Heisman Watch 2015: Grading Top Contenders' Performances from Week 12
With two weeks remaining in the 2015 college football regular season, the race for the Heisman Trophy is as unsettled as ever. LSU sophomore tailback Leonard Fournette emerged as a strong favorite after putting together a string of 150-plus yard rushing games, but as the Tigers have faded, Fournette has fallen back to the pack.
While a fellow SEC tailback, Alabama junior Derrick Henry, has picked up Fournette’s slack with a number of excellent performances, he is by no means a lock to take home the stiff-arm trophy on Dec. 12 in New York City. Anything can happen over the next two weeks, and every performance is crucial. Here’s a look at how the leading contenders fared in Week 12, with a grade assigned to each performance.
Baylor WR Corey Coleman
1 of 8
It doesn’t seem to matter who Baylor throws out at quarterback. The Bears offense continually scores points and punishes opposing defenses, as it did Saturday night in a 45-35 win over previously unbeaten Oklahoma State. It certainly helps that those quarterbacks can throw to Corey Coleman.
The Baylor junior has turned himself into the nation’s best receiver. With two games remaining, he has 66 receptions for 1,306 yards and 20 receiving touchdowns. He has seven games this season with at least 100 yards receiving and seven multiple-touchdown games.
However, his pace has slowed a bit recently. He has been held out of the end zone in the Bears’ last two games. Saturday, he had five catches for 77 yards against the Cowboys. Fellow wideout KD Cannon had five receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns, which more than made up for Coleman’s slower evening.
Grade: C
Florida State RB Dalvin Cook
2 of 8
While Florida State’s offense has scuffled at times this season following numerous NFL and graduation-related departures, including that of top overall NFL pick Jameis Winston, there has been one constant: Dalvin Cook has been excellent.
Cook has enjoyed an excellent sophomore season, with seven games of at least 100 yards rushing and a pair of 200-yard games, and has 1,475 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns to go along with 19 receptions for 207 yards and a touchdown.
Florida State whipped overmatched FCS foe Chattanooga 52-13 Saturday, and Cook had another very good day. He carried 15 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. With a regular-season finale against Florida remaining, Cook has positioned himself well for an invite to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
Grade: B+
Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott
3 of 8
Throughout this season, Ezekiel Elliott had been the most consistent part of Ohio State’s at-times-sputtering offense. But as the Buckeyes’ season took a huge turn for the worse Saturday afternoon, so did his Heisman campaign.
Michigan State ended Ohio State’s unbeaten season with a 17-14 win, sealed by a final-play field goal, and Elliott gained just 33 yards on 12 carries, his first sub-100-yard performance of the season and his second-lowest workload behind an 11-carry night in the opener at Virginia Tech.
Afterward, a frustrated Elliott ripped Ohio State’s offensive play-calling to reporters, including USA Today's Dan Wolken, suggesting he should have received more carries.
“I deserve more than (12) carries,” Elliott said. “I can’t speak for the playcaller. I don’t know what was going on.”
He still has 1,458 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season and will have a huge rivalry game against Michigan to showcase himself, but his Heisman hopes took a major hit in what was likely the final home game of his Ohio State career. He told reporters as much afterward.
"There’s no chance of me coming back next year," he said, per Wolken. "I have to make the most of my time left. I just want to thank Buckeye Nation for making this place so special and I’m sorry about tonight."
Grade: D
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LSU RB Leonard Fournette
4 of 8
Three weeks ago, Leonard Fournette was the Heisman Trophy leader, LSU was unbeaten and No. 2 nationally and Les Miles was secure as the Tigers’ coach. My, how times have changed.
A 38-17 defeat at Ole Miss was the Tigers’ third consecutive loss, and Miles, according to reports from James Smith of NOLA.com, could be nearing the end of his tenure with the program. After rushing for at least 150 yards in each of LSU’s first seven games, Fournette managed a combined 122 against Alabama and Arkansas, a huge hit for his Heisman hopes.
Fournette rebounded a bit Saturday, rushing for 108 yards on 25 carries and making four receptions for 72 yards. But he failed to reach the end zone, as the Tigers lost by three touchdowns in an important game, which won’t give his campaign much juice.
Grade: B-
Alabama RB Derrick Henry
5 of 8
Derrick Henry has found his stride just as Alabama has, and that’s no coincidence. The junior is taking full advantage of his first (and perhaps only) season as the Crimson Tide’s lead tailback, with 1,526 yards and 21 touchdowns on the season.
He rushed for 200-plus yards three times in a four-game span against Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi State, vaulting him into the forefront of the Heisman Trophy race.
Alabama really didn’t need Henry in a 56-6 rout of FCS foe Charleston Southern. Henry carried a season-low nine times but made those carries count, picking up 68 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll have two big showcases to end the season: the regular-season finale against Auburn and a likely SEC Championship Game against Florida.
Grade: B
Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield
6 of 8
Oklahoma’s rebound from an 8-5 2014 season owes plenty to its move to an Air Raid offense and the emergence of Baker Mayfield as the new starting quarterback. Following Saturday’s thrilling 30-29 win over TCU, the Sooners are 10-1 entering a crucial Bedlam matchup against fellow one-loss rival Oklahoma State, and they are firmly in contention for a College Football Playoff berth.
Mayfield has 3,209 yards with 33 touchdowns against five interceptions, as well as 343 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Saturday, Mayfield was average against a banged-up TCU defense, passing for 127 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He did not play in the second half after exhibiting concussion symptoms, which throws his availability for Oklahoma State into question. If Mayfield can’t go, the Sooners will be forced to turn to former starter Trevor Knight, who finished the TCU game.
Grade: B-
Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey
7 of 8
If you’ve been going to bed early on Saturday nights, you’re missing one of the best shows in college football. Stanford sophomore tailback Christian McCaffrey has enjoyed a breakout season as the best all-purpose player in the game.
He has 1,546 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, as well as 34 receptions for 416 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Stanford has benefited; the Cardinal are 9-2 and clinched a spot in the Pac-12 title game with a 35-22 win over rival Cal.
McCaffrey was excellent. He rolled up a Stanford single-game record of 389 all-purpose yards with 29 carries for 192 yards, a 49-yard touchdown reception and a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown.
If he doesn’t at least make it to New York for the Heisman ceremony, voters simply aren’t paying attention.
Grade: A
Clemson QB Deshaun Watson
8 of 8
Entering the final week of the regular season, Clemson has a firm grasp on a College Football Playoff berth. The Tigers are 11-0 and ranked No. 1 nationally for the first time since 1981, their only national title season. A huge reason why? Sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson.
After a freshman season that saw him flash potential but suffer multiple serious injuries, including a torn ACL, Watson has stayed healthy and served as the engine that makes Clemson’s high-powered offense go. He has 2,944 passing yards with 26 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, completing 70.8 percent of his passes and adding 642 rushing yards with six touchdowns.
Saturday was another solid day for Watson. While other candidates flailed, he threw for 343 yards with three touchdowns and added 44 rushing yards and a score on the ground. He had two interceptions, but Clemson still won comfortably, whipping Wake Forest 33-13 in its home finale.
This week, Watson gets a struggling South Carolina team coming off a stunning 23-22 upset at The Citadel’s hands. It could be a major showcase, along with the ACC title game, that boosts Watson’s Heisman hopes even more.
Grade: B+
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