College football Week 9: 15 players to watch

Last week was exactly what people were waiting for with Ian Book. The senior quarterback threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-3 drubbing of a good Pitt defense. Book was haunted by a poor showing against Louisville his previous game, and many felt that the Irish were in trouble if he couldn't get going. He got going last week and now he'll face a Georgia Tech team that has allowed 121 points over its last two games.

Penn State is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Indiana and now has lost two running backs for the season. Oh, and this week the Nittany Lions get to host Ohio State in a massive game that has national-championship implications. Clifford seemed to do everything for the Nittany Lions last week, throwing for 238 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 119 yards and another score in the loss to the Hoosiers. With a skeleton crew at running back, Clifford will need to be outstanding to beat Ohio State.

While "Tank for Trevor" has been a story in NFL circles, "Failing for Fields" may need to be a thing as well. Fields got the Buckeyes off to a great start against Nebraska last week, throwing for 276 yards and recording three total touchdowns while crushing the Cornhuskers. With Ohio State struggling a bit to run the football, it may be up to Fields and his talented receivers to carry the load this season and especially in Saturday night's showdown at Penn State. 

In a battle of two of the top backs in the Big 12 last week, Hall rushed for more yards than Chuba Hubbard but Oklahoma State won the game. Hall ran for 185 yards and a touchdown in the loss, giving him five 100-yard games and nine touchdowns on the season.  Currently, he trails just UTSA's Sincere McCormick in rushing yards this season. The Cyclones head to Kansas to face the Big 12's worst rushing defense, so look for Hall to rack up some major yards this Saturday. 

Despite being one of the biggest disappointments in the country, Louisville put it all together in a critical win over Florida State last week. Hawkins was unreal in that game, rushing for 174 yards and three touchdowns on just 16 carries. The Cardinals host Virginia Tech in a stellar running back matchup with Khalil Herbert, who leads the ACC in rushing while Hawkins is third. 

Alabama is the Boogeyman of college football as it just keeps coming and coming, and there's nothing you can do about it. Mac Jones has kept the Tide's offense humming along with three 400-yard games already this year. He's getting some Heisman buzz, and Alabama looks like it is clearly the best team in the SEC. This week the Tide host Mississippi Stat, which surprisingly has the top-ranked defense in the league.

Clemson hosts Boston College on Saturday, which pits the ACC's top two passing yards leaders. Phil Jurkovec has thrown for 1,671 yards this season and has four 300-yard games already. Last week wasn't one of them, as he only threw for 145 yards in a win over Georgia Tech (he did rush for 94 yards). In the Eagles' two losses, Jurkovec attempted 51 and 56 passes, so even though the expectation is that Clemson will kill BC, Jurkovec will still sling it all over the place.

Zach Wilson gets a lot of the publicity for BYU, but Milne is having a great year in his own right. The receiver from South Jordan, Utah is fourth in the FBS in receiving yards and in the top 10 in receptions and touchdowns. Last week's blowout win over Texas State was a light game for him (four receptions, 89 yards, TD). But two weeks ago, he harassed Houston for nine catches, 184 yards and three touchdowns. BYU hosts Western Kentucky Saturday night.

Is Milton the quarterback who will finally get Jim Harbaugh a Big Ten championship? It is still early to tell, but Milton did a great job operating the Wolverines' spread offense in their 49-24 win over Minnesota in their opener. Milton threw for 225 yards and a touchdown, ran in another score and gave Michigan fans a treat heading into this Saturday's game against rival Michigan State.

This season hasn't gone as planned for the Sooners. And while a national championship may be out of the cards, a Big 12 title is certainly within reach. Rattler has had some bumps in the road during his freshman season (most notably his three picks against Kansas State) but he's shown the talent that made him so desirable to Lincoln Riley. In his last two games, both wins, he's thrown for 541 yards and five touchdowns and just one interception. Rattler gets to go against Texas Tech, the worst defense in the Big 12, against whom he could put up some scary numbers.

Ridder was spectacular in the Bearcats' huge win over SMU last week. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 126 yards and a TD and ran for 179 yards and three touchdowns in the win -- including a 91-yard touchdown run to finish off the Mustangs. Ridder isn't going to win any passing duels but knows his job is to run the offense efficiently and not put his sparkling defense in a bad spot. This week, Cincinnati hosts Memphis, the team that was a thorn its side last year. 

Shakir got off to a great start to the season by catching seven passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in Boise State's 42-13 win over Utah State. Last season, he found a groove with Hank Bachmeier, especially late in the year, catching 63 passes and totaling nine touchdowns. He'll be targeted more this season as John Hightower is now in the NFL. Boise State heads to Air Force for a battle this Saturday. 

Both Maryland and Tagovailoa would love nothing more than to forget their season-opening 43-3 loss to Northwestern. Tagovailoa ... the younger brother of Tua Tagovailoa ... transferred from Alabama last offseason and has become the starter for the Terps. In his debut, he was 14 of 25 for just 94 yards, three interceptions and zero touchdowns. In a nationally televised prime time game on Friday, a lot of eyes will be on Taulia. Is he as good as his brother? Should he have just stayed at Alabama? Is he the guy to lead Maryland for the next three years? He needs to shake off the loss and prepare for a Minnesota team that is stinging from a spanking it received from Michigan. 

Wallace looks a lot like the receiver he was before tearing his ACL last Oct. 30. He is averaging six receptions and 99 yards per game and 16.5 yards per reception, which is pretty much on par with his career averages. All of this while recovering from a devastating injury and with a freshman quarterback. He had a monster game against Kansas a few weeks ago, catching nine passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Oklahoma State hosts Texas on Saturday.

The Tar Heels' offense is so dynamic that they have two great running backs who have been dominant this year. Of the two, Williams is the punisher. He leads the nation in broken tackles and gets most of the red-zone touches. A load to bring down, he also has the speed to quickly hit the holes and get into the second level of the defense. He has been magnificent the last three weeks, totaling 448 yards and six touchdowns. North Carolina travels north to face slumping Virginia.