Former Lone Star State quarterbacks shined in week nine with everything from conference records to upset victories.
However, it wasn’t all quarterbacks. Former Texas high school football players made their impact felt in all three phases of the games. Here are the ten best standouts from week nine of college football.
Alabama State QB Andrew Body (Corpus Christi Miller)
Corpus Christi Miller grad Andrew Body brought the magic to the Magic City Classic on Saturday.
He torched Alabama A&M for 304 yards and five touchdowns through the air with another 66 yards and a score on the ground. That performance propelled Alabama State to a 56-13 blowout over the Bulldogs. It was the Hornets’ fourth-straight win over Alabama A&M.
It was Body’s first-ever collegiate game with five passing touchdowns. He has now eclipsed the 300-yard mark in three games this season.
With the win, the Hornets improved to 5-2 and 3-1 in the SWAC. Body will get to play in his home state this weekend as the Hornets play at Prairie View A&M.
Georgia Tech QB Haynes King (Longview)
Death. Taxes. Haynes King putting on a show for Georgia Tech. There aren’t many things certain in 2025, but those three are just about guaranteed.
King has Georgia Tech at 8-0 after another stat line spectacular on Saturday. He threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns and led the Yellow Jackets with 91 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground as they romped past Syracuse 41-16.
It was the first time King has surpassed 300 yards passing this year, but the fifth time in seven games that he has rushed for 90 or more yards. According to Georgia Tech’s athletic communications, his .806 completion percentage on 25 of 31 passing is a Georgia Tech record with a minimum of 30 passing attempts.
The Yellow Jackets are now 8-0 for the first time since 1966. They will look to keep that record unblemished this Saturday when they play at North Carolina State.
Memphis QB Brendon Lewis (Melissa)
Memphis pulled off one of the upsets of the weekend and inserted itself back into the College Football Playoff race when it knocked off #18 South Florida 34-31.
Former Melissa Cardinal quarterback Brendon Lewis led the way for the Tigers. He passed 307 yards and two touchdowns and added 35 yards on the ground. His 10-yard pass to Cortez Branham Jr. with just over a minute to go was the go-ahead score for Memphis.
WHAT A CATCH TO TAKE THE LEAD 😱
Memphis has No. 18 USF on the ropes, watch the final seconds on ESPN2 and the ESPN App 👀 https://t.co/Nz7AG4DFyf pic.twitter.com/Ju8Y33350M
— ESPN (@espn) October 25, 2025
Those 307 passing yards were a collegiate career high for Lewis. He’ll have a chance to play back in the Lone Star State this week too as the Tigers face Rice on Friday night.
UTRGV QB Eddie Lee Marburger (Pioneer)
UTRGV is in its first full year of playing football since 1950 (it played an exhibition schedule in 2024). It’s starting to look like it might be a special season for the Vaqueros.
Their quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger had a video game statline in their 56-28 win over Incarnate Word on Saturday. He finished with a mind-boggling 440 passing yards and six passing touchdowns.
Marburger transferred in from UTSA this offseason after spending four years as a Roadrunner. He now has UTRGV sitting at 6-2 on the season and on the verge of breaking into the FCS top 25.
The Vaqueros will head into the Piney Woods this upcoming Saturday as they look for another big win against Stephen F. Austin.
North Texas QB Drew Mestemaker (Vandegrift)
Drew Mestemaker is one of the best stories in all of college football. After not starting a football game at quarterback since 9th grade at Vandegrift, he has become the leader of a potent North Texas offense.
On Saturday, he broke several records, throwing for 608 yards and four touchdowns as North Texas destroyed Charlotte 54-20. According to North Texas’ athletic communications, those 608 passing yards are the most by an FBS player since K.J. Costello threw for 623 yards for Mississippi State in 2020.
Not only was it a North Texas single game record for passing yards, it was also an AAC conference record too.
#GMG🦅 pic.twitter.com/vrDWFuDpQa
— UNT Football (@MeanGreenFB) October 25, 2025
The Mean Green are now 7-1 on the season. They have a huge game this Saturday as they host undefeated Navy at 11 a.m.
Houston QB Conner Weigman (Bridgeland)
Former Bridgeland Bear Conner Weigman totaled a season-high 312 yards and as Houston went into the desert and upset Arizona State 24-16 on Saturday.
His dual threat ability was clear to see as he rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He was just as reliable through the air, completing 17 of 22 passes for 201 yards and a score.
The Cougars jumped into the latest AP Poll at number 22 with the victory. They’ll now return home to take on a West Virginia team that is still winless in conference play this Saturday.
Rice RB Quinton Jackson (North Crowley)
Quinton Jackson did it all for Rice on Saturday. In double overtime, he broke off the game-winning 23-yard touchdown run that earned Rice a 37-34 victory over UConn.
However, it wasn’t just his double overtime heroics that got him into the spotlight. He was a menace to the UConn defense the whole game, finishing with 168 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. He also had a 75-yard receiving touchdown in the second quarter.
Q-JACK!!! FOR. THE. WIN. pic.twitter.com/rq2Cljldsj
— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) October 25, 2025
Those 168 rushing yards were a single-game career high for the North Crowley alum. According to Rice’s athletic communications, he became the first Owl to have four touchdowns in a game in four years.
Rice is now 4-4 on the season. The Owls will be looking to pull off an upset this week when they host Memphis under the Friday night lights.
Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell II (Midland Lee)
Former Midland Lee Rebel Chris Brazzell had another weekend of playmaking for Tennessee. He opened the scoring with a 35-yard touchdown catch just 1:19 into the game and that was just the beginning of an explosive evening. He finished with four catches for 138 yards, good for 34.5 yards per catch, as Tennessee routed Kentucky 56-34.
stand and deliver.
📺 ESPNews
📲 https://t.co/t8OcUZzF2d pic.twitter.com/Yyqrpcvm3k— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 26, 2025
It was the fourth time Brazzell has surpassed the century mark in a game this season. He leads Tennessee with 740 receiving yards and eight touchdowns through week nine. The Volunteers will likely need more of his fireworks this weekend when they host Oklahoma in a top 20 matchup.
Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez (Wichita Falls Rider)
Texas Tech took Oklahoma State to the woodshed this past weekend with a 42-0 shutout victory. Former Wichita Falls Rider linebacker Jacob Rodriguez led the way for the Red Raider defense. His best moment came in the second quarter when he ripped the ball away from Oklahoma State ball-carrier Sesi Vailahi and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown.
Literally took it away and took it to the house.
Best defender in the country.
📺 @ESPNU | https://t.co/G56N3v07Kv https://t.co/SKua435dYH pic.twitter.com/1FGuLyRaEt
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) October 25, 2025
It was Rodriguez’s second career scoop n’ score touchdown, but it wasn’t his only highlight from Saturday. He led the Red Raiders with 10 total tackles, including a tackle for loss. On the season, he is the top Red Raider tackler with 69 through eight games.
Texas Tech is now 7-1 on the season. Next up for the Red Raiders is a trip to the Little Apple to face Kansas State at 2:30 on Saturday.
Grambling State K Joshua McCormick (Austin Akins)
There was an unlikely hero at the center of Grambling State’s 26-24 win over Jackson State on Saturday. Josh McCormick has split kicking duties with Thomas Caballero throughout the season for the Tigers.
On Saturday, McCormick’s number was called with the Tigers down one and just 21 seconds remaining. McCormick, an Austin Akins grad, had ice in his veins. He nailed a 44-yard field goal to earn Grambling an upset victory over a Jackson State team that was previously undefeated in conference play.
JOSH MCCORMICK!!! 44-YARD FIELD GOAL!!!
GSU TAKES THE LEAD!!! pic.twitter.com/rX20M7bBtS
— Grambling State Football 🐯 (@GSUFootball01) October 26, 2025
McCormick bounced around between Oregon State and William & Mary his first four years. Now, he’s found a home in Grambling where his name is well-known now despite technically being the backup kicker.
With this memorable victory, Grambling State improves to 5-3 on the season. The Tigers will face Alabama A&M at home on Saturday.
