Heisman Watch 2014: Grading Top Contenders' Performances from Week 12
You could argue that this 2014 college football season hasn’t had a true Heisman moment—the kind of moment where fans take notice of an accomplishment so incredible that they can’t help but say, “That might have won the Heisman Trophy."
Well, one of those moments took place Saturday afternoon in Madison, Wisconsin. Racing through the snow and past a tired Nebraska defense, Wisconsin junior tailback Melvin Gordon took the final play of the third quarter 26 yards for a touchdown. Gordon stopped at the back of the end zone and took a slight bow. He had just set the new FBS single-game rushing record, his 408 yards passing the 406 that TCU tailback LaDanian Tomlinson put up against a hapless UTEP defense in November of 1999.
It was a special day for Gordon, one that should vault him to the forefront of the Heisman Trophy race and one that highlights this week’s performances by Heisman Trophy candidates. Here are this week’s grades for Heisman candidates. The criteria for inclusion is inclusion in last week’s Heisman Watch by ESPN.
TCU QB Trevone Boykin
1 of 10
Result: Beat Kansas, 34-30
Trevone Boykin has been a key figure in TCU’s rise from 4-8 in 2013 to a College Football Playoff contender this fall. The former wide receiver has been an excellent fit as the Horned Frogs’ starting quarterback, making a newly-installed spread offense hum.
Saturday, he and the Frogs were severely tested at lowly Kansas, which took a 27-17 third-quarter lead. Boykin and TCU hit back at the right time, outscoring KU 17-3 to end the game. Boykin threw for 330 yards with one touchdown against one interception. He wasn’t perfect, but was a key leader for the second-half rally.
Grade: B
Alabama WR Amari Cooper
2 of 10
Result: Beat Mississippi State, 25-20.
Amari Cooper has been the best receiver in college football this fall, bar none. The 6’1”, 210-pound junior has burned secondaries across the SEC, catching balls deep and short and out-leaping cornerbacks to catch balls where only quarterback Blake Sims can throw them. He has six 100-yard receiving games, going over 200 yards twice.
Saturday was just another day at the office for Cooper. He had eight receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown in No. 5 Alabama’s 25-20 win over No. 1 Mississippi State. One of those receptions was an amazing 50-yard grab to the State 1-yard line that set up the Crimson Tide’s second touchdown and a 19-0 lead.
It wasn’t Cooper’s biggest day of the season, but he certainly didn’t do anything to hurt himself against a physical Bulldogs defense.
Grade: B
Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon
3 of 10
Result: Beat Nebraska, 59-24.
Saturday afternoon, Gordon thrust himself firmly to the forefront of the Heisman race with the best individual performance of the season (and perhaps many other seasons). He carried 25 times for 408 yards and four touchdowns in a 59-24 demolition of Nebraska. That broke the FBS single-game rushing record of 406 yards, set by TCU tailback LaDanian Tomlinson.
The Wisconsin State Journal's Tom Oates said the day was reminiscent of the game in which Ron Dayne set the NCAA career rushing record against Iowa in 1999.
Gordon was good no matter where he ran: up the middle, around the edge and sprinting down the sidelines. He averaged 16.3 yards per carry. Most impressively, he played exactly three quarters. He didn’t carry the ball after setting the record on the final play of the third quarter, a 26-yard touchdown run. He now has 1,909 rushing yards and averages 8.6 yards per carry.
He told Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that breaking the record wasn't even on his mind.
"I didn't even know I was close to a record like that. I was kind of just running to win. I saw them shifting over and it was a power play, which you usually don't take backside. I just kind of predetermined it. I kind of knew they would all sell out going to the left. So I pressed it a little bit, cut back and just made it happen.
"
If he winds up hoisting the stiff-arm trophy in New York, Saturday will be his Heisman moment.
Grade: A+
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Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett
4 of 10
Result: Beat Minnesota, 31-24.
Despite being pressed into service in August after senior starter (and preseason Heisman candidate) Braxton Miller’s season-ending shoulder surgery, J.T. Barrett has made excellent progress as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. The redshirt freshman has improved with every game, and his ugly 9-of-29, 219-yard, three-interception effort in a September loss to Virginia Tech seems like it was years ago, not two months ago.
Barrett is a dangerous threat with both his arms and his legs, and he proved that Saturday at Minnesota. Against an improved Gophers team that pushed the No. 8 Buckeyes hard, he was a difference-maker.
Barrett completed 15 of 25 passes for 200 yards with three touchdowns against an interception, and he had a career-high 189 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. That’s what makes Barrett so tough to stop. He’s confident in a number of ways, and he’ll only get better with experience.
Grade: A-
Miami RB Duke Johnson
5 of 10
Result: Lost to Florida State, 30-26.
Saturday night had to be bittersweet for Miami tailback Duke Johnson. One year ago, Johnson’s sterling sophomore season ended early when the Hurricanes’ talented back broke his ankle against Florida State, and Miami’s season went south from there.
Saturday, the unbeaten Seminoles returned to south Florida, and Johnson was excellent. He carried 27 times for 130 yards and a touchdown, marking his sixth consecutive game gaining at least 100 yards on the ground. However, that didn’t take away the sting of blowing a 16-0 first-half lead and falling to Florida State, 30-26.
Johnson is enjoying an excellent junior season. He has rushed for 1,343 yards and 10 touchdowns, adding 310 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He has gained at least 90 yards in every game, and while he isn’t a leading Heisman candidate, he could receive an invitation to New York for the ceremony.
Grade: A-
Oregon QB Marcus Mariota
6 of 10
Result: Oregon was off this week.
Mariota entered the week as the Heisman front-runner. He has been the most impressive quarterback in college football this season, blending a deft passing touch with impressive, elusive running skills. He has 2,780 passing yards with 29 touchdowns against two interceptions, completing 67.1 percent of his passes, while adding 524 rushing yards and eight touchdowns as the Ducks’ No. 2 runner.
He spent this week relaxing and watching performances across the nation, as Oregon enjoyed a bye week. The Ducks will return to action this week against Colorado, and while an off-week didn’t do anything to help his chances, it certainly didn’t hurt them.
Grade: INC
Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott
7 of 10
Result: Lost 25-20 at Alabama.
Dak Prescott entered Saturday on his biggest stage yet, leading No. 1 Mississippi State into a showdown at No. 5 Alabama. A victory would give the Bulldogs a huge lift toward a College Football Playoff berth. In short, it was Prescott’s biggest Heisman Trophy stage.
He did not capitalize. While Prescott threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns, adding 82 on the ground, many of those passing yards came in the fourth quarter with the Bulldogs trailing. What’s more, he threw three interceptions against the Crimson Tide’s tough defense.
Prescott will have more opportunities to impress voters (like in the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss, set for national telecast on CBS) but this was by far his biggest chance, and he missed it. At the very least, he’ll slip behind Gordon in the pecking order.
Grade: C
Baylor QB Bryce Petty
8 of 10
Result: Baylor was off Saturday.
Bryce Petty entered the season as a Heisman Trophy candidate as the leader of one of the nation’s most potent offenses. He has lingered on the fringes of the discussion, but has picked up steam recently. He had one of his best games in Baylor’s 48-14 embarrassment of Oklahoma, completing 32 of 42 passes for 387 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. On the season, Petty has 2,421 yards with 21 touchdowns and three interceptions, completing 58 percent of his passes.
Petty does not have excellent rushing stats, but he is a mobile passer who can move in the pocket and throws well downfield. He is a great conductor for the Bears’ fast-paced offense, which averages a national-best 50.1 points per game. Baylor was off this week but will return next week to face Oklahoma State.
Grade: INC
Washington LB Shaq Thompson
9 of 10
Result: Lost to Arizona, 27-26.
It’s hard to argue that Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson has been the nation’s most versatile player this season. Thompson has excelled as a linebacker with four defensive touchdowns, and this month, he also moved across the line of scrimmage to give Washington’s offense a boost.
He has 456 yards rushing and two touchdowns this season, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. He piled up 372 yards in three games against Arizona State, Colorado and UCLA.
Saturday, Thompson moved back to his starting linebacker spot against Arizona, but he didn’t make a gigantic impact. He had three tackles and a fumble recovery in the Huskies’ 27-26 final-play loss to Arizona. Thompson is an incredible force of nature, but he didn’t show it Saturday.
Grade: C
Florida State QB Jameis Winston
10 of 10
Result: Beat Miami, 30-26.
Ho-hum. Just another 2014 night at the office for Jameis Winston. Watch the opponent build a double-digit first-half lead and lead a thrilling comeback to keep Florida State unbeaten. That was Winston’s Saturday night in south Florida. Miami built a 16-0 first-half lead on the Seminoles before FSU rallied for a 30-26 victory thanks to Dalvin Cook’s 26-yard touchdown run with 3:05 remaining.
Winston completed 25 of 42 passes for 304 yards and one touchdown against one interception. Of that line, 184 of those yards and the touchdown (an 11-yard pass tipped and hauled in by Karlos Williams) came in the second half. It’s unclear why, but Winston simply seems to be a different quarterback when he and his team’s collective backs are pressed against the wall, and that’s a good thing for Florida State.
That said, his numbers are well off of his 2013 Heisman pace. He has 2,844 passing yards with 18 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. A year ago, he threw 40 touchdowns against 10 interceptions while throwing for 4,057 yards in the Seminoles’ national-title run. He could still make it to New York, but Winston won’t be the favorite in December.
Grade: B+
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