led the Bulldogs to their first national title in 40 years, didn’t miss a beat against No. 11 Oregon in a 49-3 win. The sixth-year senior threw for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns while averaging 11.9 yards per throw. He also scored on a 1-yard scramble at the start of the second quarter to make 14-0.
Smith, one of the leaders of Georgia’s defense, intercepted former Auburn and current Oregon QB Bo Nix for a return of 22 yards at the start of the second quarter. Smith also finished with 3 tackles and a pass breakup.
Rogers, who made headlines running Mike Leach’s Air-Raid offense in 2021, returned to the saddle on the way to a 49-23 win over Memphis. Going 38-of-49 passing, Rogers threw for 450 yards and 5 touchdowns against the Tigers’ defense. He also averaged 9.2 yards per throw.
Cole Thompson is a freelance writer for Saturday Football who has covered college football and the NFL for multiple websites. Thompson is currently based in Houston, Texas, and also can be heard daily on SportsMap National Radio's 'Just Sayin It' from 3am-6am.
