Heisman Trophy Watch 2017: Several big contenders fall in Week 9
By Zach Bigalke
Bryce Love sat out Week 9, but Stanford wasn’t on a bye this weekend. Kept out of the Thursday-night road game at Oregon State as he nursed an ankle injury, Love proved in his absence why he among the most outstanding players in the entire nation. Without its star tailback in the mix, the Cardinal struggled against a one-win Beavers team and barely eked out a 15-14 win.
In the process, the lack of Love showed just how valuable he is to Stanford’s hopes of regaining the Pac-12 title in 2017. Getting his chance to take over the lead duties in the backfield, Cameron Scarlett rushed 17 times for 72 yards. It wasn’t a bad performance, by any means, but as a team the Cardinal finished with just 81 yards on 27 carries.
Even after sitting out a week, Love still leads the nation in total rushing yards ahead of San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny. He averages 35 more yards per game on the ground than Navy option quarterback Zach Abey through nine weeks of the season.
The combination of Love remaining atop the individual charts and Stanford’s offensive ineptitude without Love in the backfield preserves his spot among the top three in this week’s Heisman Watch. He also benefitted from the fact that other stars like Saquon Barkley stumbled in their opportunities to consolidate position in the rankings.