The 10 best quarterback performances from Week 12 of college football -- a "terrific 10," as it were:
Week 12: Top RB performances
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10. Shane Carden, East Carolina
The key stats: 21 of 31, 347 yards, 5 touchdowns, 2 interceptions in win vs. UAB.
The buzz: Carden threw five TD passes for the second week in a row and the third time this season. He had three TD passes in the first half, which ended with ECU leading 35-7.
9. Joe Licata, Buffalo
The key stats: 36 of 58, 497 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions in loss vs. Toledo.
The buzz: Licata, a sophomore, set career-highs in all major passing categories. Three of the TD passes came in the fourth quarter as Buffalo rallied from a 38-0 deficit to lose by 10.
8. Garrett Gilbert, SMU
The key stats: 33 of 52, 353 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions in win vs. Connecticut.
The buzz: It was Gilbert's eighth 300-yard game of the season and his third game with at least four TD passes. Gilbert threw three TD passes in the first half and his fourth in the third quarter. It was his third game in a row with no picks after he threw six in a four-game stretch.
7. Tajh Boyd, Clemson
The key stats: 20 of 26, 340 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception, 43 rushing yards, 1 touchdown in win vs. Georgia Tech.
The buzz: Boyd did his work in three quarters. He threw three TD passes in the second quarter and his fourth in the third period. He also scored his rushing TD in the third quarter. It was Boyd's sixth 300-yard game of the season and his third game with at least four TD passes.
Week 12: Things we learned
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6. Bo Wallace, Ole Miss
The key stats: 17 of 26, 272 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 66 rushing yards, 1 touchdown in win vs. Troy.
The buzz: Wallace was the Rebels' leading rusher and his rushing TD gave Ole Miss a 27-7 halftime lead. It was his second week in a row with three TD passes and his first rushing score in seven games.
5. Bryce Petty, Baylor
The key stats: 17 of 31, 335 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 2 rushing touchdowns in win vs. Texas Tech
The buzz: All three TD passes came in the first half, and both rushing TDs came in the second half. It was Petty's eighth 300-yard game of the season and his third game in a row with three TD passes; it also was his fifth consecutive game without an interception.
4. Rakeem Cato, Marshall
The key stats: 33 of 58, 456 yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception in win vs. Tulsa.
The buzz: Cato threw three TD pases in the first quarter. It was his third five-TD game of the season. The yardage total was a career-high and the fourth time he reached the 400-yard plateau in his career.
Week 12: Top WR performances
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3. Jordan Lynch, Northern Illinois
The key stats: 26 of 32, 345 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 123 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns in win vs. Ball State.
The buzz: Lynch showed why he is a Heisman candidate with his huge performance in the biggest MAC game of the season. His passing total was the second-highest of his career, and his rushing total was the fifth time this season and the 17th time in the past 24 games he rushed for 100 yards.
2. Brendon Kay, Cincinnati
The key stats: 24 of 38, 405 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions in win vs. Rutgers.
The buzz: Kay, a senior, set a career-high in passing yardage, and it was the fourth time in his career -- and third time this season -- he had four TD passes in a game. Kay threw three TD passes in the first half, which ended with Cincinnati leading 38-7.
1. Blake Bortles, UCF
The key stats: 27 of 38, 404 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 63 rushing yards in win vs. Temple.
The buzz: Bortles' performance was a clutch one, as he guided UCF to 10 points in the final 1:06 for a three-point win. He threw two TD passes in the fourth quarter and also completed a 64-yard pass with nine seconds left to set up the game-winning, last-play field goal.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
