Week 14 Maxwell Football Club Players of the Week

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The Maxwell Football Club takes time to honor college football's top performers over the course of the season through weekly awards. The Maxwell Player of the Week award is given to the top offensive player, and the Bednarik Player of the Week award is given to the top defensive player.

Here are the performances that defined an exciting Week 14 of college football action.

Maxwell Player of the Week

QB Kyle McCord, Syracuse

As McCord and the Syracuse Orange (9-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) prepared to face off against the No. 6 Miami Hurricanes (10-2, 6-2 ACC), the odds were stacked heavily against them. The Hurricanes boasted one of the top offenses in the nation led by dynamic quarterback Cam Ward. Miami also had clear postseason stakes on the line: a win would give them a spot in the ACC title game and a chance to secure a bye in the first round of the College Football Playoff. For Syracuse to win, McCord had to step up and deliver the performance of his career.

The Ohio State transfer QB did just that. McCord was unstoppable in a 42-38 upset win over the Hurricanes, going 26-for-36 passing for 380 yards and 3 touchdowns. His electric performance will be remembered most, though, for his clutch play in moments that defined the game.

A slow start from Syracuse on both sides of the ball allowed Miami to build a 21-0 lead early in the contest. McCord never panicked and led TD drives on 4 of the next 5 Syracuse possessions to tie the game at 28. The Miami offense continued to drive down the field with ease, putting pressure on Syracuse to score. McCord's poise and composure shined late. He led a season-defining 9-play, 75-yard drive to score the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter.

McCord's performance cemented his name in school record books as the first Syracuse QB to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season. More importantly, McCord showed that he was capable of stepping up and making the plays needed in a season's defining moments. After just coming up short in the 2023 CFP as the QB of the Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten Conference), McCord capped off a prolific 2024 season at the helm of Syracuse with a top-10 victory and hopes of a promising professional career to come.

Bednarik Player of the Week

DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College

Throughout all the drama that characterized head coach Bill O'Brien's first year at the helm of the Boston College Eagles (7-5, 4-4 ACC), Ezeiruaka has been a steady force and leader on the defensive front. In the final regular-season game of his collegiate career, his tenacious play shined once again.

In a comfortable 34-23 win over the Pitt Panthers (7-5, 3-5 ACC), Ezeriuaku was unstoppable. The senior lineman garnered 10 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in a game that was over from the start, thanks to the disruptiveness of the Eagles' defensive line. Every time it seemed like the Panthers had a chance to shift the game's momentum in their direction, Ezeiruaku came up with a drive-wrecking play to put Pitt's comeback hopes to rest.

The stellar performance gave Ezeiruaku an FBS-leading 16.5 sacks on the season, and the win gave Boston College a chance at their first 8-win season since 2009. Throughout the season, Ezeiruaku played a pivotal role in an Eagles' program building momentum toward the future. The energy and resilience that Ezeiruaku brought to the defense will be sorely missed as he steps into the next chapter of his football career.