For those that don't remember, I write this column as if every player is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Why? Because it is ridiculously ludicrous that the networks, including the World Wide Leader, nay, especially the World Wide Leader, emphasize the Heisman Trophy race all season at the expense of everything else. Consider this my sarcastic homage to stupid reporting.
Heisman Watch
Quarterback Edition
Favorite - Jalen Hurts -Oklahoma - He is 12th in the NCAA in passing yards AND 6th in the NCAA in rushing yards (tied). Oklahoma pummeled UCLA this week, putting up only 48 points, which is down from the 59.5 they were averaging.
Rising - Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa - Alabama - Not sure you can consider "Tua", "rising", but I just didn't have him as a favorite last week. He cemented his place in consideration (probably in second right now), with 444 yards and 5 TDs in a 47-23 victory over SEC foe South Carolina. Plus, I just wanted to type his full name.
Sleeper - Anthony Gordon - Washington State - The Cougar quarterback leads the NCAA in passing yards - by over 200 yards (202 to be exact). If Mike Leach can somehow keep Washington State competitive in the Pac-12 North, and maybe into a Pac-12 championship game, Gordon could rise up the charts.
Falling - Feleipe Franks - Florida - Believe it or not, some people thought that he would be a darkhorse coming into this season. By suffering an ankle injury against Kentucky, thus ending his season prematurely, and then seeing Kyle Trask come in and lead Florida to a come-from-behind victory, any and all thoughts of this occurring have not just fallen - they have ended.
Running Back Edition
Favorite - Jonathan Taylor - Wisconsin - Best running back in college football. Has a statement game against Michigan this weekend.
Rising - J.K. Dobbins - Ohio State - They say Ohio State is only going to go as far as Justin Fields takes them, but this is not true. Their fate lies with running back J.K. Dobbins, who has already gained 425 yards this season, good for 4th in the NCAA.
Falling - D'Andre Swift - Georgia - As good as any runner (including Taylor and Etienne), but is a victim of his team's success. Georgia is annihilating teams, and because of that, Swift is not getting many touches - just 9 rushes last week in the Bulldogs' 55-0 defeat of Arkansas State.
Sleeper - Zack Moss - Utah - Moss, a WeMakeItRain pre-season All-American would never ordinarily qualify as a "sleeper", except he plays for Utah. So far Moss is tied for 6th in rushing yards in the NCAA with 373, and Utah has risen to 10th in the rankings. If Utah somehow manages its way into the college football playoffs, Moss could get some Heisman love. Moss also isn't suffering from overuse, as he only ran the ball 10 times (for 106 yards) last week.
Wide Receiver Edition
Favorite - Jerry Jeudy - Alabama - Because of the glut of talent present on Alabama, Jeudy is not going to have those "WOW" stats that lead the NCAA, but he will have those "WOW" plays. His 24 catches are tied for 5th in the NCAA.
Rising - DeVonta Smith - Alabama - He made 8 catches for 136 yards and 2 TDs in Alabama's win over South Carolina. Will ultimately be hindered because he lines up next to Jeudy.
Falling - Rondale Moore - Purdue - Moore is suffering from the injury to his quarterback Elijah Sindelar, but 3 catches for 25 yards last week against TCU is not going to cut it as a Heisman favorite.
Sleeper - David Duvernay - Texas - He already leads the NCAA in receptions with 27 (three-way tie). Since he plays for Texas, he is going to get to play against a lot of Big 12 defenses, which means statistically, Duvernay's season is limitless.
Defensive Edition
5. Jace Whittaker - CB - Illinois - His 3 interceptions lead the NCAA(well tied for the lead).
4. David Reese III - LB - Florida - Finished last week's game against Kentucky with 16 total tackles, 13 of them solo.
3. Oluwole Betiku, Jr. - DE - Illinois - Leads the NCAA with 6 sacks, despite opposing teams having to game plan for basically only him, and running the ball a ton in the second half.
2. Ethan Aguayo - LB - San Jose State - Off a bye week, he no longer leads the NCAA with his 34 total tackles, but his per game pace leads me to believe he will have that lead back soon.
1. Evan Weaver - LB - California - Leads the NCAA with 40 total tackles.
Player(s) to Watch
Jamie Newman - QB - Wake Forest - With the glut of talent at the QB position in college, Newman is going to be overlooked, but this kid can play. So far this year he has a 69% completion percentage, a 7-1 TD/INT ratio and supplements his throwing with an ability to run - 78 yards rushing against North Carolina. Plus, Wake Forest is 3-0.
My New Favorite Player
Kyle Trask - QB - Florida - Only because he is not Feleipe Franks.
Players of the Week (Just Week 2)
5. Khalil Herbert - RB - Kansas - He rushed for 187 yards and 1 TD on only 1 carry as Kansas defeated Boston College 48-24.
4. J.K. Dobbins - RB - Ohio State - Making his second straight appearance, as he gained 193 yards on 22 carries and 1 TD in Ohio State's 51-10 victory.
3. Dillon Gabriel - QB - UCF - Gabriel had a phenomenal game as UCF soundly defeated Stanford. Gabriel was 22-30 for 347 yards and 4 TDs. No word yet on whether UCF fans are already giving themselves the championship this season.
2. Anthony Gordon - QB - Washington State - Gordon was 36-48 for 440 yards and 3 TDs as the Cougars of Washington State defeated the Cougars of Houston 31-24. I smell reality series ...
1. Tua Tagovailoa - QB - Alabama - What cane we say? 28-36 for 444 and 5 TDs.
Goat of the Week (Player Edition)
Chance Poore - K - Kentucky - Actually, the award should go to his parents as this is a terrible name for a kicker, but Poore missed a 35 yard field goal with 53 seconds left which would have given Kentucky the lead, and possibly its second straight defeat over Florida. Hopefully it doesn't affect this red-shirt freshman's career too much.
Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)
Willie Taggert - Florida State - Taggert's second straight appearance, as he completely mis-managed the clock and time in the 4th quarter during Florida State's 31-24 defeat at the hands of Virginia. Not that this was an upset as the ranked Cavaliers were favored to win, but instead of having a chance at a last-second play, Taggert's mismanagement led to no play for FSU. Taggert may not make it through the season.
Alabama (1) v. Ohio State (4)/ (2) Clemson v. (3) Oklahoma
Again, still way too early to tell as tons of teams are still alive. LSU is looking especially interesting, as is Georgia. Can a Pac-12 team stay unbeaten?
Final Unbeatens
Still too many to list right now. May commence this section in another week or two.
Rant(s) of the Week
Targeting. Now, I am not one of those "in my day football was manly" type of people. I fully support the safety of the players and targeting as a penalty. But, we have to clarify what the rules are, especially in one particular instance, when the ball carrier and/or receiver is hit by someone else first causing their body - and most importantly their head - to change positions. The officials called targeting on Kentucky's T.J. Carter for a hit on Florida quarterback Kyle Trask. The problem, as Carter was attacking Trask another Wildcat defender had hit Trask from the back so Trask started falling forward. Carter did hit Trask helmet-to-helmet, but, without the split second timing problem on the initial hit, Carter's shoulder would have hit Trask in the chest - textbook tackling. The targeting penalty - and accompanying ejection - gave Florida an additional 15 yards and an automatic first down, instead of a 3rd and 29 from their side of the field. Florida went on to score a touchdown on the drive.
Under Performance of the Week
Michigan State - They fall 10-7 to Arizona State at home. Arizona State is a solid program so this isn't like Tennessee losing to Georgia State, but the lackluster play and the 12 men on the field penalty which occurred as the Spartans were kicking the game-tying field goal are standard symptoms of an under-performance.
Last Week's Trivia Answer
As a reminder, the question was:
We will start off easy: There are five active NCAA head coaches that have won NCAA titles as head coaches. Name them.
The answers are: Mack Brown, Jimbo Fisher, Les Miles, Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney.
Trivia Question of the Week
With Tagovailoa returning to college after finishing second in the Heisman Trophy race in 2018, how many players have finished second for the Heisman Trophy returned to win the Heisman the following year? Name them.
Match up(s) to Watch
5. Harvard at San Diego - It is the start of the Ivy League non-conference season, as the Crimson, with conference title hopes, start their year on the west coast.
4. Tennessee v. Florida - Only ranked this high because I am going to be there.
3. Michigan v. Wisconsin - A huge Big 10 game this early in the year. This is a must if either of these teams think they have a chance to make the college football playoff with a conference championship.
2. Auburn v. Texas A & M - A huge early season SEC matchup between schools with ideas of breaking into the Alabama-LSU duopoly atop the SEC west.
1. Notre Dame v. Georgia - The biggest game of the week as two top 10 ranked teams play each other for the right to gain much needed style points for the committee when they select the college football playoff participants. Georgia, with the opportunity to defeat Alabama or LSU in an SEC championship game, can absorb a loss much easier than Notre Dame can.
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