Contender or Pretender?: Heisman Stock Watch Week 12
Brendan Smith
Have the mighty fallen? Not quite, but it has made the Heisman Trophy race much closer than it was just a few short weeks ago. Lamar Jackson has struggled for another week, this time as Louisville was decimated by Houston 36-10. Now that is not to say that anyone except Lamar Jackson is the Heisman favorite, but the race has definitely become much more interesting. Also, isn’t the playoff system in place to prevent screw-ups like the BCS had? Well, then how, with each losing to an unranked team this season, are Michigan and Clemson still in the top 4? Meanwhile, a team like Washington, who lost to now 12th-ranked USC, is number 6, with the same record as both Michigan and Clemson, and a similar strength of schedule as Michigan. It is honestly baffling to me. Enough of my ranting, time for my Heisman stock watch.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
Honestly, it will take either an historically bad performance or a season-ending injury to dethrone Lamar Jackson as Heisman favorite. This past week was neither of those, so at the top he will remain. In an all-around underwhelming performance for the Cardinals, Jackson was able to muster just 211 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, and 33 rushing yards, while losing a fumble and being sacked 11 times. This marks the first time all season that Jackson was held under 62 yards on the ground, and just the second time that he was held under 300 yards. All this totaled to a miserable 34.1 QBR against Houston, a team that quietly sits at 9-2. Still, Jackson has accumulated 3109 passing yards, 28 passing touchdowns, and 1367 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns on the season. Crazy to think that he still has at least 2 more games to play to add to those numbers.
Stock: Falling slightly
Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
With 202 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, and 47 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in a 35-13 win against Wake Forest, it might be time to officially declare that Deshaun Watson is back. Not that he really went anywhere, but Watson is finally starting to look like himself. After throwing for a combined 782 yards in the past 2 games, Watson actually has more passing yards than Lamar Jackson. So, why isn’t he ranked higher? Simple, too many interceptions. for just the fourth time all year, Watson did not throw an interception in his last game. On the season, he has thrown 13 picks, the same amount he threw all of last season. As he begins his descent down NFL draft boards, is there a descent down the Heisman rankings to come? To answer, no, but the reason why I have him ranked third is more of a tip-of-the-cap to the competition, rather than a knock on Watson.
Stock: Holding
Jalen Hurts, QB, Alabama
A freshman? Crazy, I know. Maybe it is the lack of sleep I’ve had with all of the work assigned in the last few weeks, but Jalen Hurts’ Heisman candidacy is looking more and more legit to me as the weather gets colder. An underrated part of Hurts’ game is the ability to guide the number 1 team in the country, as a true freshman. Against Chattanooga on Saturday, Hurts threw for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns, to go along with 68 rushing yards as Alabama took care of business with a 31-3 victory. On the season, Hurts has performed like a seasoned veteran, with 2168 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, 803 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, while throwing just 7 interceptions. Alabama is currently ranked number 1 in every college football poll at 11-0, and while a lot of the praise is due to the defense, Hurts and the offense are firing on all cylinders as well. Put Hurts down for a dark-horse candidate as the season wind down.
Stock: Rising
Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma
Westbrook has become just too goo to ignore. The senior wide receiver has torched defenses all year long, to the tune of 1354 yards and 15 touchdowns on 70 catches through 11 games. Oh, and he also has returned a punt for a touchdown also. In Oklahoma’s last 8 games, Westbrook has gained 100 yards or more in 7 of them, and has scored at least one touchdown in all of those 8 games. Now that is consistency. Westbrook was a solid contributor to the Sooner offense last year, catching 46 passes for 743 yards and 4 touchdowns. Westbrook’s breakout campaign has elevated him into the national spotlight, with ESPN ranking him as the runner-up to Lamar Jackson in their most recent Hesiman rankings. I am not quite ready to put Westbrook in my top 3 just yet, and I just can’t see a wide receiver ever becoming a legitimate challenger for the trophy.
Stock: Rising
Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State
Even though he managed just 76 rushing yards, 52 receiving yards, and no touchdowns, Pumphrey still moved into sole possession of third-place on the FBS all-time rushing list, passing Tony Dorsett. Now, just Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne are ahead of Pumphrey on the list. Pumphrey needs just 271 yards to break Dayne’s record, and with 1 regular season game, the Mountain West Conference championship game, and a bowl game left, Pumphrey has a very good chance of becoming the FBS all-time rushing leader. As for the present, Pumphrey and San Diego State are looking to rebound from a heart-breaking 34-33 loss against conference rival Wyoming. After scoring a touchdown on a Hail Mary as time ran out, the Aztecs had the ensuing two-point conversion batted down, sealing their defeat. As for Pumphrey, let’s hope his NFL career goes better than Williams’ Dayne’s.
