The Buzz: The latest Heisman news and views
Week two of the college football season is in the books. Time to take a look to see what’s happening in the Heisman world…
(Disclaimer — The Heisman Trophy Trust and Heisman.com does not endorse any college football player for the Heisman Memorial Trophy. The information contained here serves as a platform of information for fans and media, and is not intended to contain a definitive and comprehensive list of possible contenders.)
The Buzz
The 2019 NFL season, after Thursday’s tepid opener, got off to an exciting week 1 start with huge performances Sunday by Heisman Trophy winners that highlighted much of the action. A brief review.
No quarterback out-played 2016 Heisman winner Lamar Jackson Sunday, who completed 17-of-20 passes for 324 yards and five touchdowns as Baltimore decimated Miami, 59-10. It was just the second 300-yard, five-TD showing in franchise history.
But it was just one part of a Heisman celebration for the Ravens. Jackson’s backup, 2011 winner Robert Griffin III, saw action as well, completing all six of his passes for 55 yards and another score, his first TD since Jan. 1, 2017 – one day after his wife gave birth to the family’s second daughter. And how about 2009 winner Mark Ingram rushing for 107 yards on just 14 carries with two TDs. His first run of the season went for 49 yards.
Kyler Murray, the 2019 Heisman winner, made his regular-season NFL debut a memorable one, orchestrating an 18-point fourth-quarter comeback – including two touchdowns and one with 43 seconds left – that sent Arizona’s game against Detroit into OT, salvaging a tie in his first game.
Three more Heisman winners took the field in Cleveland as Tennessee’s 2014 winner Marcus Mariota and 2015 winner Derrick Henry out-battled 2017 winner Baker Mayfield and the Browns, the Titans winning, 43-13. Mariota threw for 248 yards and three scores, two of them coming in a 21-point fourth quarter, while Henry rushed for 84 yards on 19 carries with one TD. Mayfield finished with 285 passing yards and a score, but with three interceptions.
Jameis Winston, the 2014 winner, completing 20 of 36 passes with one score in a loss for Tampa Bay. Cam Newton, the 2010 winner, almost brought the Panthers back against the defending NFC champion Rams, falling just short. He finished 25-of-38 for 239 yards.
In the marquee college football match of the week LSU QB Joe Burrow out-dueled Longhorn signal caller Sam Ehlinger and, according to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, he firmly entrenched himself near the top of the early-season Heisman hopefuls as LSU won 45-31.
“Welcome to the Heisman race, Joe Burrow.” – William Wilkerson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Burrow finished 31 of 39 for 471 and four scores and has led the Tigers into the nation’s top 5.
Ehlinger was also impressive, throwing for 401 yards and four scores, but couldn’t pull off the comeback.
CBSSports’ NFL Draft QB Stock Watch analyzed multiple Heisman frontrunners’ Saturday efforts, many of whom finished their Week 2 efforts in the second and third quarters during non-conference blowouts.
Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to a breezy 62-10 win over New Mexico State, including this 25-yard scamper for a score. SECSports.com says wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is working himself deep into the Heisman field after an impressive eight-catch, 103-yard, 3-touchdown showing.
Georgia’s Jake Fromm didn’t see any second-half action after completing 15-of-23 passes for 156 yards in a blowout win over Murray State. Teammate D’Andre Swift had similarly modest numbers, rushing for 67 yards, albeit on just six carries and scoring on two of them.
Justin Herbert bounced back from the tough loss against Auburn by leading the Ducks to a 77-6 blowout of Nevada.
Ohio State QB Justin Fields took care of business in leading the Buckeyes to a 42-0 romp over Cincinnati, completing 80% of his passes with two passing TDs and two more on the ground.
Forbes again takes a look at the big Heisman candidates in their week 3 matchups here.
Oklahoma Jalen Hurts threw for three scores in the Sooners walk-over against South Dakota last week and travels to Tinsel Town this week to take on an 0-2 UCLA team in a primetime matchup.
Clemson Heisman front-runners QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne – coming off strong performances in a win over Texas A&M — have a big ACC match-up looming with Syracuse Saturday.
In other blowout, Wisconsin and running back Jonathan Taylor dismantled Central Michigan, 61-0. Taylor scored four TDs – three on the ground and one in the air — in the win.
Michigan dodged a bullet with its double OT win over an upstart Army team. QB Shea Patterson was solid in the win, but was not quite able to really get the Wolverine offense motoring.
Could Purdue’s Rondale Moore work himself into the Heisman discussion? Possibly so if he keeps showing like he did in the Boilermakers’ 42-24 win over Vanderbilt. He hauled in 13 passes for 220 yards – 154 in the fourth quarter alone — and a score and already has 24 receptions for 344 yards this year.
“I don’t know how he does some of the stuff he does,” Purdue tight end Brycen Hopkins on Rondale Moore.
Video of the Week
Kyler Murray makes his Heisman House debut.
