A trio of the top performers from the penultimate weekend of the college football regular season:

Minnesota RB Shannon Brooks: The Gophers rookie had one touchdown heading into Saturday’s game against Illinois. He added three more while carrying his team to a victory over the Illini. The true freshman isn’t playing like one during the second half of the season. He ran for 174 yards on only 17 carries, which brings his season and career total up to 462 yards on the ground. The Atlanta native has a bright future in an offense that likes to hand the ball to its workhorse backs.

Michigan State S Montae Nicholson: Someone from the Spartans’ defense was going to get a helmet sticker, so why not the leading tackler from Saturday’s win at Ohio State. Nicholson lost his starting job earlier this season and returned to the top of the depth chart just last week. This past Saturday he had eight stops against a Buckeyes team that passed for only 46 yards. If the sophomore was feeling generous, he could slice up his sticker into several small pieces and pass out one to each of the defensive linemen who played a crucial role in slowing Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett.

Maryland RB Brandon Ross: Yes, his Terps lost again, but if you run for three touchdowns and more than 250 rushing yards you’ve earned yourself a sticker. Ross broke a 79-yard run for a touchdown early in the first quarter. Then he got loose again for 75 yards to start the second half. That final trip to the end zone pulled Maryland within a field goal. It was an impressive performance for the senior who stepped in for suspended starter Wes Brown in his final game at Byrd Stadium.