Devon Dampier is Utah’s Heisman candidate (Photo by Utah Athletics)
With only three weeks left in the regular season, the Heisman race is still wide open.
I can’t remember a year that the Heisman race changed more on a week-to-week basis, and had no clear frontrunner this late in a season. Most teams only have three regular season games remaining, and it is still anyone’s race. The picture is almost completely different than just last week.
1. Devon Dampier, Utah, Quarterback, Senior
Devon Dampier was 14 of 26 for 177 yards and 2 touchdowns in the win. He also had 20 carries for 89 yards and 2 more touchdowns on the ground. He also caught a 29-yard pass. Dampier had 89 of Utah’s 124 rushing yards. Without him, Utah has no ground game against BYU. Dampier has thrown for 2,053 yards and 20 touchdowns this season. He has also rushed for 480 yards and 7 touchdowns. Dampier’s Heisman stock will rise as long as he keeps playing well and keeps Utah undefeated.
2. CJ Carr, Notre Dame, Quarterback, Redshirt Sophomore
Carr had a big game against Miami and outdueled Darian Mensah. CJ Carr was 29 of 40 for 319 yards and three touchdowns. He and Dampier had Heisman games in top-ten matchups this past weekend, and that’s why they’re at the top of the leaderboard for now. Carr’s season stats are good. He is 177 of 262 for 2,168 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also has 3 rushing touchdowns. Two of Carr’s great stats are his ability to avoid negative plays. He’s thrown one interception all season, and that was in a 39-point win over Purdue, and he’s only been sacked twice. Even in Notre Dame’s lone loss to BYU, Carr was a solid 27 of 49 for 261 yards and no interceptions.
3. Darian Mensah, Miami, Quarterback, Junior
Despite the loss to Notre Dame, Darian Mensah still played well and is still in this conversation as long as he keeps Miami nationally relevant. I don’t think his Heisman candidacy or Miami fans have to worry about a massive drop-off after the Notre Dame game. Mensah was 24 of 43 for 276 yards and three touchdowns in South Bend. He’s 212 of 276 for 2,694 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. He also has 2 rushing touchdowns. Like Carr, Mensah doesn’t have a lot of negative plays. He threw his second interception of the season against Notre Dame, and he avoids sacks and is well protected.
4. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State, Wide Receiver, Junior
No one slows down Jeremiah Smith better than his own coaches. In one of the stupidest coaching blunders I’ve ever seen, Smith went 32:37 of game clock without being targeted by Ohio State’s offense. When he wasn’t getting targeted, Oregon went on a 38-0 run. When he was part of the offense, Ohio State outscored Oregon 28-3. This isn’t rocket science or brain surgery, no matter how much Ohio State’s coaches like to make it look that way. In a season like this, with so much fluctuation in the Heisman race on a week-to-week basis, Smith is still alive and could end up the winner for his career achievements, in spite of the lack of coaching leadership at Ohio State. He has 69 catches for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns.
5. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State, Quarterback, Sophomore
Mestemaker has been a stat machine this year for Eric Morris and Oklahoma State. He was 22 of 28 for 313 yards and 4 touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing) against Kansas State over the weekend. Mestemaker leads the nation in passing touchdowns with 29 and is second in passing yards with 2,962. He’ll have a chance for a Heisman moment this week when he and the Cowboys host Texas Tech in Stillwater.
Helmet Stickers
Dylan Riley is the nation’s leading rusher. I’d like to have him in the Heisman race, but if Ashton Jeanty couldn’t win it while almost breaking Barry Sanders rushing record, then Riley won’t get any benefit of the doubt. He had 19 carries for 192 yards and 2 touchdowns rushing and 2 catches for 88 yards and another touchdown receiving this week in Boise State’s 64-38 win over Colorado State. 21 touches for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns is fantastic! This season he has 184 carries for 1,241 yards and 11 touchdowns. Riley also has 17 catches for 218 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns.
Beau Brungard was 31 of 34 for 423 yards and 4 touchdowns for Youngstown State. Brungard had 2,752 passing yards and 26 touchdowns this season. He also has 742 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground for YSU. If ever another FCS player deserved some Heisman respect, it’s Beau Brungard
Jackson Gutierrez of Navy had a huge game for the Midshipmen. Gutierrez was 6 of 11 for 178 yards and a touchdown pass, but like most Navy quarterbacks, he did his damage on the ground. He had 30 carries for 180 yards and a whopping 5 touchdowns in Navy’s 42-35 win over Temple. He has 819 passing yards and 8 touchdowns this year, with 1,159 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.
