AP Player of the week: James Madison's Alonza Barnett III accounts for 7 TDs in win over Tar Heels

Updated Sep. 23, 2024 9:24 a.m. ET

Associated Press

The Associated Press national player of the week in college football for Week 4 of the season:

Alonza Barnett III, James Madison

The Dukes' quarterback had a hand in a program-record seven touchdowns and amassed 487 yards of total offense in his team's 70-50 win over North Carolina.

The third-year player from Whitsett, North Carolina, was 22 of 34 for 388 yards and five touchdowns and no interceptions. He ran 13 times for 99 yards and two more TDs.

Barnett, who was making his fourth career start, was off target with five of his first six passes and then connected with Omarion Dollison for a 69-yard touchdown. He had completions of 42, 48 and 50 yards and a streak of 12 straight completions. He broke runs of 38, 27 and 24 yards and averaged 7.6 per carry.

Runner-up

Michigan RB Kalel Mullings rushed for over 150 yards in a second straight game, with nearly half the total coming on the decisive drive in the Wolverines' 27-24 win over Southern California.

Mullings carried eight times for 77 yards on the 10-play march that ended with his 1-yard run with 37 seconds left. He had a 63-yard burst on the drive, his second run of over 50 yards in the game. Mullings finished with 161 of the team’s 322 total yards on 18 touches and added a pair of touchdown runs.

Honorable mention

WR/DB Travis Hunter had seven catches for 130 yards in Colorado's 38-31 overtime win over Baylor, his fifth straight 100-yard receiving game. He also recorded three tackles and forced the fumble that went out of the end zone on the final play to secure the victory. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw a 43-yard Hail Mary touchdown to LaJohntay Wester as time ran out in regulation to force overtime. Sanders’ 58-yard TD pass started the Buffaloes’ comeback from a 14-point deficit late in the second quarter. Navy QB Blake Horvath rushed for 211 yards and four touchdowns and threw for 192 yards and two TDs in a 56-44 win over Memphis.

Six stats

— The three highest-scoring games of the season occurred in Week 4: James Madison-North Carolina (120 points); SMU 66, TCU 42 (108); and Washington State 54, San Jose State 52 (106).

— Maryland's Tai Felton, who caught 14 balls for 157 yards against Villanova, is the third Big Ten player since 1996 to start a season with four straight 100-yard receiving games. He joined Garrett Wilson of Ohio State in 2020 and Charles Rogers of Michigan State in 2002.

— Brayden Schager became the first Hawaii QB since Colt Brennan in 2007 to complete at least 35 passes and have an accuracy rate of 80% or better. Schager was 35 of 43 for 374 yards against Northern Iowa.

— Toledo's Tucker Gleason, who had committed no turnovers through three games, fumbled twice and threw two interceptions in the second half of the Rockets' 26-21 loss to Western Kentucky. No player had committed so many turnovers in a half since Virginia's Anthony Colandrea had four in the second half against Maryland last season.

— Tennessee's 25-15 win at then-No. 15 Oklahoma marked the Volunteers' first road victory over an AP top-15 opponent since it beat No. 10 Georgia in Athens in 2006.

— Illinois and Indiana are 4-0 in the same season for the first time since 1910.

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AP voters: Aaron Beard, Tim Booth, Pat Graham, Stephen Hawkins, Pete Iacobelli, John Marshall, Eric Olson, Ralph D. Russo, John Zenor.

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