Heisman Trophy Watch 2017: Upsets shake up pecking order after Week 3
By Zach Bigalke
Notables
- Leaderboards: 1st nationally in rushing and all-purpose yards (196.0 RYPG, 258.0 APYPG)
- Rushing: 71 carries for 588 yards, 4 touchdowns
- Other: 9 receptions for 69 yards, 1 touchdown; 2 kick returns for 117 yards, 1 touchdown
San Diego State entered the season with a question mark at running back. The all-time leading FBS rusher, Donnel Pumphrey, graduated after four years in the Aztecs backfield. Pumphrey’s replacement, Rashaad Penny, had shown electric skills in limited action. Penny even topped the 1000-yard rushing mark last season despite getting only 135 carries all year.
But could he handle a full workload for San Diego State? So far, Penny has turned the question mark in the backfield into an exclamation point. After three games, the senior rusher is leading the nation in rushing yards per game and all-purpose yards per game. Not only is he averaging just under 200 yards on the ground, but he has also added nearly 200 yards in receptions in returns.
More importantly for the Aztecs, though, Penny has been the catalyst for several huge wins. The two-time defending Mountain West champions have aspirations of winning the conference for a third straight season. After this weekend, they also became the front-runner in the race for the Group of Five bid into a New Year’s Six bowl game.
Penny has helped San Diego State pull off upset victories in two straight games against Pac-12 opponents. On the road at Arizona State in Week 2, Penny racked up 18 carries for 216 yards and a touchdown. He added four receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown, and took a kick return 99 yards for the opening score. He then followed it up with a huge performance against Stanford, upsetting the No. 19 Cardinal at home thanks to 206 all-purpose yards from Penny.