The fourth week of the season was an interesting one for the Heisman Trophy race. The Year of the Running Back continued as Leonard Fournette continued his incredible pace. He set some records for LSU this past week and continues to pace the Heisman race. However, one of the preseason favorites, Trevone Boykin, has vaulted himself back into the conversation after a great performance and a miracle ending in Lubbock. Here’s how the race is shaping up after the month of September:
Leonard Fournette, LSU Tigers
Running Back
Anybody that watched Fournette’s breakout performance against Auburn when he ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-21 win was probably excited to tune in for the encore this past weekend. The sophomore back ran for 244 yards and two scores in a 34-24 win over Syracuse. Fournette is the total package with the size, speed, power and shiftiness to be the most dominant rusher in college football this season. He has already run for 631 yards and eight scores while averaging 8.6 yards per carry in three wins this season. Fournette has been impossible to even slow down, let alone stop, and Les Miles will make sure his offense continues to feed the beast with a tough SEC schedule ahead.
Trevone Boykin, TCU Horned Frogs
Quarterback
It wasn’t necessarily pretty at times for Boykin earlier this season but TCU has managed to stay undefeated at 4-0 and the senior quarterback has managed to improve with every outing. Boykin threw for a season-high 485 yards and four touchdowns, including a game-winning score in the final minute that came off a ridiculous deflection in a thrilling finish.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGJWzdytE2Q
His season stats look pretty good right now. Boykin has completed 64.7% of his passes for 1,470 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding another 184 yards and two scores on the ground. The Horned Frogs survived a shootout in Lubbock thanks in big part to Boykin but they still have to play West Virginia, at Oklahoma State and Baylor the rest of the way. If their star quarterback can lead them to a Big 12 title – especially given all of their defensive injuries – he’s going to be among the Heisman frontrunners.
Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State Buckeyes
Running Back
Alabama running back Derrick Henry is certainly still in the mix but the reality is that Ohio State is undefeated at 4-0 as the consensus No. 1 team in the country. With a schedule loaded with relatively mediocre opponents, there is still a very good chance they are undefeated by the time the College Football Playoff starts. Neither Cardale Jones nor J.T. Barrett have excelled at the quarterback position and the most effective player on the Buckeyes offense to this point has clearly been Elliott. The junior running back ran for a season-high 124 yards and a touchdown in a 38-12 win over Western Michigan over the weekend. He has averaged 5.9 yards per carry while running for 455 yards and five touchdowns through four games. The fact that Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the country will only enhance Elliott’s stock – especially considering his numbers and the fact that Buckeyes have a very real chance to go undefeated this season.
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Nick Chubb, Georgia Bulldogs
Running Back
Chubb is another SEC running back that is the biggest reason for his team being undefeated to this point. He has rushed for 599 yards and six touchdowns while helping Georgia get to 4-0. The lone problem if there is one for Chubb right now is the fact that his rushing totals have decreased in all four games so far and he has fewer yards and fewer touchdowns than Fournette despite having played one more game. Still, the sophomore running back has been a beast on the ground this season and as long as he continues to put up big numbers for the undefeated Bulldogs, he will be in the mix as a Heisman trophy candidate. It may come down to which team has the better season.
