Darian Mensah chases the Heisman against Pitt (Graphic by Miami Athletics)
Much like the chase for the national championship, we’re almost in November and the Heisman is up for grabs for anyone!
1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State, Wide Receiver, Junior
Ohio State had their bye this week. Jeremiah Smith will be helping a new Buckeye quarterback next week, on the road at USC.
2. Darian Mensah, Miami, Quarterback, Junior
Mensah was on fire in Miami’s 52-23 win over Pitt. Darian Mensah bombarded Pittsburgh, going 31 of 37 for 387 yards and four touchdown passes. Mensah is 166 of 204 for 2,151 yards and 22 passing touchdowns, with two more on the ground. Miami, Mensah, his Heisman hopes and their national championship hosts will hit the road this week, playing at North Carolina.
3. Jesse Legree, Oregon State, Wide Receiver, Freshman
Legree and Oregon State will have this week off before resuming play on Halloween against Fresno State.
4. Malachi Toney, Miami, Wide Receiver, Sophomore
I’d have Toney higher than this but for two reasons. One, he has Mensah throwing to him so well. He’s got much better quarterback play than Smith, and even better quarterback play than Legree. At least, so far. The other reason is far crazier. For some reason, Toney still finds himself being single-covered sometimes. I’d give a lot to see Jeremiah Smith get man coverage just once a quarter. But take nothing away from Toney, he’s been an absolute monster for Miami. He had 16 catches for 194 yards and three touchdowns against Pitt. His season totals so far are 66 catches for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns.
5. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State, Quarterback, Sophomore
The super sophomore at Oklahoma State has just been steady all season. He’s never had less than 240 passing yards in a game and is on a six-game streak throwing more than three hundred yards a game. He also has 20 touchdown passes and two touchdown runs for the Cowboys. Drew and OSU visit Iowa State this week.
On the radar are Wayne Knight of UCLA, Dylan Riley at Boise State, Michael Hawkins Jr. at West Virginia,
Helmet Stickers
Aiden Chiles of Northwestern had a big day in their 42-14 win over Rutgers. Chiles was 19 of 25 for 219 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 12 carries for 83 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
North Texas had a shootout against Navy. The Mean Green won 49-39 with a huge game from their wide receiver, Justin Stevenson. Stevenson had eight catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the win for North Texas.
