Heisman Survey: Fournette, running backs lead quarterbacks in race

Two quarterbacks received their first mentions in the weekly Paste BN Sports Heisman Trophy survey, but the race still belongs to the running backs.

Deshaun Watson of No. 6 Clemson and Paxton Lynch of No. 16 Memphis each received nods from the writers and editors with Heisman votes who work for properties owned by Gannett, Paste BN's parent company.

Clemson leads the ACC and could be in position for a spot in the college football playoff.

Lynch, who helped engineer an upset of then-No. 12 Ole Miss, is in the top 10 nationally in passing efficiency, total offense, completion percentage and yards per attempt.

In terms of the Heisman, though, they are far behind LSU's Leonard Fournette. The nation's leading rusher (1,352 yards, 193.1 yards per game) is the only player mentioned by all 30 Gannett voters.

TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin is a solid second, though he was bypassed by two voters.

The next three on the list are running backs: Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott; Stanford's Christian McCaffrey, who leads the nation in all-purpose yards at 259.71 per game; and Alabama's Derrick Henry.

One quarterback saw his chances end on Monday. Baylor's Seth Russell will have season-ending neck surgery after being hurt in Saturday's 45-27 victory against Iowa State. The junior, who faces a possible six-month recovery period, leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing efficiency. He had been mentioned in all but the first Heisman survey this season.