College Football

Bijan Robinson, C.J. Stroud highlight Saturday's top performers

Published Oct. 2, 2021 11:48 p.m. ET

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The best part of a new week in college football is the opportunity for breakout stars and redemption stories.

Week 5 presented both.

Texas is rapidly gaining momentum heading into the Red River Rivalry with Oklahoma next Saturday, having won three games in a row. And the Longhorns are getting a huge boost from running back Bijan Robinson, who is quickly morphing into one of the best players in the country.

In the Big Ten, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud made his return to the field a week after sitting out against Akron, dominating to make Ohio State again look capable of making a run to the College Football Playoff.

And they weren't the only ones who left their mark on Week 5 of the college football season.

Here is a look at the top individual performances from Saturday’s games.

Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

Don't look now, but the Texas Longhorns have won three straight on the back of Robinson. Robinson was the catalyst of a 32-27 win over TCU on Saturday, rushing for 216 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, he now has 652 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, firmly placing himself in the Heisman conversation.

David Ojabo, LB, Michigan

Ojabo played a big part in Michigan's stifling effort against Wisconsin, as the Wolverines held the Badgers to 17 points while forcing three turnovers. The linebacker recorded a team-high seven tackles, including 2.5 sacks for a loss of 11 yards. Wisconsin only managed 167 yards passing for the game, and Ojabo's constant pressure in the backfield played a major role.

D’Wan Mathis, QB, Temple

Forty-nine pass attempts? No problem for Mathis. The freshman quarterback put together his best performance to date for Temple, completing 71% of his passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns in an upset win over Memphis. Mathis' 35 completions tied the Temple school record for most in a game.

Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh

A 52-21 shootout is bound to produce some explosive plays and eye-popping stats, which is exactly what happened when Pittsburgh faced off against Georgia Tech. And nobody starred brighter than Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett, who turned the matchup into his personal showcase while passing for 389 yards and four touchdowns. For the season, Pickett now has 1,731 yards and 19 touchdowns to just one interception, while guiding Pitt to a 4-1 record.

Tiyon Evans, RB, Tennessee

In Tennessee's 62-24 demolition of Mizzou, running back Tiyon Evans proved that less can also be more. He only carried the ball 15 times, but made the most of them in the blowout win, rushing for 156 yards and three touchdowns. One of those TDs came on an electric 92-yard run. Entering Saturday, Evans had just 211 yards and two touchdowns on the season. He added a huge chunk to that in one day of work.

Drake London, WR, USC

USC's season might not be going according to plan, but it has been a monster showcase for receiver Drake London. And his success continued on Saturday. London caught nine passes for 130 yards and a touchdown in a 37-14 win over Colorado. This was London's third straight game with at least 130 yards receiving yards, and his fourth in five games.

C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

It had been rough sledding for Stroud early into his career as the starting quarterback for Ohio State, as he lost his first career home start vs. Oregon and has been dogged by inconsistent play. He also sat in Ohio State's win over Akron, which led people to question whether his job as the Buckeyes' starting quarterback was safe. He answered every question with a resounding performance against Rutgers on Saturday, throwing five touchdown passes to go along with 330 yards in his best start to date. 

Grayson McCall, QB, Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina continued its run towards perfection with another dominant win. This time quarterback Grayson McCall was only needed for one half of play. But, boy, did he make that half count. In a 59-6 win over Louisiana Monroe, McCall completed all 13 of his pass attempts for 212 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, he now has 1,113 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and a 5-0 record.

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College Football

Bijan Robinson

Texas Longhorns

C.J. Stroud

Ohio State Buckeyes

Drake London

USC Trojans

David Ojabo

Michigan Wolverines

D'Wan Mathis

Temple Owls

Kenny Pickett

Pittsburgh Panthers

Tiyon Evans

Tennessee Volunteers

Grayson McCall

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers