The 5 best performances from Saturday's action
Week nine in college football may have started out quiet, but it ended with fireworks.
Much like every week, the nation witnessed a huge upset - this time LSU over No. 3 Ole Miss, while Ohio State and Auburn each narrowly escaped Penn State and South Carolina, respectively. TCU even unleashed over 80 points on Texas Tech.
Among many noteworthy performances, we chose five players who deserved the attention of the college football world Saturday.
Trevone Boykin, QB - TCU
Boykin threw a monstrous seven touchdown passes as the Horned Frogs put up 82 points on an absolutely beleaguered Texas Tech defense.
Several media outlets argued that the performance pushed the junior quarterback into the Heisman trophy race, as his No. 10 TCU squad won their second straight by at least 30 points.
Three of Boykin's seven scores went for at least 55 yards, including a destructive 92-yard bomb to Deante' Gray.
Big 12 Big Plays: TCU's Trevone Boykin's Record Breaking Day http://t.co/wAyYXjlJyV via @campusinsiders
— Pete Fiutak (@PeteFiutak) October 26, 2014
Ameer Abdullah, RB - Nebraska
Abdullah continues to do great things for the Cornhuskers during his Heisman-worthy season.
He set a Nebraska school record with 341 all-purpose yards in the Cornhuskers' 42-24 victory over Rutgers. The senior rushed for 225 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries, caught two passes for 26 yards and returned two kickoffs for 90 yards. He ran for touchdowns of 53, 48 and 23 yards and also had a 74-yard kickoff return.
Ameer Abdullah ran for 225 yards and three touchdowns and set a school record with 341 all-purpose yards... http://t.co/1u5Z02F02v via @espn
— Lloyd Kilmer Ph.D. (@LloydKilmerPhD) October 25, 2014
Abdullah has rushed for 1,249 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has rushed for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons, including a Big Ten-best 1,690 last year.
Amari Cooper, WR - Alabama
Crimson Tide wide receiver Amari Cooper set a school record when he racked up 224 yards receiving on nine catches, two of which went for touchdowns. Alabama beat Tennessee 34-20 on the day.
He passed Julio Jones to grab the record. Jones previously caught 221 yards, coincidentally in Knoxville against the Volunteers as well.
Cooper had already scored both of his touchdowns and registered 185 receiving yards in the first quarter alone.
Amari Cooper's career day leads Tide over Vols. http://t.co/k0FeSxNRmD
— Chris (@aliasfatso) October 26, 2014
Anu Solomon, QB - Arizona
Solomon led Arizona's Pac-12-best offense to a 59-37 win over Washington State.
The freshman pivot tossed five touchdown passes, all to different receivers, on 294 yards.
Arizona QB Anu Solomon has 3 first half TDs & the #15 Wildcats lead Washington St. 31-16 after 2 quarters » http://t.co/Xp4WiA9LFi #AZvsWSU
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) October 25, 2014
Arizona scored 24 straight points in the first quarter to win for the fourth consecutive time in Martin Stadium. The No. 15 Wildcats have now won all but one game on their season.
Devon Johnson, RB - Marshall
Sure, Johnson ran amuck all over a weak Florida Atlantic squad, but one can't deny the Saturday-best 272 rushing yards he racked up during No. 23 Marshall's 35-16 win.
Johnson's four-touchdown effort helped propel the Thundering Herd to their eighth win of the season. They still haven't lost a game in 2014.