Contender or Pretender?: Heisman Stock Watch Week 2
Brendan Smith
Pretty standard stuff for week 2 of the college football season. Tennessee and Virginia Tech played on a NASCAR race track, TCU somehow lost to Arkansas in overtime, and oh yeah, Central Michigan upset Oklahoma State on a Hail Mary/lateral that wasn’t really supposed to happen. College football, it’s good to have you back. Even with no top 25 matchups, we were provided with a few captivating games. Let’s be honest, we were all glued to our couch from noon until whenever we decided it was time to call it quits until NFL Sunday. No game last weekend offered the intrigue produced by this year’s Heisman race. Here is a breakdown on my new top five (in no particular order):
Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
Ouch. So much for a bounce-back game from Watson. The Clemson QB completed 27 out of his 53 passes, a 51% rate, while throwing for 292 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Watson also added 55 yards on the ground on 10 carries. That performance equates to a paltry 36.5 QBR, the first time in Watson’s career that he finished a start with a QBR below 50. Clemson was nearly upended by an unranked opponent for the second week in a row, eking out a 30-24 victory over lowly Troy. Of course, Ray-Ray McCloud forgetting the rules of football for a split-second didn’t help the score, but it seems that heavy expectations for Watson have proved to be too much for the junior. Watson has flat-out disappointed this year, and so far it has only affected his Heisman stock, but will soon start affecting his draft stock as well.
Stock: Free-falling
Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
Another quietly impressive game for Cook in Florida State’s 52-8 drubbing of FCS Charleston Southern. Cook totaled 83 yards on the ground and scored two touchdowns. He also caught one pass for 9 yards out of the backfield. On 12 touches, Cook gained 92 all-purpose yards, good for an impressive 7.7 yards per touch. Cook’s leadership and play-making ability continues to be a key cog in the Florida State machine, making the job much easier for redshirt-freshman quarterback Deondre Francois, who put together another strong performance. Cook continues to separate himself from the running back pack, with Leonard Fournette sitting out this week after an ankle injury.
Stock: Rising
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma
Mayfield, after a disappointing loss against Houston in week 1, responded in a big way, throwing for 244 yards and 3 touchdowns in only one half of action (yes I know it was against Louisiana-Monroe). Mayfield’s QBR was a near-perfect 98.5 (QBR is graded 0-100, with 50 considered average). Mayfield now becomes the top QB contender in my mind, surpassing my pre-season favorite DeShaun Watson. Last season, Mayfield was not named as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing in fourth place, over 800 votes behind Watson, who finished third. This season, their positioning for the award seems to have flipped, as Mayfield continues to impress, while Watson has turned in two uninspiring performances against unranked opponents in consecutive weeks.
Stock: Rising
Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
Another week, another unreal performance for the sophomore quarterback. This time, Jackson carved up the Syracuse defense to the tune of 411 passing yards, 199 rushing yards, and 5 total touchdowns (1 passing, 4 rushing). What can’t this kid do on the football field? He can even combine other sports with football, as he channeled his inner track star, leaping over a Syracuse defender before prancing into the endzone (watch the video, it won’t disappoint). No one ever doubted Jackson’s prowess as a runner, but his development as a passer is what has surprised me so far this season. He has totaled 697 passing yards, already more than one-third of his total from last season, and added 318 rushing yards to go along with 13 total touchdowns (7 passing, 6 rushing). Talk about starting the season on a good note. The real tests begin Saturday as Jackson and the Cardinals welcome Florida State for an early-season ACC matchup.
Stock: Soaring
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
McCaffrey and Stanford had the week off, which ultimately hurts his Heisman stock, as he wasn’t able to build off a solid opening performance. The next 5 games will be vital to McCaffrey and Stanford, as they push for a Pac-12 championship and a playoff spot.
Stock: Falling slightly
My Top 5:
Baker Mayfield
Dalvin Cook
Christian McCaffrey
Lamar Jackson
Deshaun Watson
Outside looking in: J.T. Barrett, Nick Chubb, Leonard Fournette
