The Heisman Trophy has become a quarterbacks’ award in the modern era. Here are five passers that vaulted up the Heisman Watch in Week 2 action.
1991 marked the last year before the Bowl Coalition formed. The Coalition begat the Bowl Alliance, Bowl Championship Series, and now the College Football Playoff. As such, it serves as a logical demarcation point for the modern and pre-modern eras of college football history.
Between Jay Berwanger’s inaugural Heisman Trophy victory in 1935 and 1991, quarterbacks won 17 of the 57 Heisman awards over that period. Since 1992, however, the Heisman Trophy has largely become a quarterback-driven prize. Over the past 25 years, quarterbacks have won 17 of the Heismans.
For the first six decades of the award, quarterbacks were deemed the best player in college football around 30 percent of the time. Since the advent of the modern era in 1992, that percentage has crept up to 68 percent. We are at the point where a quarterback is named the top player in two out of every three seasons.
Thus it is dangerous these days to choose anything but a quarterback when watching the Heisman race unfold. That is especially true given the glut of passing talent found all around the country. Last week, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley led our Heisman Watch. This week, he doesn’t even appear among the top five.
Instead, look for one of these five quarterbacks to take over the Heisman race this week. Click ahead to read more in our Week 3 Heisman Watch.
Notables
- Leaderboards: 10th nationally in passing efficiency (191.0 YPG)
- Passing: 45-of-62 for 638 yards, 6 touchdowns vs 0 interceptions
- Other: 7 carries for 21 yards, 2 touchdowns (1 sack)
In a Friday-night showdown at South Alabama, Mason Rudolph boosted his name in the Heisman discussion with another big performance. On the road, Rudolph completed 25 of his 38 passing attempts for 335 yards and three touchdowns and set a new Oklahoma State career passing mark in the process as No. 11 Oklahoma State took down the Jaguars 44-7.
Coupled with his efficient Week 1 performance in a big win over Tulsa, Rudolph is averaging 319 yards and three touchdowns per game. That is especially impressive given the fact that Rudolph has not played the full 60 minutes in either game, exiting early after victory was secured for the Cowboys. He also has yet to throw an interception this season, and sits in the top 10 nationally in passing efficiency.
Rudolph has not played a Power Five opponent yet this season, nor has he put up absolutely mind-boggling stats. Thus he sits on the cusp of the contenders in this week’s Heisman Watch. The Oklahoma State quarterback has played well enough to merit a spot in the top five, but he will have to wait for next week’s trip to Pittsburg to really begin making a statement. He will also get plenty of chances to change Heisman voters’ minds once Big 12 play starts.
Notables
- Leaderboards: 19th nationally in passing yards per game (302.5 YPG)
- Passing: 44-of-59 for 605 yards, 4 touchdowns vs 4 interceptions
- Other: 7 carries for -2 yards, 1 touchdown (3 sacks)
Over the first two weeks of the 2017 season, it isn’t that Sam Darnold has played poorly. He would not be in the top five of the Heisman race were this actually the case. But because he played at such a high level toward the end of last season, Darnold is being compared against those marks rather than his present peers.
That said, Darnold has also played possibly the two toughest games in a row for any Heisman contender. The opener against Western Michigan was a trap game in which Darnold threw two interceptions and failed to reach the endzone through the air. On Saturday, he redeemed himself with a statement performance against No. 14 USC in the Pac-12 opener for both teams.
Throwing for 316 yards and four touchdowns against the Cardinal defense, Darnold boosted his Heisman resume by leading the Trojans to a confident 42-24 win. The USC quarterback did throw two more picks, raising his total to four already on the season. Last year, he threw nine over the course of the entire season. If he continues to cough up the football, turnovers could come back to haunt Darnold by December when the final Heisman ballots are tallied.
Notables
- Leaderboards: 1st (tie) nationally in passing touchdowns (4.5/game)
- Passing: 57-of-84 for 820 yards, 9 touchdowns vs 0 interceptions
- Other: 7 carries for -31 yards (5 sacks)
After a lost season in 2016, nobody was quite sure what UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen would do this season. He has returned to college football with a vengeance, posting some of the biggest stats in the early season as the Bruins have improved to 2-0. After another huge day against Hawaii, Rosen is now tied for the national lead in passing touchdowns.
Rosen began to burnish his Heisman credentials in Week 1 with four touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a 34-point comeback victory over Texas A&M. He followed that up by completing 22 of his 25 passes against Hawaii for an efficient 329 yards and five scores. The Bruins ran away with a 56-23 win over the Rainbow Warriors and entered the AP Top 25 for the first time this season after the big win.
A big game against Memphis in the Liberty Bowl could further boost his Heisman campaign in Week 3. For now, though, Rosen sits right behind the defending award winner and the early front-runner. The legend of Rosen continues to grow, though, and he gives UCLA a legitimate chance to play a dark-horse role in the Pac-12 South race this season.
Notables
- Leaderboards: 1st nationally in total offense (505.0 YPG)
- Passing: 55-of-85 for 771 yards, 5 touchdowns vs 0 interceptions
- Other: 40 carries for 239 yards, 3 touchdowns (2 sacks)
It is always going to be an uphill battle for defending Heisman Trophy winners that return for another year. Teams always bring their best shot when they get a chance to play the best player in the country. There is a reason, after all, why Archie Griffin remains the only back-to-back winner of the award in its eight decades of history.
Lamar Jackson, though, is doing everything in his power to change that narrative. The Louisville quarterback had bigger rushing numbers through the first two games last year, but he is throwing for more yardage per game. He has started the year with two straight 300-yard passing/100-yard rushing days, and has already accounted for eight touchdowns this year.
Against North Carolina on Saturday, Jackson helped the Cardinals nab their first ACC victory of the year. The defending Heisman winner accounted for over 500 yards of offense in the 47-35 win in Chapel Hill, and in the process he kept pace with the other contenders in the race for the venerated stiffarm trophy. Repeating as the best player in college football will never be easy, but Jackson looks like he is up to the challenge this season.
Notables
- Leaderboards: 2nd nationally in passing efficiency (228.8)
- Passing: 46-of-55 for 715 yards, 6 touchdowns vs 0 interceptions
- Other: 9 carries for -13 yards (3 sacks)
The top player in the Heisman race is also the one with the biggest statement win on his resume. Baker Mayfield has been the most efficient Power Five quarterback in the country through the first two weeks of the season, completing 46 of his 55 passes against Tulsa and No. 2 Ohio State. Mayfield has thrown for 715 yards and six touchdowns without an interception, as Oklahoma now sits at 2-0 at No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and No. 3 in the Coaches Poll.
Against the Buckeyes, Mayfield was efficient and lethal. After losing to Ohio State in Norman last year, Mayfield returned the favor in Columbus on Saturday. He went 27-of-35 against the Buckeyes defense, throwing for 386 yards and three touchdowns to secure a decisive 31-16 road win over a top-five team. He even planted his flag on the Block O at midfield in the Horseshoe.
Next: 30 Greatest Heisman Trophy Winners in History
As a result, Mayfield takes over pole position from Saquon Barkley in this week’s Heisman Watch. The Sooners quarterback has the Big 12 favorites in great position to secure a College Football Playoff berth this season. If he can continue to put up big performances, both next week against Tulane and once conference play starts, he will continue to remain the favorite for the biggest individual trophy in college football.