Heisman Watch: Lamar Jackson reasserts dominance
After struggling in a win against Duke on Oct. 14, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson reinforced his standing as the overwhelming midseason favorite for the Heisman Trophy by accounting for 431 yards of total offense in the Cardinals’ 54-13 win against North Carolina State.
There are two side notes to go with that paragraph. For starters, Jackson’s struggles with the Blue Devils are relative: he had 181 yards passing and another 144 yards on the ground in the 10-point win. In addition, N.C. State was just one week removed from taking Clemson to overtime in a 24-17 defeat.
So Jackson is the Heisman leader, but that’s not surprising — he’s been the leader since the first weeks of September.
What’s more intriguing about this week’s Heisman watch is the quick fall from grace for Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett, who averaged just 5.7 yards per attempt and 1.5 yards per carry in the Buckeyes’ ugly loss to Penn State.
Barrett is off the top pack. Jackson still leads. Who is within striking distance of Louisville’s sophomore quarterback? Here’s this week’s top five and players just off the list:
1. Louisville QB Lamar Jackson
Louisville closes the regular season with Virginia, Boston College, Wake Forest, Houston and Kentucky. It’s not a murderer’s row of competition. That might end up being a problem for Jackson, but only if he fails to maintain a torrid stretch of play perhaps unmatched in the history of college football.
2. San Diego State RB Donnel Pumphrey
To put Pumphrey’s senior season in perspective, consider that his 135 yards in Saturday’s win against Fresno State was his lowest total of the season against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. Now at 1,246 yards rushing, Pumphrey has 236 more rushing yards than his next-closest competition.
3. Washington QB Jake Browning
Washington has a clear road to the College Football Playoff: win out and make the field. To win the Heisman, or perhaps to be a Heisman finalist, Browning must have a big game this weekend at Utah, which has done a good job forcing turnovers but has allowed yards in bunches in the passing game.
4. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson
Watson remains in the thick of the Heisman race despite his documented struggles building upon his fabulous 2015 season. It might take only a single game to vault him back into the top two, beginning with Saturday’s key matchup with ACC rival Florida State.
5. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield
Yes, Mayfield is back in the race. He tumbled out of the picture amid Oklahoma’s 1-2 start, but has rebounded with 15 touchdowns in the Sooners’ last three games. Oklahoma looks more and more like the best team in the Big 12, which will bolster Mayfield’s Heisman credentials.
JUST OFF THE LIST
Alabama DE Jonathan Allen
Baylor QB Seth Russell
Boise State QB Brett Rypien
Florida State RB Dalvin Cook
LSU RB Leonard Fournette
Michigan LB Jabrill Peppers
North Carolina QB Mitch Trubisky
Oklahoma RB Joe Mixon
Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett
Virginia Tech QB Jerod Evans
Washington State QB Luke Falk
Western Michigan QB Zach Terrell
Wisconsin RB Corey Clement
HEISMAN TROPHY CANDIDATES