There was a party in Bloomington, Indiana on Saturday and, no, it didn't involve the same mom taking a beer bong at a tailgate. It was happening on the football field at Memorial Stadium, and it starred Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Nate Stanley.
But while the junior threw for 320 yards and six touchdowns on the road, Iowa State freshman signal caller Brock Purdy was holding it down back home with another party of his own in a huge upset win over West Virginia in Ames, Iowa.
There's plenty to be happy about in The Hawkeye State right now, and those two quarterbacks definitely headline the FanBuzz College Football Players of the Week during a big round of games that saw so many upsets across the country.
Offense: Nate Stanley (Iowa)
Statistics: 21-for-33, 320 yards, 6 touchdowns, 1 interception
A 42-23 road win at Indiana isn't exactly the hardest thing in college football right now, but tossing six touchdowns and keeping your team in the Big Ten West race is nothing to sneer at. Stanley had the best game of his career at the right moment and provided the Hawkeyes an extra boost during the second half of the season.
Defense: Ed Oliver (Houston)
Statistics: 6 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble
At 6-foot-3 and nearly 300 pounds, it's no secret Ed Oliver will be in the NFL soon and will likely be there for a long time if he dominates the next level like he did on Saturday. Logging six tackles is certainly solid for his position, but five for loss, including two sacks and a forced fumble that led to a touchdown? Having Oliver in the AAC is almost unfair.
Special Teams: Dominic Panazzolo (Texas Tech)
Statistics: 7 punts, 297 yards, 42.4 average yards
It's not very often a punter gets a ton of credit, but Panazzolo deserves it after his performance on the road to help the Red Raiders upset TCU. With three punts inside the 20-yard line, one booted over 50 yards, and a strong average all game, the Australian native was incredibly important to the outcome of the game. He had two punts inside the two-yard line during the fourth quarter alone.
Freshman: Brock Purdy (Iowa State)
Statistics: 18-for-25, 254 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, 39 rushing yards
If you were wondering if things could get better for Purdy after a huge performance and this award last week, they definitely can. A win over Oklahoma State wasn't enough because the Cyclones dominated No. 6 West Virginia and Purdy was a big reason why. Sure, his numbers aren't jumping off the page, but this was a high-level game played by the freshman and it deserves some recognition.
