Top 5 Wide Receiver Performances of Week 14 College Football: Trent Hudson, C.J. Daniels, more

December 4, 2023

Justin's NCAA college football top wide receivers from Week 14 of the 2023 season. Top WR performers include Trent Hudson and C.J. Daniels.

Week 14 of college football is over and we saw a number of impressive performances this week, though not quite as many as usual since, well, it was conference championship weekend and there were just 10 games. Six wide receivers had 100-plus yards, with just two of those players missing out on this week's top-five list: Junior Vandeross III of Toledo and Rome Odunze of Washington.

One thing I want to do every week here (since there's not an article specifically for them) is shout out the top tight end of the week. This week, that honor goes to Ja'Tavion Sanders of Texas, who caught eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Oregon's Terrance Ferguson deserves a nod as well, as he caught a pair of touchdowns in the Ducks' 34-31 loss to Washington.

Below are the top five wide receiver performances from Week 14 of the college football season. These are judged through a combination of statistics, fantasy scoring, and game context, with consideration also given based on the team's offensive systems. Let's take a look at this week's top performances.

5. Jalen McMillan - Washington

Jalen McMillan didn't find the end zone on Friday in Washington's 34-31 win over Oregon, but he did lead the team in receiving yards, catching nine passes for 131 yards. It was McMillan's best showing of the season.

After catching 79 passes for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns last season for the Huskies, McMillan has dealt with a knee injury this season that's kept him in and out of the lineup. But even when he was in, he was struggling to really make an impact, playing in four contests this year where he didn't record a reception.

This week's game featured McMillan looking like his old self though, something that should be good news for the undefeated Huskies going forward. The team is the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff and will face Texas on New Year's Day in the Sugar Bowl.

4. Rashod Owens - Oklahoma State

Rashod Owens is basically the lone bright spot for Oklahoma State from the team's 49-21 loss to Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game, as he caught four passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cowboys had a shot to take down Texas and spoil the team's final Big 12 season, but the Longhorns shut down OSU star running back Ollie Gordon II, forcing the team to throw 38 times. Quarterback Alan Bowman threw three touchdown passes, but it wasn't enough because the Texas offense just kept scoring, over and over.

As for Owens, this was the first time he found the end zone since Sept. 23, when the Cowboys lost to Iowa State. He has 53 receptions for 731 yards and three touchdowns on the season, with every touchdown coming in an OSU loss.

3. Adonai Mitchell - Texas

The Texas offense was just unbeatable in Saturday's 49-21 win over Oklahoma State, a victory that propelled Texas to the No. 3 seed in the College Football Playoff. That scoring got going early, with quarterback Quinn Ewers finding Adonai Mitchell for a 10-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Mitchell finished with six catches for 109 yards and a touchdown in the victory, while Ewers threw for 452 yards and four scores.

This was Mitchell's third 100-yard game this season, as he had 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kansas and then eight catches for 149 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kansas State.

On the season, Mitchell has 51 catches for 813 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 10 receiving touchdowns lead the Big 12, while he sits seventh in the conference in receiving yards.

2. C.J. Daniels - Liberty

Liberty completed its undefeated season with a 49-35 win over New Mexico State in the Conference USA Championship Game, a victory that has propelled the team to a New Year's Six bowl game, with the team set to face Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.

Wide receiver C.J. Daniels caught seven passes for 157 yards and a touchdown in Friday's victory, his fourth 100-yard game of the season. He tied his season high for receiving yards which he set in the team's win over Sam Houston back in early October.

Daniels has 47 receptions for 988 yards and 10 touchdowns this season for the Flames. He sits third in CUSA in receiving yards and second in receiving touchdowns this season. Liberty's offense has played really well all season; it'll be interesting to see if the Flames can keep that up against Oregon, by far the best team they'll have faced this season.

1. Trent Hudson - New Mexico State

New Mexico State didn't manage to defeat Liberty in the Conference USA Championship Game, but you can't lay the blame for that on wide receiver Trent Hudson, who caught seven passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns in his team's 49-35 loss.

Hudson, in his first year in FBS after starting his college career at Trinity Valley JC, has caught 36 passes for 571 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He's tied for second in CUSA in receiving touchdowns and also sits eighth in the conference in receiving yards per reception.

This was Hudson's second 100-yard game of the season. The other one came against Sam Houston, when he caught three passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-13 victory.

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