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Heisman Watch: My Top 3, who’s rising, who’s falling after Week 3
By John Crist
Published:
We have a new leader in the battle for the Heisman Trophy, and he’s separating himself from the competition in a hurry.
As far as the SEC is concerned, it’s already been suggested that the best conference in America won’t even send a finalist to New York City for the ceremony, let alone actually contend for the prestigious award.
With two losses in September and a rash of turnovers to his credit, Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly can wave goodbye to any chances he might have had for the Heisman. High-profile running backs like LSU’s Leonard Fournette, Georgia’s Nick Chubb and Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd have delivered few stiffarm-worthy moments, too.
Fortunately for the league, it still carries a reputation for playing real defense. If one of the aforementioned ball carriers can produce eye-popping stats against annual rivals in the East and West, voters will notice.
Here’s how I’m handicapping the race thus far. While the three names at the top remain the same, the order has clearly been changed.
top 3
1. Louisville QB Lamar Jackson
Week 3: 13-20-216-1-1 passing, 17-146-4 rushing
2016: 50-82-913-8-2 passing, 49-464-10 rushing
When former Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick says you’re better than he was, you know you’re doing something special.
In one of the most shocking results in recent memory, Louisville destroyed then-No. 2 Florida State 63-20. Jackson was nothing short of unstoppable every step of the way, throwing pinpoint passes and running with reckless abandon.
There’s a very good chance that the Cardinals run the table this season, with Jackson putting up ridiculous numbers on a weekly basis.
2. Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey
Week 3: 31-172-1 rushing, 3-66-1 receiving, 1-22-0 kick returns
2016: 53-298-3 rushing, 10-106-1 receiving, 2-16-0 punt returns, 2-50-0 kickoff returns
Stanford solidified itself as the class of the Pac-12 with a 27-10 win over struggling USC, and McCaffrey starred again.
There’s simply no way for an opponent to neutralize McCaffrey. When he’s not running the ball between the tackles, he’s catching it out on the edges. He’s a take-it-to-the-house threat in the return game, too.
Still, Jackson is the No. 1 individual story in the game right now. McCaffrey has some ground to cover if he wants to recapture the pole position.
3. Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett
Week 3: 14-20-152-4-0 passing, 17-74-0 rushing
2016: 49-73-650-10-1 passing, 39-159-3 rushing
While Ohio State was supposedly a year away from being a contender again, Barrett has sped up the development process for all that young talent.
He doesn’t necessarily put up gaudy totals in the passing game, but Barrett distributes the ball beautifully and only has one interception in three games. On the ground, he gets the yards he can and seemingly never takes big hits.
Barrett put the final nail in the coffin for Oklahoma on Saturday, doing the same for fellow Heisman applicant Baker Mayfield in the process.
on the rise
Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes II
College football fans have been conditioned to ignore the crazy statistics put up by Texas Tech QBs, as it’s a plug-and-play position for that program. Nevertheless, Mahomes is averaging nearly 500 yards passing per game in Lubbock.
He’ll have a chance to prove he’s for real from Weeks 8-11, when the Red Raiders face Oklahoma, TCU, Texas and Oklahoma State in succession.
LSU RB Leonard Fournette
Back in the lineup after missing a game with a bum ankle, Fournette was once again the bell cow for LSU in a win over Mississippi State with 28 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Next is an Auburn defense he manhandled last year.
If Fournette wants to legitimately get back into the Heisman conversation, then he needs to assemble a couple of 200-yard days against SEC foes.
Michigan LB Jabrill Peppers
Peppers did it all in a victory over Colorado. He had 9 tackles on defense. He carried the ball twice for 24 yards on offense. He scored a TD and averaged 24.8 yards on 4 punt returns. He averaged 40.5 yards on a pair of kick returns, too.
The only Heisman winner to primarily play defense was Michigan’s Charles Woodson in 1997. Peppers contributes in just as many ways.
falling fast
Oregon RB Royce Freeman
Exiting the Nebraska game this past weekend with a leg injury, Freeman was only able to run for 31 yards on 5 carries. While said injury doesn’t appear to be serious, it’s possible he’ll miss some time for the Ducks.
Freeman had been running quite well to start the season, scoring 4 TDs in his first two games. But nothing kills a Heisman campaign faster than injury.
Georgia RB Nick Chubb
Since that 222-yard performance in the season opener vs. North Carolina, Chubb has only managed 143 yards combined against Nicholls State and Missouri. In Georgia’s comeback triumph at Mizzou, he was basically a non-factor.
The Bulldogs don’t plan to have freshman quarterback Jacob Eason throw it 55 times every week. It’s time for Chubb to be Chubb again.
Florida State QB Deondre Francois
The redshirt freshman signal caller played so well in Week 1 beating Ole Miss that he seemed to leapfrog tailback Dalvin Cook as the leading Heisman candidate for FSU. However, Jackson blew him off the field Saturday in Louisville.
There’s a lot to like about Francois, plus nobody coaches the game’s most important position better than Jimbo Fisher, but he’s still a bit green.
John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.
John Crist is an award-winning contributor to Saturday Down South.
