It’s time for the Week 7 Heisman Watch, which means it’s also time to juggle the rankings. The more games that are played, the better idea we get as to who the real Heisman contenders are. There is no surprise at the top of the list with Leonard Fournette continuing to dominate any and all competition. We have one top contender dropping out after a dreadful performance against a top team and we have a few newcomers.
- Leonard Fournette / RB / LSU – The 6-foot-1, 230 pound running back trounced over South Carolina with 158 rushing yards. This game, despite the numbers, could be considered a disappointment by some but not me. He averaged 7.9 yards per attempt with one rushing touchdown and he showed that he is capable of catching the ball out of the backfield, if necessary (3 receptions, 25 yards). Fournette will face a tough second half of the season with the Tigers facing off against SEC opponents such as Florida (next week), Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
- Trevone Boykin / QB / TCU – TCU and Boykin were scared at halftime against Kansas State as they headed to the locker room down 35-17. Boykin led the Horned Frogs back from an 18-point deficit with a 69-yard touchdown run and a 55-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. He also had some trouble against the Kansas State defense by throwing two interceptions. But, as Boykin has done the entire season, he found other ways to win; along with his 301 yards passing and two touchdown passes, he rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns as well. Boykin is slowly, but surely, gaining on Fournette for the number one spot in the Heisman rankings.
- C.J. Prosise / RB / Notre Dame – The first newcomer in the Week 7 list is wide receiver turned running back C.J. Prosise. Entering the season, Prosise was a backup running back but was quickly rushed into the starting lineup after injuries and transfers. He hasn’t missed a beat. Prosise has 779 yards rushing on 110 attempts with nine rushing touchdowns on the season. Against Navy, Prosise carried the Fighting Irish with 129 yards rushing on 21 attempts while tying a season-high with three rushing touchdowns. Prosise has also proved to be a ball-catching threat out of the backfield with 13 receptions for 187 yards on the season. He has a small shot at catching up to Fournette and Boykin but he is making his case as one of the best running backs in college football.
- Devontae Booker / RB / Utah – As Utah makes a case to be the number one college football team in the country, Devontae Booker is trying to make a case as one of the best running backs in the country. Booker hasn’t put up eye-popping statistics similar to Leonard Fournette’s, but nonetheless, he has put up quality numbers. In Utah’s toughest test of the season, Booker was an absolute workhorse. He had a total of 38 touches (34 rushing attempts) and ran for 222 yards and two touchdowns as the Utes squeaked out a 30-24 win against Cal.
- Seth Russell / QB / Baylor – It’s finally time for me to give respect to Baylor and their QB1, Seth Russell. Russell has continually shown that he is a quality quarterback and Heisman candidate despite myself being in denial. The lowest point total of Russell’s offense in the 2015 season; 56 points. Russell has completed almost 64 percent of his passes, thrown for 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions, with a total of 1,527 passing yards. Baylor has reached the number two spot in the Associated Press poll and it’s time for me to give credit where credit is due.
OUT: Jared Goff / QB / Cal – It’s a tough thing to say but Cal’s loss to Utah rests squarely on the young shoulders of Jared Goff. Goff, uncharacteristically, threw for five – count ‘em – FIVE interceptions. Cal’s chances of making the College Football Playoff are dead as well as Goff’s chances of joining this Heisman list for the rest of the season.
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