Heisman Trophy Watch 2017: A new contender rises in Week 5

The one running back who might be having an even more impressive season than Saquon Barkley is Stanford’s Bryce Love. After taking over backfield duties for Christian McCaffrey, the Cardinal tailback is the most dominant pure runner in the country. As Stanford struggles to find a consistent passing game, Love has been the key to keeping his team in the Pac-12 hunt.

In the most recent game this past weekend against Arizona State, Love steamrolled the Sun Devils defense to fuel the 34-24 victory. On 25 carries, Love racked up 301 yards and three touchdowns. His three touchdowns were all highlight-reel plays, as he burst through the line and to the endzone on plays of 61 yards, 43 yards, and 59 yards. Love added five other plays for first downs.

In the process, Love became the first running back this season to top the 1000-yard mark. Through five games, the Cardinal star has averaged an absurd 11.1 yards per carry to reach 1088 yards on fewer than 100 carries. He has scored eight times on 98 plays, reaching the endzone on 8.2 percent of his touches.

Stanford is currently 3-2 on the year, and remain behind both Washington schools in the Pac-12 North race. But the Cardinal get to play both schools later this season. If Love puts up more huge showings in victory against the Huskies and Cougars, it would restore Stanford’s chance of returning to the top of the league and position Love as a player to beat in the Heisman race.