The Finalists: Breaking down the numbers
To make it to New York as a Heisman finalist, you have to have a great season.
That not only means producing lots of yards and touchdowns, it also means playing well in big games and coming through for your team in key moments.
Each of the 2015 Heisman finalists did just that. Here’s a breakdown of what got them invited to the Heisman ceremony and how those accomplishments compare to previous Heisman winners:
Derrick Henry
The 6-3, 242-pound junior topped the nation in carries (339), yards (1,986) and rushing touchdowns (23). He averaged 5.86 yards per carry and 153 yards per game (second nationally). He also caught 10 passes for 97 yards. He notched four 200-yard rushing games, with his career bests in yards (271) and carries (46) coming against Auburn. In his last seven games, Henry rushed for 1,321 yards — an average of 188.7 per game — and scored 13 touchdowns.
His rushing yardage total would be the sixth-best in Heisman history and the highest total of all the backs who failed to reach the 2,000-yard mark. However, he gained his yardage in 13 games while the rest of the top 10 seasons came in 10, 11 or 12 games. His average of 153 yards per game would put him ahead of 1969 Heisman winner Steve Owens into 15th on the all-time Heisman per-game rushing chart.
Only Marcus Allen (8), Barry Sanders (6) and Ricky Williams (5) had more 200-yard games in a season than Henry, whose four 200-yarders this fall would tie the number produced by O.J. Simpson, Tony Dorsett, Billy Sims, Mike Rozier, Bo Jackson and Rashaan Salaam the years they won the Heisman.
The pivotal game in Henry’s journey to New York came in the ninth game against LSU in Tuscaloosa, when he rushed for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries to lead the Crimson Tide over the then-No.2 Tigers, 30-16. In the process, he wrested control of the Heisman race away from LSU’s Leonard Fournette, who was held to 31 yards on 19 carries. His aforementioned game later in the season against Auburn likely secured his Heisman finalist status.
Henry’s 1,986 yards topped the SEC single-season rushing record of 1,891 yards set by Herschel Walker in 1981 (Walker finished as the Heisman runner up to Marcus Allen that year). For a further breakdown of his numbers from ESPN, click here.
And check out highlight’s of Henry against Auburn:
Christian McCaffrey
The 6-0, 201-pound sophomore carried the ball 319 times for 1,847 rushing yards with eight touchdowns. He also caught 41 passes for 540 yards and four other scores. In addition, he returned 14 punts for 67 yards and notched 1,042 yards on 36 kick returns, with two of them going for touchdowns. He was also 2 of 3 passing for 39 yards and two touchdowns. His per-game rushing average of 142 yards per game was fifth-best in the nation.
McCaffrey’s 3,496 all-purpose yards not only led the nation, it broke the all-time FBS single-season mark of 3,250 set by Barry Sanders when he won the Heisman in 1988. McCaffrey set his mark in 13 games, while Sanders did so in 11. McCaffrey’s yardage total was almost 1,100 yards better than the the No. 2 all-purpose yardage player, Tyler Ervin of San Jose State. His per-game all-purpose yardage average of 268.9 yards per game was the second-best in NCAA history behind Sanders’ 295.5.
The game that put McCaffrey on the Heisman radar came in game six against UCLA, when he rushed for 243 yards and four touchdowns. But the performance that likely brought him to New York came last weekend, when he totaled 464 all-purpose yards in a victory over USC in the Pac-12 title game. It was the fith-best single-game all-purpose total in FBS history. McCaffrey rushed for 207 yards, caught four passes for 105 yards and logged 149 yards on kick and punt returns.
His all-purpose yardage total would obviously be tops in Heisman history while his rushing yardage would place him seventh on the all-time Heisman chart (though he had 13 games to do so while other Heisman winners played between 10 and 12). His per-game rushing average of 142 yards would place him behind Mike Garrett in 20th on the all-time Heisman list.
Here are some highlights of McCaffrey from this year:
Deshaun Watson
The 6-2, 210-pound sophomore completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 3,512 yards and 30 touchdowns, with 11 interceptions. He had a passer rating of 159.56. He also rushed for 887 yards and 11 touchdowns on 163 carries. His 4,399 yards of total offense was fourth-best nationally while his combined 41 touchdowns running and passing was second-best among Power 5 conferences. He was the only player in the nation with more than 750 rushing yards and over 3,000 passing yards. He was 11th in passing efficiency, ninth in touchdown passes and third in completion percentage.
Watson went on a tear in the last six games of the season, totaling 2,514 yards of offense (an average of 419 per game), with 555 yards rushing and 1,959 yards passing with 23 total touchdowns (15 passing, 8 rushing). His performance against North Carolina in the ACC title game played a big part in his getting to New York, as Watson passed for 289 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 131 and two scores as Clemson completed its undefeated regular season.
His 4,399 yards of total offense would place him seventh on the all-time Heisman total offense chart behind last year’s winner, Marcus Mariota. His 41 total touchdowns would tie him with Danny Wuerffel and Jason White for 10th in Heisman history while his 3,512 yards passing would be 12th.
Most impresively, Watson did all this within a year of having reconstructive knee surgery.
Here’s a look at Watson this fall:
