Last week Derrick Henry and Deshaun Watson seized full control of our Heisman poll. This past weekend, both were victorious in rivalry games. With only championship week remaining, Henry and Watson have set themselves up to take home the trophy with a big performance.
Leonard Fournette and Ezekiel Elliott had been favorites all throughout the preseason and for much of the season itself. Did either make a case to get back into the race last week, or are their Heisman quests over?
Would our voters reward Henry and Watson for their rivalry wins? Did Elliott or Fournette get back into the picture? Or did another player make a big enough impression to jump into (or back into) the Heisman race?
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What you’ll see each week in the TSS Heisman Poll:
* The top total vote getters, with quotes from the voters in support of their candidate
* A list of all players receiving votes
* Poll notes that look at some interesting facts, figures and trends of the poll
* The TSSHP Roll Call of voters, with links to their respective blogs and twitter accounts
Without any further ado, the third 2015 installment of the TSS Heisman Poll:
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1) Derrick Henry (RB – Alabama): 23 points, 38.33% of votes, 4 first-place votes
Last week ranking: No. 1
Last week: Beat Auburn 29-13
Game stats: 46 carries for 271 yards, 5.89 ypc, 1 TD
Season stats: 295 carries, 1797 yds rushing, 6.09 ypc, 22 rushing TD, 10 receptions
This week: vs No. 18 Florida (10-2)
There is no more dominant player on the field when Alabama running back Derrick Henry is there taking handoffs in the Crimson Tide offense. Henry has been the most consistently productive player in Alabama’s offense all season long.
– Kevin McGuire, The Student Section
Alabama put the entire Iron Bowl on Henry’s shoulders. Only the best get that call. If Bama beats Florida the trophy is his.
– Michael Abelson, The Student Section
After carrying the ball 46 times for 271 yards in the Iron Bowl, there can be no question that Henry is the best player in the land. Even though everyone in the stadium knew that he was going to get the rock, the Auburn defense was powerless to stop him. With another big game against Florida — ranked 7th nationally in run defense — he could win college football’s most prestigious award by a huge margin.
– Terry Johnson, The Student Section
2) Deshaun Watson (QB – Clemson): 19 points, 31.67% of votes, 4 first-place votes
Last week ranking: No. 2
Last week: Beat South Carolina 37-32
Game stats: 20 of 27 passing (74.1%) for 279 yards and 1 TD vs 0 INT, 114 yds rushing, 3 rushing TD
Season stats: 261 of 371 passing (70.4%) for 3223 yards with 27 TD vs 10 INT, 756 yds rushing, 9 rushing TD
This week: vs No. 8 North Carolina (11-1)
While the race between Watson and Derrick Henry for the award is too close to call at this point, I give Watson the edge. Much of this is because Clemson would be in a world of hurt offensively without the do-it-all quarterback. Watson has overcome injuries on the unit and various trials within the course of the season, but he remains unbeaten and the pilot of the top team in the nation.
– Ryan Palencer, The Student Section
Clemson needed all of Watson and the offense to dispense of rival South Carolina, which put its souls into that upset after getting paddled by The Citadel the week prior. Week to week, man. Anyway, Watson completed 74 percent of his passes and rushed for 114 and three scores. No one in college football has the combination he owns.
– Bart Doan, The Student Section
3) Christian McCaffrey (RB – Stanford): 5 points, 10.00% of votes, 1 first-place vote
Last week ranking: No. 6
Last week: Beat Notre Dame 38-36
Game stats: 27 carries for 94 yards, 2 TD, 3 receptions
Season stats: 287 carries for 1640 yards, 5.71 ypc, 7 rushing TD, 37 receptions, 3 receiving TD
This week: vs USC (8-4)
For me, it’s simple. When you’re breaking Barry Sanders’ yardage records, you’re at the top of the conversation. This is a very tight race between the top two, though. Next weekend could easily shift things, as Henry looks to be peaking at the right time.
– Yesh Ginsburg, The Student Section
4 tie) Keenan Reynolds (QB – Navy): 4 points, 8.0% of votes, 0 first-place votes
Last week ranking: No. 3
Last week: Lost to Houston 52-31
Game stats: 19 carries for 84 yards rushing, 4.42 ypc, 1 rushing TD, 13 of 16 passing for 312 yards and 1 TD vs 1 INT
Season stats: 220 carries for 1093 yards rushing, 4.97 ypc, 19 rushing TD, 46 of 84 passing for 964 yards with 6 TD vs 1 INT
This week: Idle
4 tie) Ezekiel Elliott (RB – Ohio State): 4 points, 6.67% of votes, 1 first-place vote
Last week ranking: not ranked
Last week: Beat Michigan 42-13
Game stats: 30 carries for 214 yards, 2 TD, 2 receptions
Season stats: 262 carries for 1672 yards, 6.38 ypc, 19 rushing TD, 26 receptions
This week: Idle
His performance against Michigan tells me he is the most valuable player in college football. Look at what happened when he didn’t carry the ball against Michigan State versus when they feed him the ball against Michigan. To me, that warrants a leap to the top of the list.
– Scott Halasz, Buckeye Battle Cry
Also receiving votes: Baker Mayfield (QB – Oklahoma) 2 pts; Dalvin Cook (RB – Florida State) 2 pts; Larry Rose III (RB- New Mexico State) 1 pt
Dropped Out: Leonard Fournette (RB – LSU)
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Poll Notes:
– Leaders from the past: At this point in the 2011 season, Trent Richardson held a thin lead over Robert Griffin III. In 2012, Manti T’eo held a slim lead over Johnny Manziel. In 2013, Jameis Winston continued to lead big with A.J. McCarron in second place. Last season, Melvin Gordon held a razor thin lead over Marcus Mariota in our poll.
– Derrick Henry maintained the lead this week, but Deshaun Watson is closing the gap. Last week, Henry had a double-digit percentage lead in the voting. This week it’s down to a 6% lead for Henry.
– The Heisman ballots are due on Monday December 7. Ezekiel Elliott, Keenan Reynolds, Baker Mayfield and Dalvin Cook will not play another game before the ballots are due. Their only hope is if all three of the candidates above them fail on Saturday.
– Derrick Henry is currently the nation’s leading rusher and also has the most touchdowns. Alabama’s showdown with Florida was tarnished last weekend when Florida State took the Gators to the woodshed. In his last five games against FBS competition, Henry has posted 4 games of 200 or more yards rushing. The Gators are second in the SEC in rushing defense. Henry will have a tough but not overwhelming challenge against Florida. He needs to continue his recent dominance against the Gators’ defense.
– The man with the most to gain this week is Deshaun Watson. He was a late bloomer this season in terms of his Heisman candidacy. He has started to attract a lot of eyeballs the last few weeks. In our voting, he has the same number of first place votes as Henry, but Henry placed on every single ballot whereas Watson was left off two ballots. Watson gets a primetime game on Saturday against a surging North Carolina team whose defense ranks just 11th in the ACC in total yardage. Watson should be able to put up some big numbers against UNC in what appears to be a high scoring game.
– The wildcard is Christian McCaffrey. He will likely be the odd man out in the Heisman race, but if both Henry and Watson falter, he could be there to pick up the pieces (or in this case, the trophy). On Saturday evening, Stanford plays USC for the second time this season. In the first game, Stanford won and McCaffrey ran for 115 yards and caught 3 passes. Statistically, he had a decent game. Decent games won’t win you a Heisman. McCaffrey has to put up huge numbers.
– McCaffrey has to put up gaudy numbers, but what might put Henry or Watson over the top is a “moment” — to be specific, a “Heisman” moment. If the Alabama or Clemson games are tight coming down the stretch, keep an eye on who makes the key play that springs his team to victory. The race is so close between Henry and Watson, it could come down to just one play.
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TSS Heisman Poll Roll Call
Bart Doan – The Student Section (@TheCoachBart)
Kevin Causey – The Student Section (@CFBZ)
Kevin McGuire – Nittany Lions Den/The Student Section (@kevinoncfb)
Matt Zemek – The Student Section (@SectionMZ)
Michael Abelson – The Student Section (@ABELS0N)
Phil Harrison- The Student Section (@PhilHarrisonCFB)
Ryan Palencer- The Student Section (@RyanPalencer)
Scott Halasz – Buckeye Battle Cry (@ohiostatescott)
Terry Johnson – The Student Section (@SectionTPJ)
Yesh Ginsburg- The Student Section (@yesh222)
