College Football Week 5 Awards

With the fifth weekend of the 2018 season in the books, it’s time to take a look at the best of the best and honor some of the top performances. Each week, Athlon Sports will highlight some of the top performers in college football with its weekly awards section. Here’s a look at Athlon Sports’ picks for the offensive, defensive, coordinator, team and freshman from Week 5:

College Football Week 5 Awards

Offensive Player of the Week: Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame

Book threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns and added 47 rushing yards in Notre Dame’s 38-17 victory over Stanford.

Defensive Player of the Week: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State

Young recorded six tackles (three for a loss), two quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and two sacks in Ohio State’s win over Penn State. One of Young’s pass breakups came on a fourth down, ending a potential scoring drive for the Nittany Lions in the second half.

Coordinator of the Week (Offense): Chip Long, Notre Dame

Notre Dame’s offense recorded 550 yards (6.2 a play) and accumulated 38 points in Saturday night’s win over Stanford. The switch to Ian Book has paid immediate dividends for Long and coach Brian Kelly. Book connected on 24 of 33 throws for 278 yards and four touchdowns, which opened up the Fighting Irish ground game to average 4.9 yards per rush versus the Cardinal. Additionally, Long’s offense converted 9 of 17 third-down attempts and had just two three-and-outs.

Coordinator of the Week (Defense): Jack Curtis, Tulane

Memphis entered Week 5 as one of the top offenses in college football, but Tulane’s defense held the Tigers to just 24 points (10 coming when the game was already decided in the fourth quarter) and 5.4 yards a play. The Green Wave held dynamic running back Darrell Henderson to 51 yards, with 47 coming on one rush in the first quarter. Curtis’ group also recorded seven sacks and nine tackles for a loss.

Team of the Week: Ohio State

The Buckeyes took control of the Big Ten East title race with a 27-26 victory in Happy Valley on Saturday night. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins led the way with two key drives in the fourth quarter, while Ohio State’s defense held at a few critical moments, including a fourth-down stop with less than two minutes to go to seal the victory.

Freshman of the Week (Offense): Chase Brice, QB, Clemson

Brice stepped up with Trevor Lawrence sidelined due to injury and helped Clemson earn a 27-23 victory over Syracuse. The freshman completed 7 of 13 passes for 83 yards and added a key 17-yard rush in the fourth quarter.

Freshman of the Week (Defense): Jevon Holland, S, Oregon

Holland recorded three tackles, one pass breakup and two interceptions in Oregon’s victory over California.