Week Five: Heisman Watch

Story posted September 29, 2016 in CommRadio, Sports by Sports Staff

Stephen’s Pick – Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook’s Saturday afternoon in Tampa against South Florida began with a 75-yard sprint, which in turned ended in a touchdown celebration.

The star third-year Florida State running back hauled in a mystifying 267 rushing yards (62 receiving) and two touchdowns on 28 tries. After a relatively slow start to the season, Cook’s 329 yards from scrimmage were the most since Samaje Perine set the FBS record with 446 in 2014.

Cook, an expected Heisman favorite, will certainly need to lead his team to an ACC Championship over Lamar Jackson (Louisville) and Deshaun Watson (Clemson) to have a realistic gripe for award.

Stephen’s Pick – Jabrill Peppers

Only one defensive player has ever claimed the Heisman -- and he donned the same maize-and-blue as the man-eating Jabrill Peppers.

Penn Staters who didn’t know him before Saturday certainly do now, and teams from coast to coast have been feeling pain from the jack-of-all-trades junior. Traditionally a linebacker/safety, the nation’s leader in tackles for loss (9.5) also takes snaps at running back (12 yards/carry), and has fielded two punts for 40.5 yards…on average.

He’s got what it takes to be a Heisman winner, the question is will the committee be willing to make the decision?

George’s Pick – Christian McCaffrey

Heisman runner-up Christian McCaffrey has another daunting task ahead of him Friday night when the Cardinal travel north to face the Washington Huskies. Last season, he scored two touchdowns and racked-up over 300 all-purpose yards against the Huskies, showing their strong defense can still break.

Stanford will be the only competitive game on the schedule this year for Washington, so they will be looking to prove their undefeated start is not a fluke. Their run defense has allowed nearly 150 rushing yards per game, leaving them vulnerable to the ever-dangerous Christian McCaffrey.

Last week, UCLA kept McCaffrey out of the end zone for the first time since November 28 against Notre Dame. McCaffrey will look to bounce back in this game and make a case for Stanford being in the college football playoffs.

George’s Pick – Lamar Jackson

The odds-on favorite to win the Heisman, Lamar Jackson has (literally) run over the competition this season. The Louisville quarterback has rushed for 526 yards and 12 touchdowns in four games. Through the air he’s thrown for 1,330 yards, 13 touchdowns, and just three interceptions.

Jackson’s make or break game comes this week against No. 5 Clemson. This will be the game that determines which team makes it into the playoffs, and whether Deshaun Watson or Lamar Jackson should win the Heisman. This is a playoff game unto itself, and should be one of the best this season.

Joe’s Pick – Deshaun Watson

Saturday night will be the battle of top Heisman quarterbacks as Clemson’s Deshaun Watson takes on Louisville and Lamar Jackson. While Jackson has already made a statement this season, Watson needs an impact performance against Louisville to prove he belongs in the race.

Watson has struggled at time for the Clemson offense, as he has only eclipsed 300 yards passing once this season and has yet to rush for a touchdown this season. His last game against Georgia Tech showed he is still a Heisman candidate, but a marquee performance against Louisville will cement his place amongst the contenders.

Joe’s Pick – J.T. Barrett

Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett had a bye last week, but he should continue to put up impressive numbers as the Buckeyes take on Rutgers this week. So far this season, Barrett has put up over 800 yards of total offense and 13 touchdowns in three games this season.

The Rutgers defense is well reformed and old Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash is the new head coach for the Scarlet Knights. With all that being said, look for Barrett to torch the Rutgers defense in the opening game of Big Ten play for the Buckeyes.

 

Stephen Clouse is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email stephengclouse@gmail.com.

George Stockburger is a senior majoring in journalism with a focus in broadcasting. He can be reached at gos5187@psu.edu

Joseph Esquivel-Murphy is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact him, email him at jje5139@psu.edu.