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Oct. 12, 2021 For Immediate Release Contact: Steve Richardson 214-870-6516 |
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| A weekly look at the first-year standout players and coaches |
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| 2021 FRESHMAN FOCUS: WEEK 6 | ||||
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DALLAS (FWAA) – Each week during the 2021 season, we will highlight the notable performances of first-year players and head coaches leading up to the selection of our annual Freshman All-America Team and the Steve Spurrier First-Year Coach of the Year Award presented by Chris Doering Mortgage. Here are the top performances from Week 6, the weekend of Oct. 9:
FIRST-YEAR PLAYERS: THE FRESH FOUR TreyVeon Henderson, RB, Ohio State (5-10, 215, Hopewell, Va.): 16 rushes, 102 yards, 2 TD; 4 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD Henderson dominated both as a runner and a receiver Saturday as Ohio State trounced Maryland, 66-17. The true freshman’s eleven total touchdowns are currently tied for third among all FBS players. Henderson and the Buckeyes, now ranked sixth in the latest AP Top 25 rankings, will take Saturday off before traveling to Indiana next weekend. Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse (5-10, 210, Owings Mills, Md.): 26 rushes, 153 yards, 2 TD; 3 receptions, 29 yards, 1 TD Tucker continued to gnaw at yardage Saturday as Syracuse came close to downing unbeaten Wake Forest before losing in overtime, 40-37. The Orange redshirt freshman's 995 all-purpose yards leads all FBS players. Tucker will look to maintain that national lead Friday when a vaunted Clemson run defense comes to town. Caleb Williams, QB, Oklahoma (6-1, 210, Washington, D.C.): 16/25, 212 yards, 2 TD; 4 rushes, 88 yards, 1 TD Williams didn't start the game for Oklahoma Saturday, but he sure did help finish it as the Sooners pulled off a hallmark 55-48 comeback win against Texas. The redshirt freshman first saw game action on a fourth-and-1 that he promptly raced 66 yards to the house before taking full control of the offense later in the second quarter. The young gun will look to keep rolling as Oklahoma plays host to TCU Saturday should he receive the starting nod this week.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas (6-1, 160, Fresno, Calif.): 9 receptions, 261 yards, 2 TD Worthy made his presence known early and often for Texas, who fell to bitter rival Oklahoma 55-48 Saturday. Whether it be his 75-yard touchdown dash on the Longhorns' opening play from scrimmage or his jaw-dropping game-tying score with less than 90 seconds left, the true freshman was a nightmare for the Sooner secondary all day long. Worthy will try to put Texas back in the win column next week with another test against No. 12-ranked Oklahoma State. STEVE SPURRIER FIRST-YEAR COACHES Andy Avalos, Boise State: Avalos led Boise State to its first top 10 road win in two decades, upsetting No. 10-ranked BYU 26-17. Despite being outgained by over 100 total yards, the Broncos forced four turnovers to keep the Cougar offense in check. Quarterback Hank Bachmeier was 18-of-29 passing for 172 yards. Running backs Cyrus Habibi-Likio and Andrew Van Buren both added scores on the ground. Josh Heupel, Tennessee: The Volunteer offense made another statement Saturday, scoring 28 points in the first quarter and beating South Carolina, 45-20. Hendon Hooker finished 17-of-23 passing for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Tennessee’s ground attack contributed 247 yards rushing, led for the second straight week by Tiyon Evans. Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com. 2021 Freshman Focus |
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