Photo by the Heisman Trust
Heisman Watch
Bryson Daily’s six touchdowns lead the way for Army as he joins Cam Ward and Ashton Jeanty in the top three Heisman spots after Week 8.
Standouts from Week 8
Bryson Daily
No one had a better game than Bryson Daily in Army’s 45-28 victory over East Carolina. He had 31 carries for 171 yards and five touchdowns rushing. Through the air he was 7 of 10 for 147 yards and another touchdown, bringing his total for the game to six.
Cam Ward
Another week for Ward, another 300-yard, 3-touchdown game. Ward has yet to have a game with fewer than 300 passing yards and three touchdowns responsible for. He was 21 for 32 for 319 yards and four touchdowns in the 52-45 win over Louisville.
Bhayshul Tuten
The senior had a career game for Virginia Tech in their win over Boston College. Tuten had 19 touches for 286 yards and four total touchdowns (18 carries for 266 yards and three touchdowns on the ground).
Jadan Baugh
Baugh ran over the Wildcats in Florida’s victory over Kentucky. He had 22 carries for 106 yards and five touchdowns in the 48-20 Gators victory.
Heisman Leaders
1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, Running Back, Junior
Jeanty and Boise State had the week off but even a bye week wasn’t enough to remove him from first in the Heisman race. This Friday they’ll play the other team at the top of the Mountain West in UNLV. This will likely be only round one for the Broncos and the Rebels. Jeanty has 126 carries for 1,248 yards and 18 total touchdowns.
2. Cameron Ward, Miami, Quarterback, Senior
Ward 169 of 245 for 2,538 yards and 24 touchdowns in the passing game. Rushing he has 35 carries for 190 yards and three touchdowns. He’s the nation’s leading passer and clearly the best quarterback in college football right now. Next, he and the Canes take on reeling rival Florida State.
3. Bryson Daily, Army, Quarterback, Senior
Ward and Jeanty may be too much for him to overcome but Daily should be a Heisman finalist. Daily set a new Army single-season rushing touchdown record. He’s got 19 on the season. The quarterback is the nation’s third leading rusher behind only fellow Heisman candidates Ashton Jeanty and Kaleb Johnson. He has 138 carries for 909 yards to go with those 19 touchdowns. He also is 27 of 47 for 629 yards and seven passing touchdowns.
4. Travis Hunter, Colorado, Wide Receiver/ Cornerback, Junior
Two catches for 17 yards and only one tackle is a slight hit to Travis Hunter’s Heisman chances. The good news is the Buffs won and are 5-2. The longer they contend for the Big 12 the more chances Hunter will have to make up for taking time to recover. That’s why right now he’s here. I don’t doubt he’ll be back though. An injury and a quiet week will not be enough to keep him down.
5. Kaleb Johnson, Iowa, Running Back, Junior
Johnson is realistically nearly eliminated with the Iowa loss to Michigan State. Johnson still had a decent game with 14 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown and four catches for 49 yards. His season totals are 132 carries for 1,035 yards and 14 total touchdowns. The problem for him is he’s on a team that’s 4-3. While that hurts his overall chances he should still be acknowledged as one of the best players in the country.
In the Race
Dillon Gabriel, Jeremiah Smith, Nick Nash, Shedeur Sanders, and Dylan Sampson are long shots at this point with Sampson having the clearest path to jump into the top five. They need some attention-grabbing games and Sampson would have to have a big game and a win against Georgia to get back in the top five.
