A pair of upsets of Top-10 teams has netted a player from each of those games a significant national honor.
Linebacker Manti Te’o, playing less than a week after both his grandmother and longtime girlfriend passed away in a span of 24 hours, was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his inspirational performance in Notre Dame’s upset of then-No. 10 Michigan State. Te’o was credited with 12 tackles (7 solo), two passes defensed and a recovered fumble.
Running back Stepfan Taylor (no relation) was the lead horse in a ground game that helped churn out an “upset” win over then-No. 2 USC. Taylor rushed for 153 yards and scored two touchdowns (1 rushing, 1 receiving) in the win, averaging nearly 5.8 yards per carry.
Below is the year-to-date list of weekly 2012 Camp honorees:
Week 1: West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner
Week 2: Louisiana-Monroe quarterback Kolton Browning, Georgia linebackerJarvis Jones
Week 3: Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o