ESPN College Football

Back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes have already begun to separate Florida State and Clemson from the rest of the Atlantic Division -- at least on paper.

It’s only news, though, when those programs don’t bring in some of the nation’s most talented players.

Clemson, after all, just won its first ACC title for the first time since 1991. Florida State last year couldn’t beat Wake Forest. Which is why there is no reason for the Deacs or anyone else in the division to surrender just yet.

“They key for us is not how many stars they come in with, it’s how good they play when they’re juniors and seniors,” Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. “At least that’s our key. For us it’s all about developing players. It’s a standard joke among coaches, ‘How’d your recruiting go? Well, we’ll know in a couple of years.’ Sometimes that’s good to laugh and giggle about, but absolutely at Wake Forest, we know when they’re juniors and seniors if we’ve done the right thing in recruiting.

“For us, I think we know where we are. We’re a development program. We’ve got to do a great job of coaching our kids in the offseason and the weight room and out on the practice field, so by the time they’re juniors and seniors, there are a lot of other teams in the league that look at them and say, ‘Man, I wish I would’ve taken that guy.’”

Guys like Alphonso Smith, Aaron Curry, Chris Givens and Joe Looney. At Boston College, guys like Montel Harris and Luke Kuechly.

“Here’s the way I’ve always looked at the competition,” said BC coach Frank Spaziani. “As the competition gets better, everybody else better get better and move forward. There are a lot of other areas to it than just that.”

Just how much of a talent discrepancy is there within the division? Can BC compensate for a lack of stars with its hard-working, disciplined, blue-collar traits? Can Wake Forest continue to develop diamonds out of its “recruiting puddle?” NC State already beat a No. 7-ranked Clemson team, but can it win consistently? Will the hire of offensive coordinator Mike Locksley change Maryland recruiting?

Florida State and Clemson are ahead of the race, there’s no question about it. But until either one of them plays and wins with more consistency, it won’t be a two-team race in the ACC.

Maryland has its new offensive coordinator. It has its new defensive coordinator. The recruiting class has been inked.

The Terps are ready to move forward and put their abysmal 2-10 season behind them, but there’s only one piece missing -- the starting quarterback.

Danny O'Brien and C.J. Brown, who were both used last year and sometimes in the same game, will continue to play out their competition this offseason, but O'Brien, who is still recovering from a broken left arm, will be limited this spring.

First-year offensive coordinator Mike Locksley said on Wednesday he is giving both quarterbacks a chance to start over.

“My thing is, and I told both of these guys -- I haven’t watched a lot of tape on either of them from last season or previous seasons because I wanted to have a blank slate when I go in and evaluate,” Locksley said. “Obviously Danny is a very talented quarterback, and I think he’s had some success here in both systems, whether it was two years ago in the West Coast, pro-style stuff, and last year he had some success in the spread system they’re running.

“I’m a guy who really believes in doing what your personnel allows you to do,” Locksley said. “We’ve got some tight ends and fullbacks. If you study our offense, we play under center, we play in the gun. We run power plays, we run lead plays, we spread them out and run zone read, we run zone read option, so a lot of that stuff will be predicated on our quarterback and what they’re capable of executing, as well as who the playmakers are with that personnel.”

There was some speculation this offseason as to whether or not O’Brien would return for the 2012 season or transfer. Locksley said he hasn’t talked to O’Brien about that.

“You hear those rumors,” Locksley said. “To me, I didn’t address it because unless I heard it from him, I wouldn’t address it. Everything I’ve talked to Danny about and C.J. about are things we want to do on offense and how I plan on shaping the offense to fit what they’re capable of executing.”

Locksley said he’d prefer, though, if only one of them were executing it this fall.

Maryland defensive coordinator Todd Bradford will not return in 2012, the school announced on Friday. Both parties agreed to a negotiated buyout of Bradford’s remaining contract.

“We appreciate Todd’s efforts this past season and wish him well in his future endeavors," Coach Randy Edsall said in a prepared statement. "It is the right time for us to move forward in a different direction.”

There's only one direction for Maryland to go at this point -- up.

Edsall, whose six-year contract was too lucrative for this season to cost him his own job, has now fired both of his coordinators. Gary Crowton has already been replaced by Mike Locksley. Bradford's dismissal should come as no surprise after the 2-10 finish. Maryland was ranked No. 108 in the country in total defense and No. 102 in scoring defense. With the move, Clemson and Maryland are now both in need of defensive coordinators.

Maryland is practically writing its own book of bad business decisions.

Offensive coordinator Mike Locksley’s contract, which includes some of the most absurd incentives I’ve ever heard of, is the latest eyebrow-raising move by athletic director Kevin Anderson.

You would think that a $500k salary and a need to shake the ghosts of the past would be enough motivation for Locksley to succeed in College Park as both a coordinator and a recruiter. Oh no. Anderson took it even further:

Incentive: Locksley will receive $25,000 if Maryland is in the top 40 of the Rivals.com or Scout.com rankings on signing day. He also will receive $20,000 if the Terps rank among the top four teams in the ACC on signing day.

Problem: This is an embarrassing endorsement of fan-based recruiting services which coaches repeatedly, emphatically insist they do not pay attention to -- nor should they. Coaches should be trusting their own evaluations, not the star systems of others. This encourages the opposite. Not only that, but if Maryland isn’t bringing in top 40 classes -- regardless of the recruiting service -- there’s a problem. Add to that the danger of dangling thousands in front of a coach who is already immersed in the sketchy business of recruiting, and there’s even more temptation for the recruiter to break the rules. Here’s an idea: How about just giving Locksley a bonus for each recruiting class that sticks around long enough to graduate and finish in the Associated Press Top 25?

Incentive: Locksley will receive $15,000 each time Maryland finishes in the top four in the ACC in total offense and scoring offense, and an additional $10,000 if the Terps lead the conference in either category.

Problem: Poor William & Mary. Talk about incentive to run up the score on the little guys in the nonconference schedule, or to pull a West Virginia and keep throwing in the end zone when you’re up six touchdowns or so. Isn’t this what Locksley’s salary is for? Isn’t this what he’s getting paid to do? Score points??

Here's the kicker ... all of that money and those incentives completely trump the maximum of $5,000 Locksley would receive if the graduation success rate is greater than or equal to 85 percent. It's more than the $5,000 max he would get if the APR is greater than or equal to .950. Lead the ACC in total offense, though, and Locksley just got $25k richer.

Unlike former offensive coordinator Gary Crowton, who was fired after just one season, you better believe this contract was actually signed. And don’t be surprised if Anderson winds up paying for it.

It’s way too early for this. But that’s the fun of it. Heck, the ACC is impossible to predict from week to week, let alone in January. Consider this a starting point. A base for your offseason arguments. Don’t like it? I’ve got a mailbag. Learn how to use it. Let the debate begin …

1. Florida State: I know, I know, you’ve heard this one before. But it’s impossible to ignore the fact that nine starters return to one of the nation’s best defenses. Quarterback EJ Manuel will be back, and the Noles again have some of the nation’s best recruits.

2. Clemson: Quarterback Tajh Boyd and receiver Sammy Watkins were record-setters in their first seasons as starters. There’s plenty of incoming talent, and the Tigers should contend for the Atlantic Division again if the defense improves.

3. Virginia Tech: This staff knows how to develop players, and that quality will again be critical as the Hokies have to rebuild their offensive line and will lose their top playmaker in David Wilson. Quarterback Logan Thomas could be the best in the ACC, though, if the supporting cast emerges.

4. NC State: Consider the Pack the darkhorse candidate for the 2012 race. If NC State can stay healthy, it should have two of the league’s top players in quarterback Mike Glennon and cornerback David Amerson.

5. Georgia Tech: The majority of the Jackets’ roster returns, and it should be better after growing pains in 2011. With an experienced offensive line, and the bulk of playmakers returning, Georgia Tech should again be a contender in the Coastal Division.

6. Virginia: If the Cavaliers were playing for the division title in just the second season under coach Mike London, there’s no reason to doubt them in his third. There were some important lessons learned down the stretch, and it was a strong season for UVa to build on.

7. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons were a field goal away from winning the Atlantic Division title in 2011, and quarterback Tanner Price is good enough to put them in position to do it again.

8. North Carolina: The Tar Heels have another transition to go through with first-year coach Larry Fedora, and the defense will have to fill some big shoes. Offensively, though, there is enough in place that UNC can surprise some people in the Coastal Division race.

9. Boston College: The Eagles’ strong finish to 2011 left a lot of optimism within the program, and despite the loss of linebacker Luke Kuechly, the defense should still be strong. The return of running back Montel Harris will certainly help, but again the team must adjust to another offensive coordinator.

10. Miami: The biggest thing Miami has in its favor right now is a strong recruiting class. With eight starters leaving early for the NFL draft and the departures of the Class of 2008 -- plus possible NCAA sanctions looming -- there’s a lot of uncertainty in the program now.

11. Maryland: Look at it this way: It can’t get much worse. The hire of Mike Locksley as offensive coordinator will help, especially in recruiting, but how much, how fast? And has the dust finally settled, or will there be more changes?

12. Duke: Somebody has to be last, and until Duke proves otherwise, it’s status quo in Durham. Duke suffered from many of the same problems last year that it did in 2010.

Let me get this straight:

In order to improve Maryland football and the dreadful perception of it right now, coach Randy Edsall hired an offensive coordinator who has more baggage than Santa’s sleigh.

There is a reason or three Mike Locksley was not hired as Maryland’s head coach.

Reason No. 1: A former New Mexico assistant accused Locksley of choking and punching him.

Reason No. 2: A former New Mexico administrative assistant accused Locksley of sexual harassment.

Reason No. 3: He was 2-26 at New Mexico.

The gold star on Locksley’s resume is his ability to recruit. It’s indisputable. So is the fact that a New Mexico recruit who was pulled over and arrested for aggravated DWI was driving a car registered to Locksley.

In the end, recruiting is what this is all about, otherwise, this hire makes absolutely no sense considering the criticism Edsall has already faced after a disastrous 2-10 season. Recruiting has been at the heart of Maryland’s problems in recent years, but Locksley can help turn that around. He knows the D.C. high schools, he has relationships with the coaches, and this hire should concern opposing recruiters and create some buzz amongst weary Maryland fans. The transition to a pro-style, multiple offense should also be intriguing to embattled quarterback Danny O'Brien, who is well-suited for it but had a trying season and was benched in Gary Crowton’s system. Whether it’s enough to keep O'Brien from transferring remains to be seen.

Locksley’s first priority should be recruiting the quarterback he already has.

Because of the widely reported off-field incidents in Locksley’s past, he returns to College Park with a dark shadow looming over him. The only way to shake them will be to win and avoid any similar reports. Locksley, though, doesn’t put any stock into them.

“There’s been a lot of things written and said obviously over the last two and a half years that have no validity to it and have been unfounded,” Locksley said. “I’m from the theory of common sense that had the things that had been said and constantly written about me had the validity or had any scope to it, I think the best proof is that the University of New Mexico has honored the contractual obligations they had to me. Had those things taken place the way they had been reported, I venture to say with the lack of success we had on the field, they probably wouldn’t have had to honor their contract.”

Locksley also said he had “no regrets” about his time at New Mexico. Edsall said he’s not concerned about the perception of this hire.

“I’m not concerned about that,” he said. “We’ve talked to the people, talked to Mike, and Mike is going to be a tremendous asset here to us as we continue to move forward with our program, and be a mentor, coach and parent to our players here at the University of Maryland.”

Locksley is such a good recruiter he already got Edsall to buy his sales pitch.

Now they both have to sell this one to Maryland fans.

1. Remember when Notre Dame fired Bob Davie for having the temerity to go 35-25 (.583)? Neither of his successors, Ty Willingham (.583) or Charlie Weis (.565), surpassed him. New Mexico announced Wednesday that Davie will be its next head coach. It has been 11 seasons since Davie last ran a practice or coached a game, a longer hiatus than any current FBS head coach has on his resume. Given the mess that Mike Locksley made of the Lobos, you have to assume that Davie will have time to scrape off his rust.

2. Love this note that ACC blogger Heather Dinich sent me. North Carolina State sophomore corner David Amerson leads the FBS with 10 interceptions, three more than anyone else. Not only has no defender picked off 11 passes since safety Jim Leonhard of Wisconsin in 2002, but if Amerson maintains his pace of one interception per game, he will be the first to do so over an entire season since safety Terry Hoage of Georgia in 1982. You now may find Hoage in the College Football Hall of Fame.

3. If No. 11 Houston falters down the stretch, there are two other non-AQs waiting to qualify for an automatic BCS bid. If either No. 19 TCU wins the Mountain West Conference or No. 20 Southern Miss knocks off Houston to win Conference USA, it’s possible that one of them will reach 16th or higher in the final BCS standings. That would qualify the higher-ranked team of the two of them for a BCS bid. One of them will end up in the Fiesta or the Sugar.

Bob Davie has been hired as the next coach at New Mexico, ESPN's Joe Schad is reporting.

Davie, who coached at Notre Dame from 1997-2001, is set to replace Mike Locksley. The Lobos are in need of a major rebuilding project. Locksley won just two games in his two-plus seasons at New Mexico. He was fired in September, and New Mexico just won its first game of the season last week.

The Lobos have not had a winning season since 2007. Davie, who works as an analyst for ESPN, last served as a head coach with the Irish 10 years ago. He was 35-25 as head coach at Notre Dame, where he had the tough task of succeeding Lou Holtz.

Let's take a look at back at Week 4 for the non-AQs:

The good: How about a hand for Temple and Southern Miss, two non-AQ teams that took down the ACC on Saturday. The Owls dominated Maryland 34-7, and took particular pleasure in the win after hearing some trash talk from the Terps players before the victory. Temple has been impressive since the outset of the season, and nearly upset Penn State last week, too. Coach Steve Addazio has done a terrific job in his first year taking over the program. … Meanwhile, Southern Miss beat Virginia 30-24 -- its first road win over an AQ school on the road in five tries. … San Jose State ended a 13-game losing streak and notched its first conference win since defeating New Mexico State 13-10 on Nov. 28, 2009.

The bad:It was not a great day for the Mountain West. San Diego State was supposed to give Michigan a fight but instead lost 28-7 against former coach Brady Hoke. UNLV, a week removed from beaten Hawaii, lost at home to Southern Utah 41-16. Incredibly, Southern Utah returned three interceptions for touchdowns. New Mexico lost to Sam Houston State in overtime, 48-45. Just before kickoff, a teenager claiming to be a recruit was arrested on DWI charges in Mike Locksley’s car. Finally fed up with Locksley, New Mexico fired him Sunday afternoon. In two-plus seasons, Locksley went 2-26 and the program became a national laughingstock. To Lobos fans, this probably should go into the “good” category because they can now get the fresh start they have so desperately wanted.

UCF has got to fix its special teams. For the second straight week, that unit cost them, this time in a 24-17 loss to BYU. The Knights allowed Cody Hoffman to score on a 93-yard kickoff return, and a muffed punt by J.J. Worton set up another score. Last week against FIU, UCF also had a muffed punt that led to a touchdown and the Knights lost 17-10.

The heartbreak: The WAC had the toughest day of all the conferences in the hurting department. Two teams lost in overtime, and another with 44 seconds left in the game.

We start with Utah State. The Aggies have got to have their collective heart in pieces at this point. The closing minutes against Auburn doomed the Aggies thanks to a special teams error. The same can be said of their loss to Colorado State on Saturday night. Utah State saw its 21-13 lead evaporate after Eric Moats dropped a punt with 2:17 to play. Colorado State recovered and Chris Nwoke scored on a 1-yard run with 42 seconds left. The Rams got the 2-point conversion to send the game into overtime. The teams traded touchdowns in the first two extra periods. But Utah State decided to go for 2 in the second overtime to win the game. Robert Turbin was stopped short and Colorado State won 35-34. "The reason we went for 2 is because I believe in the team," coach Gary Andersen said afterward. "I believe we can score from the 3-yard line at any time and I surely believe we can score from the 1.5 yard line. I would do it again in one second. I’m always going to coach aggressive."

Louisiana Tech must know the feeling. Two weeks in a row the Bulldogs have come close to pulling the upset. Two weeks in a row they fell just short. Last week they blew a huge lead to Houston. This week, they did not have enough to take down Mississippi State. Freshman quarterback Nick Isham threw two critical interceptions -- one late in the game, and one in overtime -- that made a huge difference in the 26-20 loss.

Nevada has not played particularly well this season, but that looked like it was about to change at Texas Tech. The Wolf Pack built a 28-14 third-quarter lead, and Cody Fajardo seemed to provide a nice spark off the bench. But the defense -- which was supposed to be a strength this year -- collapsed and the Red Raiders scored with 44 seconds left when Seth Doege threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Eric Ward for the 35-34 win.

But nothing beats the case Toledo has. The Rockets had a win snatched from them thanks to a mistake by the officials in a 33-30 overtime loss to Syracuse. The school has asked the MAC to contact the Big East and request the win be given to the Rockets.

Injury report: TCU lost starting linebacker Tanner Brock for the season with a foot injury. The Horned Frogs will petition for a medical redshirt. TCU has shifted Tank Carder to the outside. … Air Force suffered injuries to starting linemen Zach Payne (knee) and Cody Miller (leg). … UAB quarterback Bryan Ellis suffered a concussion against East Carolina and was taken off the field on a backboard in a 28-23 loss.

Keenum watch: Case Keenum threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns in just two and a half quarters of play, and Houston recorded its first shutout since 1999 in a 56-0 rout of Georgia State on Saturday. He passed passed former BYU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer for third on the NCAA all-time passing yardage list, and passed former Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell for third on the NCAA career total offense list.

Helmet stickers

Brandon Rutley, RB, San Jose State. Rutley had 209 yards rushing on 33 carries -- including a career-long 66 yard scoring run -- in a 34-24 win over New Mexico State. It was the first 100-plus yard rushing game of his career, and he became the first San Jose State player to rush for 200 or more yards since the 2004 season.

Austin Davis, QB, Southern Miss. Davis finished 27 for 41 for 313 yards with no interceptions in a 30-24 win over Virginia. He threw touchdown passes of 32 and 3 yards to Bolden and a 20-yarder to Ryan Balentine.

Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple. Pierce set a school record with five rushing touchdowns in a 38-7 win over Maryland. Pierce had 149 yards on 32 carries.

Deon Long, New Mexico. Long had nine receptions for 209 yards and caught three touchdown passes, and returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in a loss to Sam Houston State. His 378 all-purpose yards set a school and Mountain West record.

Blaine Gautier, QB, Louisiana. Gautier, making just his fourth career start, led the Cajuns to a stunning 36-31 upset at FIU. Gautier guided the team to a season-high 419 yards of total offense and did not commit a turnover. He totaled 307 yards (221 passing/86 rushing) and tossed three touchdown passes.

Andrea Adelson talks with the coach about his keys to success for the upcoming season.

Here are your links for today ...

Former New Mexico assistant J.B. Gerald has re-filed a hostile work environment lawsuit against the university and head coach Mike Locksley.

Boise State adds another recruit for 2012.

Could Conference USA play on Sundays this season?

Howard Karr has made big contributions to Hawaii sports from behind the scenes.

Fisher DeBerry deserves his spot in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Utah and BYU fans will reach TV heaven.

Former Temple running back Tim Brown will try to restart his pro career in the CFL.

The poll results are in, and now it is time to discuss the team-related questions that we posed last week. The question that got the biggest reaction: Who is the top non-AQ team?

More than 58,000 votes were cast, and the winner was not a surprise: Boise State, with 45 percent of the vote. TCU was next at 28 percent and BYU was third with 22 percent. Houston and Tulsa received a combined 5 percent. But there were some quibbles with teams I left off the list. Most notably, UCF fans were upset that I left the Knights off the list. Here are a few of their arguments:

jeffs_ writes: UCF not even listed as a choice? Hmm, they finish Top 25 in all polls (including BCS poll), go 11-3 and win the conference, but I guess there's no room. And why does a 7-6 BYU team, that beat nobody of consequence, keep getting so much love. I understand they return a lot of starters, but they haven't really proven anything with this group.

trojansfans writes: I would replace Houston and Tulsa with UCF and SMU. Tulsa isn't that talented and although Keenum is back he was out for a year. UCF has a ton of talent and SMU has a great offense and great coaching.

Why isn't UCF on the list? There are a lot of questions on defense with Bruce Miller gone. The linebacking group lacks depth as well. Defense has led this team, so I wonder whether it will be able to pick up where the past few teams left off. A Top-25 finish was great for the program, but I do not expect the Knights to be ranked in the preseason. There are tough games at BYU, SMU and Southern Miss and home games against Tulsa and Boston College. I think the West is a stronger division, and Tulsa and Houston have the potential to have better seasons than UCF, which is why they made the list.

The question that had the closest vote: a prediction for the biggest non-AQ disappointment. Nevada and TCU were tied at 29 percent this morning, while San Diego State came in third with 24 percent. Some fans wondered why Boise State was not on the list. I see the point there, with the Broncos opening the season against Georgia and facing the unknown in the Mountain West. If they finish with two losses, that would be considered a major disappointment. Nevada and TCU made the most logical sense to me because of all the players they lose, specifically at quarterback. I am surprised the two ended up tied.

As for surprise team, Fresno State led the way. Fans are excited about the Bulldogs this season with Derek Carr taking over as the starting quarterback. Your choice for must-win coach: New Mexico's Mike Locksley, who has won two games in two seasons. And the most-lopsided vote of all: can't miss non-AQ game. TCU at Boise State ran away with the vote there with 92 percent.

Every year, there are coaches that land on the hot seat. So who are the non-AQ coaches who have to win in 2011? I have compiled a brief list. The no-brainer choice at the top of the list is New Mexico coach Mike Locksley, who goes into his third season having won two games and lost 22 with the Lobos.

Many thought he was on the hot seat last season, too. But the problem is he has a large buyout that New Mexico cannot afford to pay. According to local reports, it would have cost the program $1.4 million to fire him after last season. It would cost $1 million to fire him in 2011. So he may actually be safe if he has another bad season, unless New Mexico can find some serious cash.

I would put UAB coach Neil Callaway and Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild at the top of this list. Callaway goes into his fifth season at the school and has now been given plenty of time to get his players in to try and get into a bowl for just the second time in school history. He is 15-33 in four seasons and the Blazers went 4-8 last season. With 16 returning starters, including quarterback Bryan Ellis and running back Pat Shed, this could be bowl game or bust season for Callaway.

As for Fairchild, he took his team to a bowl game in his first season in 2008, but his teams have now posted back-to-back 3-9 seasons. The Rams also return 15 starters, including quarterback Pete Thomas. The Rams should be favored in four of their five nonconference games (Utah State, San Jose State, Northern Colorado, UTEP) so expectations will be high to return to a bowl.

Ron English also has gone 2-22 in his first two seasons. His team showed vast improvement last season over 2009. If that continues in 2011, he should be safe even with a losing record. But there are going to have to be more Ws in the win column. Bob Toledo is 12-37 in four seasons at Tulane

New Mexico coach Mike Locksley has won a combined two games in two seasons, but will return to the Lobos next season.

Athletic director Paul Krebs made the announcement Thursday to quiet speculation about Locksley's future after back-to-back 1-11 seasons.

"We realize there have been hardships placed on the program in terms of injuries, scholarship limitations, scheduling, and even in the depth of personnel that coach Locksley inherited two years ago," Krebs said in a statement. "Mike and I expect to see improvement in Year 3, and this administration firmly believes that 2011 will show that improvement on the field."

Make no mistake, a big reason why Locksley is staying is because cash-strapped New Mexico cannot afford to pay the nearly $1.27 million buyout on his contract, which runs through 2014.

There is no question there have been injuries that have been damaging, especially at quarterback this season. Four different quarterbacks played and there was never any way to establish offensive consistency. Not only that, New Mexico was one of the worst teams in the country in turnover margin and penalties, so it's not as if the Lobos were able to get out of their own way.

Locksley has got to show improvement, although it might not matter much. With a buyout that steep, who knows when or if New Mexico will be able to afford to pay it.

Time for a few non-AQ helmet stickers for Week 10:

TCU quarterback Andy Dalton. The senior threw for a career-high 355 yards in a 47-7 win over Utah, breaking his previous career high of 344 set in 2007 at Stanford. He also had a career-high 93-yard touchdown pass, the third-longest play in TCU history. Dalton also moved into second place on the Mountain West Conference list with 11,320 yards of total offense. He is within striking distance of the record Max Hall set with 11,569 between 2007-09.

Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore. Moore threw for a career-high 507 yards in a 42-7 win over Hawaii, which came into the game with the nation’s most prolific passing attack. But it was Moore who dominated, helping the offense rack up a school-record 737 yards of total offense. He had three touchdown passes to give him 85 for his career, setting the school record.

New Mexico coach Mike Locksley. Give this man a helmet sticker already. The Lobos won for the first time all season, beating Wyoming 34-31. That brings his career total to two. But still, this one was one to savor, leaving Akron as the only winless team in America. James Aho kicked a 38-yard field goal as time expired, and New Mexico forced four turnovers in the win.

Navy offense. What can you say about a team that rolls up a modern day school-record 76 points in a win over East Carolina? This is the same team that lost to Duke last week. But Alexander Teich ran for 157 yards and Ricky Dobbs had 100 as Navy ran up 521 yards rushing.

Tulsa kickoff returner Damaris Johnson. He had 322 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns in a 64-27 victory over Rice. He became the Conference USA record-holder for career kickoff return yards with 3,054 yards. He now needs only 64 yards to become the NCAA’s all-time kickoff return leader. Johnson is now 10th place on the NCAA list with 6,824 career all-purpose yards.

Western Kentucky running back Bobby Rainey. He ran for 152 yards in a 17-16 loss to FAU. His game allowed him to become the 14th back in school history with more than 1,000 yards in a season.

Temple quarterback Mike Gerardi. He threw for a career-high 368 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 28-10 win over Kent State. Girardi completed 72 percent of his passes and has steadily improved since becoming the starting quarterback four games ago.