Week Four Heisman Watch
With week four of college football in the books, the Heisman race is getting more and more intense with each game. This year started out as an even battle between quarterbacks and running backs but after week four, it looks like the running backs are making a strong case this year. With that being said, let’s get into the standings after week four.
Leonard Fournette (RB, LSU)
Stats: 631 yards, eight touchdowns on 8.6 yards per carry.
Last week standing: 3
Fournette is flat out the best running back in college football. His stock is blowing up because he continues to make extraordinary plays. After turning a lot of heads after lighting Auburn up for 228 yards he followed that up with yet another dominant performance against Syracuse. He rose to the number one spot in the Heisman watch after running for 244 yards and two touchdowns on 9.6 yards per carry. He could easily have had over 300 yards but he got a 70-yard touchdown run called back because of illegal formation.
Fournette will take on Eastern Michigan this week so expect another huge game from the No. 1 running back in the country.
Nick Chubb (RB, Georgia)
Stats: 599 yards, six touchdowns on 8.4 yards per carry
Last week standing: 1
Chubb put up another impressive performance last week against Southern running for 131 yards and two touchdowns. A big reason why Chubb is losing some Heisman votes is because of the explosive offense of the Bulldogs. Where a player like Fournette is the main option most of the plays LSU runs, Georgia has a lot of explosive offensive players on the team. However, even with that, Chubb continues to put up consistent Heisman numbers. After last game, Chubb tied Herschel Walker for most consecutive 100 yard games with 12.
Chubb will look to break that record this week as he and the Bulldogs take on Alabama. If Chubb has another dominant performance against one of the best teams in the country, his stock could rise big time.
Trevone Boykin (QB, TCU)
Stats: 99-153, 1470 yards 14 touchdowns and three interceptions
Last week standing: 2
Boykin is number three on this list because of Aaron Green. If not for him, TCU would have lost to Texas Tech and Boykin would have been dropped from the race. Boykin once again shined throwing for 485 yards and four touchdowns. But besides the stats, the most impressive thing to me about Boykin is that he didn’t shy away from pressure. If you were watching the TCU game on Saturday, you would have seen how impressive Boykin looked in the game winning drive. He was calm, and made some very good passes to put his team in a situation to win the game. Another thing going for Boykin is that Heisman voters love quarterbacks so if Boykin keeps putting up these numbers he could be a threat.
Boykin takes on a struggling Texas this week so it should be another good week for TCU.
Myles Garret (DE, Texas A&M)
Stats: 7.5 sacks, 18 tackles
Last week standing: Not on list
I’m showing the best defensive player in college football some love this week. He had a slow game against Arkansas but made a clutch play late in the fourth quarter when he sacked and forced a fumble. A defensive player hasn’t won the Heisman since Charles Woodson beat out Peyton Manning more than a decade ago. Garret probably won’t be on the list too long solely based on him being a defensive player but so far he deserves to be mentioned.
Texas A&M will take on Mississippi State this week and we’ll see if Garret is the real deal or not.
Jordan Howard (RB, Indiana)
Stats: 675 yards, 4 touchdowns on 6.1 yards per carry
Last week standing: Not on the list
Howard continues to be a big part of the Hoosiers offense. He averages over 25 touches every game and he is making the most out of the opportunity. Given his responsibility on offense and the fact that the Hoosiers are 4-0 is enough to get him in Heisman talks. Howard is coming off another solid performance against Wake Forest running the ball 33 times 168 yards and one touchdown.
Howard and the Hoosiers will take on the best team in the country, Ohio State, this week and depending on how good Howard does, it could really boost him up in the charts or he could be out of the Heisman run.
Players to keep an eye on:
Connor Cook (QB for Michigan State)
Cody Kessler (QB for USC)
Baker Mayfield (QB for Oklahoma)
Abhar Shah is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at abs5349@psu.edu.
Photo Credit: Fox Sports
