Weekly awards: Gerhart runs over Ducks

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh described Toby Gerhart’s performance against Oregon as “pretty darn heroic.”

Though the Ducks usually wear green, Gerhart was the one turning in an Incredible Hulk-like performance. The running back barreled through Oregon’s defense for a school-record 223 yards on 38 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 51-42 upset of the Ducks to earn Rivals.com National Player of the Week honors.

“As usual, he was just unbelievable,” fullback Owen Marecic said. “It’s great blocking for him. I have to get a hat on somebody and he’ll do the rest. His performance speaks for itself. He carried the team. He was just awesome.”

Gerhart’s performance helped Stanford become bowl eligible for the first time since 2001. Stanford (6-3) finishes its schedule with a road game against USC and home games against California and Notre Dame.

At 135.2 rushing yards per game, Gerhart is second in the nation in rushing - behind Fresno State’s Ryan Mathews (162.1 ypg).

NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
QB Kyle Parker, Clemson

Parker is a redshirt freshman quarterback from Fruit Cove, Fla., a little bit south of Jacksonville, and he has had little trouble with defenses from his home state. After passing for 326 yards and three touchdowns in an upset of Miami on Oct. 24, he led the Tigers to a 40-24 victory over Florida State on Saturday. He was 18-of-30 passing for 242 yards and four touchdowns against the Seminoles.

NATIONAL COORDINATOR OF THE WEEK
David Shaw, Stanford

Stanford managed to do what USC could not - keep up with the Oregon offense. Led by offensive coordinator Shaw, the Cardinal amassed 505 yards of offense on the way to the 51-42 upset. Redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck was 12-of-20 passing for 251 yards and two touchdowns, and the Cardinal rushed for 254 yards and four scores.

David Fox is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at dfox@rivals.com.

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