After an off performance last week, the offensive players were back in full force in Week 7. The state featured some dazzling offensive performances, including a former starting quarterback reintroducing himself. 

When finding the superlatives of the weekend, it takes much more than just seeing a final score. It’s about standing out and exceeding expectations in a way that forces you to take notice. Here are five players who earned those honors in Week 7. 

SMU wide receivers

With Reggie Roberson down because of injuries, there was some intrigue over who would step up in his place as Shane Buechele’s top option. The answer? Everyone. 

Rashee Rice (North Richland Hills), Danny Gray (Dallas Madison) and Tyler Page (Friendswood) each posted 100-yard performances on the road. The trio combined for 373 yards, and each had a reception of at least 40 yards. While SMU doesn’t have a James Proche as yet to make up for Roberson’s lost production, the strength in numbers might be even better. 

QB Jason Bean, North Texas (Mansfield Lake Ridge)

After losing the starting job, it would have been easy for Jason Bean to sulk or give up. Even as UNT struggled over its last several games, Bean stayed ready. He was thrown into the game down 21-7 to try and salvage things. 

Bean’s first three full drives went for touchdowns, including rushing scores of 48 and 4 yards by Bean himself. Later, he also added touchdown throws of 48 and nine yards. It’s obvious what Seth Littrell saw in Bean when he named him the starter, and it will be hard to keep him on the bench heading forward. Bean’s final line: 181 passing yards, 169 rushing yards and five total touchdowns. 

LB Buddy Johnson, Texas A&M (Dallas Kimball)

Mike Leach’s air raid system is built around confusing the linebackers. When the Aggies needed Johnson’s production most, he stepped up and responded with one of the best games of his career. 

Johnson led the team with 12 tackles and added a sack, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He helped keep the MSU offense to just 5.5 yards per pass attempt and minus-2 rushing yards as a team. Most importantly, his effort allowed everyone else in the front seven to simply do their job. 

WR Zakhari Franklin, UTSA (Cedar Hill)

While UTSA’s passing game was inconsistent, the brightest spot came from Zakhari Franklin. The true sophomore continued his strong start to 2020 with a 12-reception game, the best in program history. 

Franklin’s 138-yard performance represented nearly three-quarters of UTSA’s offense through the air, and he scored both Roadrunner touchdowns. Joshua Cephus has grown into a reliable option for UTSA, and Franklin is officially ready to dominate the opposite side of the field. 

QB Clayton Tune, Houston (Hebron)

The junior quarterback from Carrollton Hebron played well enough to win all night long, and outplayed Heisman hopeful Zach Wilson for most of the night. He was accurate, poised and showed great arm strength in stretching a BYU defense that hadn’t been attacked with that kind of intensity downfield. 

Tune completed two-thirds of his passes for 310 yards, two passing scores and a gutsy rushing score on a broken play. In every way, he looked like the prototypical Dana Holgorsen quarterback. Despite the BYU game being a loss, Tune has a bright future at TDECU Stadium.