Heisman Watch: Week 10

Story posted November 6, 2020 in CommRadio, Sports by Austin Boley

Mac Jones, Quarterback, Alabama

No one can argue that Alabama has been tremendously successful at developing young quarterbacks with the recent success of Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa over the last few years. That trend has continued with the emergence of first-year starter Mac Jones.

Each week, Mac Jones continues to dazzle and has quietly risen to the top rank of the Heisman race with a red-hot start, leading the Crimson Tide to a 6-0 record.

After another strongly effective performance on Saturday against Mississippi State, Jones now has 2,196 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns and only two interceptions. Opposing defenses are at a loss on how to stop this Alabama offense, as the Crimson Tide has yet to score under 38 points in any contest this year.

If Jones can continue to rely on the running game with Najee Harris and find ways to get the ball in the hands of his dynamite wideout DeVonta Smith, expect him to be entrenched as the leader in the Heisman race.

Justin Fields, Quarterback, Ohio State

Even with the Big Ten conference on hold in the early stages of the season, Justin Fields was still considered a favorite to win the Heisman at the conclusion of 2020. He has proven thus far that his 2019 season was no fluke.

Fields has been nothing short of remarkable in his first two matchups against Nebraska and Penn State. In these two contests, Fields has completed an astonishing 87.3 % of his passes to go along with 594 passing yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.

Ohio State will be taking on Rutgers and Maryland in the next two weeks, which should provide Fields an opportunity to further solidify his case for an invitation to New York in December.

Trevor Lawrence, Quarterback, Clemson

It’s odd playing Trevor Lawrence third in the Heisman race, but COVID-19 has put a damper on his odds, at least for the time being.

Lawrence was diagnosed with the virus on Oct. 29, which caused him to miss Saturday’s contest against Boston College. He will also be forced to miss this week’s marquee matchup when the Clemson Tigers go into South Bend to take on the undefeated Fighting Irish.

Lawrence may have dropped a few spots among the Heisman hopefuls, but don’t let that dissuade the fact he has been the most productive college quarterback this season. Even with missing last week, Lawrence has 1,833 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and only two interceptions, while leading the Tigers to a 6-0 record.

Regardless, Lawrence will be considered by many to be one of three finalists in the voting process and will look to take home the Heisman to solidify his lasting legacy at Clemson.

Najee Harris, Running Back, Alabama

Everyone knows it’s an uphill battle for running backs to win the Heisman, but what Najee Harris has been able to accomplish this season has been incredible.

Harris is the total package for a running back, and his running style is mesmerizing, especially for being 230 pounds. He has 714 rushing yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns in just six games, pairing those numbers with 20 receptions and 183 receiving yards.

If Harris continues to generate scores at an alarming rate for a devastating Alabama rushing attack, expect voting panelists to place him in the Heisman ceremony, leaving one of the quarterbacks on the outside looking in.

 

Austin Boley is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email aob5378@psu.edu.

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Austin Boley

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Austin Boley is a senior from Lancaster, PA majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State. He is a play-by-play announcer, producer and writer for the CommRadio sports department. His writings include NFL division previews, NFL weekly recap, NFL Game of the Week, Heisman Watch and Penn State position previews. He has also been featured on Hail Mary, CommRadio’s Sunday NFL pregame show. He is also a contributor for “After The Whistle”,If you’d like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).