The Buzz: The latest Heisman news and views
Week nine is completed as the college football season heads toward November. Let’s dig into the latest Heisman chatter…
(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
Leading off this week with a Heisman ranking from the Toledo Blade which lists LSU QB Joe Burrow atop an ever competitive list of candidates making the 2019 race exciting. Second on the list is Ohio State defensive end Chase Young while the five spot is held by Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard.
Another Blade writer looked at the trio of Buckeye candidates in the Heisman mix with running back J.K. Dobbins and QB Justin Fields all playing at a high level. Former Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott is in Dobbins’ corner. Fellow NFL star JJ Watt gave a shout to Young.
Associated Press college football editor Ralph Russo analyzed the race this week and took an in-depth look at Young’s chances. Young has 13.5 sacks with at least four games left as he seeks to become just the third player to reach 20 sacks in a season. Take a peek at his dominant first-half performance Saturday.
“The junior put on a breathtaking performance in the third-ranked Buckeyes’ dismantling of No. 13 Wisconsin at the Horseshoe on Saturday. Young had four sacks among his five tackles for loss and caused two fumbles that eliminated all hope of the Badgers hanging with the Buckeyes.” – Ralph Russo, AP
The New York Post agrees with the Young love. So does Pro Football Focus College.
The Athletic’s latest Heisman straw poll has Burrow still leading its voting with Young now second, Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts third, Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa fourth with Fields and Dobbins 5-6.
All Burrow did was lead then-No. 2 and now-No. 1 LSU to a 23-20 win over No. 9 Auburn. He moved his school-record season TD total to 30, threw for 321 yards and added a key rushing score Saturday, moving the Tigers to 8-0. His Auburn counterpart, Bo Nix, threw for 157 yards and a score.
Fansided, like most polls, still has Burrow atop its poll. But getting a well-deserved nod at No. 10 is Utah senior running back Zach Moss, fresh off leading the one-loss Utes to a 35-0 win at Cal. He has 728 yards on just 110 carries this year with 10 scores and he broke two Utah records Saturday. This TD gave him his 15th career 100-yard rushing game.
The poll has Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor at No. 7, slipping a bit after the Badgers loss to Ohio State in which the back had 52 yards rushing.
Hurts clocked in at No. 2 in the poll despite the Sooners upset loss at Kansas State. Hurts put up huge numbers again, completing 19-of-26 passes for 395 yards with one passing and rushing score apiece, giving him 34 total touchdowns and over 3,200 total yards. As the humble Hurts put it, however, “It wasn’t enough.”
Out west, Oregon QB Justin Herbert rallied the now No. 7 Ducks with a game-winning field goal drive in the game’s final 60 seconds, despite seeing his streak of 35 straight games with a passing score come to an end.
Texas’ Cinderella stories Baylor (7-0) and SMU (8-0) are now ranked 12th and 15th, respectively, led by hype-worthy QBs Charlie Brewer (off this week) and Shane Buechele, the latter throwing for two TDs in the Mustangs’ win over Houston last week.
Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence put together one of his finest outings this year, leading the 8-0 Tigers to scores on all six first-half possessions in a win over Boston College. Teammate Travis Etienne broke 100 yards rushing again with 109 and three TDs.
Georgia RB D’Andre Swift and QB Jake Fromm had the week off, but gets a chance to show against No. 6 Florida this week.
Heisman Trophy Winners In The NFL
Derrick Henry (2015) paced Tennessee with 75 yards rushing in the Titans win over Tampa Bay, though QB Marcus Mariota (2014) did not play again for the second straight week. Jameis Winston (2013) finished with 301 yards passing with two TDs and two interceptions.
Rookie Kyler Murray (2018) completed 19-of-33 passes for 220 yards in a loss at New Orleans while Baker Mayfield (2017) hit 20-of-31 passes for 194 yards and a score in a loss at New England.
Lamar Jackson (2016) and Mark Ingram (2009) had a bye. Cam Newton (2010) is still out with an injury.
