Week Seven Heisman Watch
After seven weeks of exciting football, it’s pretty clear to see who the frontrunners (or the frontrunner) for this year will be. All signs point to this year being the first time since 2009 that a running back takes home the trophy.
Leonard Fournette (RB, LSU)
Stats: 1,202 yards, 8.0 yards per carry, 14 touchdowns
Last week standing: 1
Can we just give Fournette the award? I mean there is no one else in college that holds a candle to this beast of a running back. But just in case you don’t want to take my word for it, here are some numbers that solidify him at the top spot. Every game he’s played this year, he’s rushed for more than 150 yards. His last game against No. 11 Florida, Fournette ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He without a doubt is the heartbeat of the LSU offense and unless he gets hurt, he will take the Heisman trophy home.
Fournette and the Tigers will take on Western Kentucky, where he will most likely have a 200-plus yard game on the ground.
Trevone Boykin (QB, TCU)
Stats: 166-250, 2,539 yards, 25 touchdowns, 5 interceptions
Last week standing: 2
Boykin is having one heck of a year under center. From clutch drives to blowout games, the kid is playing as good as any coach would want their quarterback to play. He put up another impressive performance against Iowa State going 27-32 for 436 yards and four touchdowns. Even though it’s obvious that Fournette is going to take home the Heisman, Boykin deserves a lot of hype by the numbers he’s putting up.
TCU will take on West Virginia on Saturday.
Corey Coleman (WR, Baylor)
Stats: 41 receptions, 877 yards, 16 touchdowns
Last week standing: 3
The best receiver in college put up another great performance against West Virginia, catching the pigskin 10 times for 199 yards. That game was the best game the junior had as he watched his team win in another high scoring affair. Baylor has been one of the hottest, if not the hottest, teams in college football. Baylor has scored more than 60 points in their last five games and Coleman is a big reason why.
Baylor will take on an Iowa State team that just got blown out by TCU so look for Baylor to have another huge game.
Christian McCaffrey (RB, Stanford)
Stats: 844 yards, 6.5 yards per carry, 5 touchdowns
Last week standing: Not mentioned
McCaffrey has been getting a lot of looks after the last couple of games Stanford has played. Starting off very slow, the sophomore has put up over 600 yards combined over the last three games. He’s recently coming off his best game, running the ball 25 times for 243 yards and four touchdowns against UCLA. If he continues to be hot, he could have a very bright future with Stanford and could see his stock rise next year.
He and the Cardinals will take on Washington State this Saturday. Let’s see if McCaffrey is worth the hype he’s been getting.
Honorable Mentions: Derrick Henry: RB, Alabama Devontae Booker: RB, Utah Ezekiel Elliot: RB, Ohio State
Abhar Shah is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at abs5349@psu.edu
