College Football Top Performers Week 11: Five Quarterbacks, Three Defenders

Nov 8, 2014; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive end Cedric Reed (88) strips the ball from West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Clint Trickett (9) during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas beat West Virginia 33-16. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Cedric Reed, Defensive End, Texas Longhorns (Defeated West Virginia Mountaineers 33-16)

12 Tackles, 4 Tackles for a loss, 3 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble

All of a sudden, the Texas Longhorns are in the race for a bowl game after a crucial upset victory over the West Virginia on Saturday. We saw Charlie Strong’s team grow up before our very eyes, and the future is looking bright.

Although Tyrone Swoopes did just enough to win the game for Texas as he continues to get better, the bulk of the credit has got to go to the Texas defense. And the bulk of the credit on the defense has got to go to Cedric Reed.

As a defensive end, it was remarkable for Reed to be able to have 3 sacks and a forced fumble. When you take into account that West Virginia has a great offensive line and a quarterback who knows how to get rid of the ball accurately, to disrupt Clint Trickett is amazing. And Reed did it all game, with a forced fumble as well.

Texas’s defense has been good all year, and the offense just needed to catch up. Well, while the offense improved on Saturday, Reed took the defense to a whole new level.

And that was what led to a huge Texas victory. For that, we listed him as one of our college football top performers.

Next: 9th of 10 College Football Top Performers