For most of the day, it looked like the eighth Saturday of the college football season would be one that didn't have much drama or any real surprises. But then Purdue and Ohio State kicked off in West Lafayette, and the Boilermakers shocked the world with a 49-20 over an Ohio State team that came into the contest ranked No. 2 in the country.
This week we honor one of the players who played a crucial role in Purdue's upset victory.
National Player of the Week
Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue: Moore, a highly-touted recruit out of high school, turned a lot of heads when he chose to attend Purdue, and the freshman has turned even more heads since. A lot of those heads have belonged to defenders turning to watch him go, knowing they have no shot of catching him. Moore went off against Ohio State Saturday night, catching 12 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He also picked up another 24 yards rushing as well as 58 return yards on kicks and punts. It was another excellent week for Moore and likely one of many more to come.
SEC Player of the Week
Grant Delpit, S, LSU: The LSU safety has been one of the best defensive players in the country all season long, and he added another terrific performance to his resume during a 19-3 win over Mississippi State. Delpit finished the evening with 10 tackles, two interceptions and a sack. He now has five interceptions on the season. No player in the country has more.
Freshman of the Week
Adrian Martinez, QB, Nebraska: The Cornhuskers are finally on the board with their first win of the season, and their first win under Scott Frost. They couldn't have done it without their freshman QB, who had a terrific performance against Minnesota. Martinez threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for an additional 125 yards and another score.
Week 8 SEC Scholar-Athletes
Christian Miller, LB, Alabama: The Alabama linebacker graduated last December with an Exercise Sciences degree, posting a 3.32 GPA. He's currently pursuing a Masters in Sports Business Management.
Jesse Medford, LS, Tennessee: The Vols long-snapper is an Industrial Engineering major with a 3.10 GPA. He's a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
