We always say that to receive one of our coveted, highly-prestigious and historic (since 2025) weekly college football “Game Balls,” it’s not just about raw stats and gaudy numbers but also impact and weight of the game and moment.
That’s why the first recipient on our list this week (because we go alphabetically) makes the cut despite having just 6 catches for 32 yards while many deserving candidates who piled up over 160 receiving yards or 150 rushing yards or 350-plus passing yards are not part of the group.
It will all make sense, bear with us — not to say there aren’t always questionable snubs.
Here are our 10 “Game Ball” recipients from Week 11 of the college football season (again, listed alphabetically).
Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr.
You can’t have the catch of the year in college football and not get a Game Ball from us. As noted, Cooper had just 6 catches or 32 yards in Indiana’s dramatic 27-24 come-from-behind win at Penn State, but he had THE catch and that’s what matters.
For those who went camping for the weekend with no cell service and are just logging back into the world (and thank you for starting here with our Game Balls column!), No. 2-ranked Indiana went into the fourth quarter at Penn State with a 20-10 lead only to find itself trailing 24-20 late in the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers had to punt the ball away with under 4 minutes to play and hope for one more shot.
They got it, taking possession with 1:51 on the clock still down 4 points. Cooper got the Hoosiers moving with a 22-yard reception on second-and-17. And with 36 seconds left on a third-and-goal play from the 7, Cooper elevated in the back of the end zone to haul in Fernando Mendoza’s pass and pulled off one of the best toe-taps just inside the white line you’ll ever see.
This wasn’t just any game-winning touchdown — it was one of the best of the season while keeping the No. 2-ranked team in the country undefeated. What a moment!
Cal WR Jacob De Jesus
Cal scored one of the big upsets of the week, winning 29-26 at No. 15 Louisville in overtime to throw a major wrench into the Cardinals’ ACC championship and College Football Playoff hopes.
Cal freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele had one of his best games of the season (30-of-47 passing for 323 yards and 2 TDs), and De Jesus was his top target. The senior tied a Cal program record with 16 receptions while totaling 158 yards and a TD.
That touchdown came on fourth-and-goal from the 3 in overtime to win it for the Bears, who earned their first victory over a ranked opponent since 2020.
UCF DB Phillip Dunnam/Southern Miss DB Josh Moten
Dunnam and Moten each notched three interceptions for their teams Saturday.
Dunnam did his work in a 30-27 UCF loss to Houston, as the Knights nearly scored a huge upset over the now-8-2 Cougars. Houston QB Conner Weigman had thrown just four picks all season before Dunnam got him three times Saturday.
Dunnam’s second pick went for a 43-yard touchdown return late in the second quarter to give the Knights a 24-14 lead. His third interception set up a short UCF field goal drive to go back up 27-24 late in the third quarter. The Knights didn’t finish the job, but Dunnam sure did his part, adding 4 tackles.
Moten’s three picks came in a 27-21 Southern Miss win at Arkansas State, which kept the Golden Eagles undefeated in Sun Belt play and in pursuit of a conference championship.
His interceptions came at the Southern Miss 3-yard line, 12 and goal line to halt promising Arkansas State drives. He also had 6 tackles and a pass breakup.
Nebraska RB Emmett Johnson
Johnson had a career-high 232 yards from scrimmage in Nebraska’s 28-21 win at UCLA. The Cornhuskers were in their first game without star quarterback Dylan Raiola (out for the season), and Johnson helped take pressure off young backup QB TJ Lateef with his best performance of the season.
Johnson finished with 129 rushing yards and a career-high 103 receiving yards (on just 3 receptions) to become the first Huskers RB ever to go over 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game. He also totaled a combined 3 TDs, and is up to 14 total TDs, which is the most for a Husker since 2014.
Johnson accounted for three straight touchdowns in the game — a 56-yard reception early in the second quarter, a 1-yard run late in the second quarter and a 40-yard reception early in the third quarter as Nebraska went up 28-7.
Johnson is the first Big Ten player in at least 30 years to have more than 125 rushing yards, more than 100 receiving yards, a rushing TD and 2 receiving TDs in the same game.
Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia
Pavia made sure Vanderbilt avoided a second straight loss, doing just about everything to lead the Commodores to a 45-38 overtime win against Auburn.
The star QB was 25-of-33 passing for a career-high 377 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs and rushed 18 times for a season-high 112 yards and a score. That included a 4-yard go-ahead touchdown to Cole Spence in overtime.
That marked a career-best 489 total yards and 4 TDs for Pavia as he continues to secure an indelible spot in Vanderbilt lore, and he did it against an Auburn defense that hadn’t allowed more than 24 points in a game all season.
Pavia became the first player in program history to post multiple seasons with over 3,000 yards of total offense.
Rutgers RB Antwan Raymond
Raymond had the biggest rushing total of the week across the FBS, carrying the ball an astounding 41 times for a career-high 240 yards and a touchdown in a 35-20 Rutgers win over Maryland.
It’s the highest rushing total in the Big Ten this season and the third-highest in the country. The 41 carries tied a program single-game record.
Raymond’s long run was 34 yards and his 5-yard touchdown with 4:10 left in the fourth quarter made it a 15-point lead for Rutgers.
Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff
Tulane had one of the biggest wins of the weekend that many college football fans may not fully appreciate. The highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion gets a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, and Tulane’s 38-32 win at then-No. 22 Memphis kept the Green Wave in contention for all of that at 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the AAC.
Retzlaff completed 16-of-23 passes for 332 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs and rushed 10 times for 43 yards and a TD. (He was 14 of 15 for 284 yards and 3 TDs in the first half alone).
He got things started early with a 65-yard TD pass to Shazz Preston for the first score of the game on an absolute dime deep downfield.
Retzlaff later had a 33-yard TD run early in the second quarter to push Tulane back up 21-14, then less than 3 minutes later threw a 54-yard TD to Anthony Brown-Stephens for a two-score lead.
Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez
No. 8 Texas Tech made a statement against previously unbeaten No. 7 BYU with a 29-7 win Saturday in one of the most important games of the day.
The 9-1 Red Raiders make a habit of blowing out opponents — all nine of their wins have come by at least 22 points — and the offensive stars often get most of the spotlight, but Rodriguez has been a catalyst all season for Texas Tech’s success.
He’s won Big 12 defensive player of the week or co-player of the week three times this season, including this week after tallying 14 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Rodriguez now has four double-digit tackle performances in his last five games, leads the country in forced fumbles and became the first FBS player since 2013 to tally at least 5 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries in a same season. And people are taking notice.
Oregon K Atticus Sappington/Delaware K Nate Reed
This is two weeks in a row we’re showing love to the kickers — and doubled up this time, no less!
One of the games of the week in college football was No. 9 Oregon’s dramatic 18-16 win at No. 20 Iowa, with major CFP implications for both teams.
The Hawkeyes used a 12-play, 93-yard touchdown drive to take a 16-15 lead with 1:51 left in the game, but the Ducks rose to the occasion in one of college football’s toughest road environments. QB Dante Moore led a 10-play, 54-yard drive in response, and Sappington won the game on a 39-yard field goal as time expired.
Sappington also made 46-yard and 40-yard field goals while going 3-for-3 on the day and accounting for more than half of Oregon’s points (including a PAT).
Reed, meanwhile, tied a Delaware program record with 4 field goals, but that’s not what gets him on this list.
After Delaware got a touchdown but missed the 2-point conversion to still trail Louisiana Tech, 24-22, with 34 seconds left, Reed delivered a successful onside kick to give the Blue Hens one more chance, which he’d finish off with a career-long 51-yard field goal for the game-winner.
SMU DE Isaiah Smith
Smith, a senior for SMU, came into Saturday with 4 sacks on the season and matched that in one afternoon in the Mustangs’ 45-13 win at Boston College.
SMU’s offensive stars got the headlines for the win, but we’re going to spotlight Smith as four sacks against any power conference opponent (yes, even Boston College) is a big deal. That tied SMU’s single-game program record and vaulted Smith into a tie for 10th nationally with those 10 sacks.
For good measure, he also had 9 tackles in the game (including 7 solo stops) to rank second on the team.