It’s time to sift through all the spectacular stat lines and game-changing performances from Week 12 of the college football season and narrow it all down to 10 “Game Ball” recipients.
Regular readers know the drill — a lot of great players and standout performances get snubbed each week. That’s just how it goes and what makes this an exclusive list.
Here are the 10 we felt were most deserving of the spotlight from Week 12.
Penn State RB Kaytron Allen: Allen rushed 25 times for 181 yards and 2 TDs in Penn State’s 28-10 win at Michigan State. Allen gets a Game Ball for a couple reasons — he helped snap the Nittany Lions’ six-game losing streak and get its first Big Ten win of a frustrating season. Also, it’s a bit of a career nod for a guy who has been one of the Big Ten’s best for years. Allen now has 3,794 career rushing yards, trailing only Saquon Barkley (3,843) and Evan Royster (3,932) for the Penn State career rushing record.
Georgia Southern RB OJ Arnold: Arnold did just about everything to lead Georgia Southern to a 45-40 win over Coastal Carolina, becoming the first player in program history with a rushing, receiving and passing TD in the same game. He rushed 21 times for 267 yards (12.7 yards per carry) and 2 TDs (including a 62-yard score), added 53 receiving yards (including a 41-yard TD) and threw for a 73-yard TD in the third quarter that would stand as the decisive score.
Oklahoma CB Eli Bowen: Oklahoma scored the biggest victory in college football over the weekend, toppling No. 4 Alabama, 23-21, in Tuscaloosa, snapping the Crimson Tide’s eight-game winning streak and keeping the 8-2 Sooners’ College Football Playoff hopes not just alive but thriving. And the win was keyed by the Oklahoma defense, starting with Bowen’s 87-yard interception return for touchdown in the first quarter for a quick 10-0 lead. It was just the second pick of the season thrown by Alabama QB Ty Simpson. Bowen also had a season-high 5 tackles in helping OU to its highest-ranked road win since 2017. It was Bowen’s second career interception.
Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy: Hardy rushed for 300 yards and 3 TDs on 25 carries (12 yards per carry) to lead Missouri to a 49-27 win over Mississippi State, recording just the sixth 300-yard rushing performance in SEC history. It was the second-best rushing total in program history and featured touchdown runs of 72, 43 and 10 yards, while 146 of his yards came after contact thanks to eight missed tackles he forced. Hardy now leads the country with 1,346 rushing yards, is averaging 6.8 yards per carry and has 15 TDs.
Georgia Tech QB Haynes King: King does it again, willing Georgia Tech to victory and keeping its ACC and CFP hopes alive, overcoming an 11-point deficit entering the fourth quarter and a final rally in the final minutes while leading the drive to setup the decisive field goal in a 36-34 win. It certainly wasn’t King’s fault the Yellow Jackets were in peril — he completed 26-of-34 passes for 371 yards, 1 TD and 0 INTs while rushing for 53 yards. King led four scoring drives in the fourth quarter, and on the 13-play, 69-yard game-winning drive he had 25 yards passing and 27 yards rushing to set up Aidan Birr’s 23-yard field goal with 11 seconds left as Georgia Tech moved to 9-1.
Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy: Lacy’s 224 rushing yards in Ole Miss’ 34-24 win over Florida are the eight-best single-game total in Rebels program history and the most since 2010, while his 3 rushing TDs gave him 19 on the season to break the program record. Two of his scores came in the fourth quarter as Ole Miss pulled away after trailing 24-20. He averaged 7.2 YPC with a long run of 59 yards to set up that go-ahead TD.
USC WR Makai Lemon: USC is squarely in the mix for a playoff berth with two games to go, and few wide receivers have meant more to their team than Lemon has meant to the Trojans. And he just happens to be playing his best when it matters most. After catches 11 passes for 161 yards and a TD the previous week against Northwestern, Lemon followed with 10 catches for 153 yards and a TD in a 26-21 win over ranked then-No. 21 Iowa and its stingy defense. USC was down 11 entering the third quarter when Lemon had receptions of 24 and 26 yards to set up a field goal, then he had a 35-yard catch and 12-yard TD grab on the Trojans’ next possession to help key the comeback. Lemon is second in the country at 109 receiving yards per game.
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza: For as great as Mendoza has been all season for Indiana, he was at his best Saturday in the No. 2 Hoosiers’ 31-7 win over Wisconsin. Mendoza completed 22-of-24 passes for 299 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs as the Hoosiers moved to 11-0 for the first time in program history. He also jumped over Ohio State QB Julian Sayin as the new betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and set an Indiana single-season record with 30 passing TDs.
Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed: Reed threw two first-half interceptions that contributed to Texas A&M’s 30-3 halftime deficit vs. South Carolina, but that only set the stage for him to lead the biggest comeback in program history in a 31-30 win as the No. 3 Aggies moved to 10-0 for the first time since 1992. Per the Associated Press, entering Saturday teams were 0-286 in SEC play since 2004 when trailing by 27 points or more. Reed finished with 439 passing yards, 3 TDs (and those 2 INTs).
Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez: The Red Raiders are trying to push a Heisman Trophy campaign for Rodriguez, and while he’s not going to win the award the star linebacker deserves any spotlight that comes his way. He makes our Game Balls list again after totaling 9 tackles, an interception and a rushing TD (that’s right!) in Texas Tech’s 48-9 win over UCF. Rodriguez leads the nation with 9 takeaways, including 4 interceptions, and since 2005 he is the only FBS player to record at least 5 forced fumbles, 4 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries in the same season.