The 2015 Heisman Trophy Is Leonard Fournette's to Lose

Ho hum, just another typical effort from LSU star running back Leonard Fournette in the Tigers' 45-24 win over South Carolina on Saturday afternoon in Death Valley.

And by "typical," I mean another huge game, a terrifying display of skills and another stamp on the race to win the Heisman Trophy.

The sophomore stud for the Tigers rushed for 158 yards and a score and added three catches for 25 yards on the afternoon.

That stamp came on the second play of the second half, when Fournette took off up the middle. He ran 87 yards and away from the South Carolina defense and into the college football record books.

"Just couldn't get caught," he said of his 87-yard scamper on ESPN's broadcast. "That was the only thing on my mind. Just don't get caught from behind."

He's also running away from the pack in the race for the 2015 Heisman Trophy.

With apologies to Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, Baylor signal-caller Seth Russell and TCU's Trevone Boykin, Fournette is on the brink of bucking the trend and becoming just the third non-quarterback since the turn of the century to take home college football's most prestigious award.

As CBSSports.com's Tom Fornelli noted on Twitter, Fournette's biggest Heisman enemy could be the fact that he peaked too early.

"

Only thing that will stop Leonard Fournette from winning the Heisman will be media fatigue.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) October 10, 2015"

That's assuming, though, that he's reached his peak through five games. While the insane rushing total suggests the ceiling is near, there's not much to suggest he'll slow down even if SEC defenses are almost forced to bring everybody up in the box at all times. 

It takes an incredibly special season for a running back to mount a legitimate challenge for the Heisman—which typically goes to quarterbacks who put up video game numbers for teams that, at the very least, are contenders for their conference titles.

At 5-0, LSU satisfies that last part of the equation. 

The first two parts, though, are happening all around college football.

It doesn't matter, because Fournette won't let it matter.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

His fifth straight sensational performance on the ground on a team that's decidedly one-dimensional by necessity cancels out anything those quarterbacks are doing and has Fournette on the brink of legend status.

Breaking the 1,000-yard mark in four-and-a-half games isn't just video game good, it's video game glitch good. The entire South Carolina defense—and every defense that has faced and will face the Tigers this year—knows No. 7 is getting the ball, and it just doesn't matter.

On top of that, he has established himself as one of the most humble players in college football. 

The New Orleans native lived through the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He knows the pain the people of South Carolina are going through following the flooding that occurred this week in the Palmetto State, forcing this game to move from Columbia, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

As a result, he read a heartfelt message to the people of the state on ESPN after the game and announced that he intended for game jersey will be auctioned off to raise money for South Carolina flood victims.

As Ross Dellenger of The Advocate noted, Fournette initially thought that might not be possible after making the announcement on national television.

According to the NCAA, though, he can.

That's who Fournette is—one of the good guys on the field and off it.

He was the Heisman front-runner prior to his sprint over, around and through South Carolina. After, he should be considered the de facto winner barring an unforeseen circumstance that keeps him out of action.

College football's most prestigious award is his to lose, and there's no sign he's going to lose it.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Statistics are courtesy of CFBStats.com. 

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.