Week 2 was an interesting one in college football. #15 Georgia survived some ugly quarterback play from Jake Fromm to outlast #24 Notre Dame, #5 Oklahoma gained revenge on #2 Ohio State for last year's loss, and of course, the Heisman race continued.
We saw a number of memorable performances this week and unfortunately, we cannot rank all of them here. After all, doing so would completely defeat the purpose of this. Nonetheless, let's send a little love to some honorable mentions, including Ronald Jones II of USC and Kelly Bryant of Clemson. Let's get started.
10. Brice Love, Stanford (Last Week: NR)- Christian who? Love's early-season success has folks in Palo Alto already forgetting former Heisman runner-up and NFL rookie Christian McCaffrey. Against Stanford's loss to USC, Love ran for 160 yards and one score.
9. Jalen Hurts, Alabama (Last Week: 10)- Was Hurts outstanding against Fresno State? No, but he didn't have to be. The Crimson Tide coasted to an easy 41-10 win as Hurts went for 14-18 with 128 yards and one touchdown. Hurts also added 154 yards and two scores on the ground.
8. Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State (Last Week: NR)- If you like a quarterback with big stats, then Rudolph's the guy for you. The Cowboy went 28 for 38 while racking up 335 passing yards and three scores.
7. Royce Freeman, Oregon (Last Week: 8)- Freeman and the entire Oregon Ducks team continues to fly under the radar, but Freeman is still making some Heisman buzz. Against Nebraska, Freeman carried the ball 29 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a pass for nine yards as the Ducks won.
6. Josh Rosen, UCLA (Last Week: 9)- Again, I might not be as high on Rosen as other writers are, but I still think he's very much in this Heisman race. Against Hawaii, Rosen had a dazzling game. He went 22 for 25 while throwing for 329 yards and five touchdowns.
5. Saquon Barkley, Penn State (Last Week: 6)- By his own top standards, Barkley had a quiet Week 2. Against Pittsburgh, Barkley had 14 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown. However, he is losing some of Penn State's Heisman buzz, as QB Trace McSorley is playing very well.
4. Sam Darnold, USC (Last Week: 4)- Darnold bounced back from his disappointing game against Western Michigan in Week 1 to impress against #14 Stanford. Yes, he did throw two interceptions, but he also went 21 of 26 for four touchdowns and 316 passing yards.
3. Derrius Guice, LSU (Last Week: 3)- Guice has had two great games this season but it still feels as if he's being overlooked in the Heisman race. In Week 2, he ran circles against Chattanooga as he ran for 102 yards and two scores on 15 carries.
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2. Lamar Jackson, Louisville (Last Week: 1)- Through no fault of his own, Jackson falls a spot. The man seems unstoppable, but another story has cropped up. Against UNC in Week 2, the reigning Heisman winner threw for 393 yards and three touchdowns while also running for 132 yards and three touchdowns. There's no doubt about him being an absolutely incredible player, there's just a little fatigue surrounding him. The Lamar Jackson story has been told, fans and the media have moved on to other things. It's a testament to how well Jackson is playing that he's still one of the front-runners. If he wants to regain the #1 spot, he'll need to beat Clemson, the reigning national champions, next week.
1. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (Last Week: 2)- The man who has overtaken Jackson in our Heisman watch is the man who finished third to Jackson (and Deshaun Watson) in last year's Heisman race: Baker Mayfield of the Oklahoma Sooners. Beating #2 Ohio State was a monumental win for Mayfield. Every Heisman winner needs a defining game. For Johnny Manziel, it was his win over #1 Alabama. For Reggie Bush (who was later stripped of the award), it was against #9 Notre Dame in what is now regarded as one of the best college football games in history. This win over the Buckeyes could very well be that game for Mayfield. After all, he did throw for 386 yards and three scores as the Sooners won by 15.
Thanks for reading everyone.
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