Justin Herbert / Quarterback / Oregon
Justin Herbert’s second career start was against Cal last year, where he tied the school’s single game record for most touchdown passes. Fast forward to this year, and Herbert is one of Oregon’s candidates for the Heisman. With six minutes and 41 seconds to go in Saturday’s loss against Arizona State, Herbert gave the Ducks their first and only lead of the game with a rushing touchdown. He finished the game completing 19-of-35 passes for 281 yards, three touchdowns and all without an interception. The sophomore is averaging a 68.3 percent passing completion for the season’s first four games.
Jalen Jelks / Defensive End / Oregon
Even though Saturday’s game against Arizona State ended with a loss for the Ducks, junior Jalen Jelks had a noteworthy night with personal bests of eight total tackles, five for a loss, and three sacks. Jelks has a total of 17 tackles this season after the team’s first four games — an amount that is over half of his total from the 2016 season. Last year’s game against Cal resulted in a then-career-high for Jelks of seven tackles.
Devante Downs / Inside Linebacker / California
Devante Downs is Cal’s first two-time winner of the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week since 2009, placing him in the running for the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. After the first three games of the season, Downs led the conference in tackles and co-led in forced fumbles. The senior’s season is just beginning as he proves to be a force to reckon with. Downs tied his career high with 14 tackles against USC Saturday.
Ross Bowers / Quarterback / California
At 6-foot-2-inches and 200 pounds, the 4-star ESPN recruit began his career as a mid-year enrollee at Cal in January of 2015. After being selected for the team’s starting quarterback position less than a week before the season opener, Bowers stepped up and helped capture a victory for the Bears against North Carolina, completing 63 percent of his passes, and scoring four touchdowns for a 167.61 quarterback rating. In Saturday’s loss against USC, the redshirt sophomore threw for 303 yards and completed 44 percent of his passes.
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