Week 9 Maxwell Football Club Players of the Week

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The Maxwell Football Club honors 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 players that shined brighter than the rest in Week 9.

Maxwell Player of the Week

WR/DB Travis Hunter, Colorado

The electric playmaker has been a leader on both sides of the ball throughout the Colorado Buffaloes' (6-2, 4-1 Big 12 Conference) promising start to the season. Against the Cincinnati Bearcats (5-3, 3-2), Hunter's contributions on offense highlighted what would be a statement win in head coach Deion Sander's second year at the helm. Hunter finished the day with 9 receptions for a whopping 153 yards and 2 touchdowns while adding 2 tackles and a career-high 4 passes defended on defense. The performance was highlighted by his clutch play in several key moments during the game.

Leading by just three points with under two minutes left in the first half, Colorado was driving down the field. The Buffaloes were hoping to put points on the board that could help swing the momentum of the game in their direction heading into the half. As a result of poor clock management, however, Colorado found themselves just outside of field goal range with only 10 seconds left on the clock.

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders dropped back to pass and lofted the ball to a wide open Hunter just as he was getting hit. Hunter adjusted to the slightly under-thrown pass and leaped into the end zone to give the Buffaloes a 10-point cushion going into the half.

In the fourth quarter, the Bearcats had regained some momentum and trailed by just one score with under five minutes to play in the game. Hunter stood up to the challenge again, catching a deep jump ball from Sanders to bring life back into the Colorado offense and cap off the eventual 34-23 win.

As a result of Hunter's dynamic performance, Colorado is bowl eligible in a full season for the first time since 2016. More importantly, the Buffaloes kept their slim hopes of a Big 12 Championship berth alive, marking a near miraculous improvement from their 4-8 season just a year ago.

Bednarik Player of the Week

EDGE Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina

During the Tar Heels' four-game losing streak, North Carolina (4-4, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) struggled to find any consistency on both sides of the ball. Thanks to the tenacity and disruption of Rucker, the Tar Heels managed to snap their losing streak in dominating fashion against the Virginia Cavaliers (4-4, 2-3) on Oct. 26.

The fifth-year senior lineman led the Tar Heels' defensive line with a career-best 8 tackles, 3 sacks, 7 quarterback pressures and an interception. His performance inspired a defense that totaled 10 sacks on the day against a powerless Cavaliers' offensive line. The energy he provided was a positive sign for a defense that had allowed 41.5 points per game and 507.5 yards per game over their previous four-game losing streak. In the Tar Heels' 41-14 win over Virginia, the Cavaliers were held to just 18 rushing yards and 299 total yards.

Rucker has now totaled 20 sacks for his career, putting him in a tie for seventh for sacks in program history. For a reeling North Carolina team, Rucker's energetic performance may have provided the spark they needed to make a late season push for bowl eligibility.