Another wild week in the Heisman Watch, where we’ll lead off with a pair of Georgia Bulldogs. Tight end Brock Bowers entered the season as the consensus top tight end in college football, and he showed why, as Georgia just absolutely steamrolled South Carolina on Saturday. The Gamecocks had no answer for Bowers, as he amassed 121 yards and two touchdowns on just five catches. Stetson Bennett continues to be my under-the-radar pick to end up in New York in December. He knows that offense inside and out and is able to execute it to perfection. That has taken this Georgia offense to another level that, frankly, I didn’t expect it to go up to. On Saturday, he was 16/23 for 284 yards and two touchdowns, with a third score on the ground.
Meanwhile in Columbus, CJ Stroud quietly put together a second consecutive gaudy stat line in a precise and efficient mauling of Toledo. Stroud got off to a bit of a slow start against Notre Dame, but he’s since padded his stats against inferior competition. On Saturday, he was 22/27 for 367 yards and a whopping five touchdown passes.
Out West….y’know what? I’ll go ahead and say it – the Pac-12 looks like it’s going to be a lot better than any of us thought it would be. Mainly, the USC Trojans are going to be a problem. I don’t think the Utah Utes are out of the race just yet, but right now, it’s looking like the Trojans give the conference its best chance of reaching the College Football Playoff. This offense is loaded with studs, and Lincoln Riley has them executing right now. Caleb Williams is lighting up box scores left and right. On Saturday, he was 25/37 for 284 yards and two touchdowns, with an additional two scores on the ground. Williams now has 10 total touchdowns in three games, and has yet to throw an interception. Travis Dye and Austin Jones each had over a hundred yards and a touchdown against Fresno State, while Jordan Addison tacked on 69 receiving yards and a score to boot. This offense is electric!
The Washington Huskies are 3-0, and absolutely lit up Michigan State on Saturday. Michael Penix, Jr. is 2nd in the FBS in passing yards, adding 397 yards (with four passing touchdowns) to his total for the season. But, it was wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk who came out of that game with the most ridiculous stat line – hauling in six catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns. Finally, while we’re out West…I can’t believe I’m about to write this. Am…am I actually going to write about Bo Nix in a Heisman Watch column? Yep – credit where credit is due. The Oregon Ducks beat up on a good BYU team, and Nix had five total touchdowns in the process. He was 13/18 for 222 yards and two touchdowns passing the ball. He took nine carries, and turned them into 35 yards and three rushing touchdowns. Ducks fans are surely hoping they get more of the good Nix and less of the bad Nix.
If we’re talking about pure value, I don’t know that many running backs in the country mean as much to their team as Bijan Robinson means to the Texas Longhorns. He was explosive in a game against UTSA that saw the Longhorns get off to a sluggish start. But, when they needed him most, he ripped off a 78-yard touchdown run to take the lead. The Longhorns never looked back. Robinson finished the game with a whopping 183 yards and three touchdowns. That’s a direct impact type of player right there.
HEISMAN POINTS (WEEK 3)
- Caleb Williams
- Brock Bowers
- Bijan Robinson
- CJ Stroud
- Bo Nix
HEISMAN POINTS (SEASON)
- CJ Stroud – 7
- Caleb Williams, Bryce Young – 6
- Jordan Addison, Brock Bowers, Stetson Bennett – 4
- Sam Hartman, Anthony Richardson, Bijan Robinson – 3
- Deuce Vaughn, Mike Wright – 2
- Bo Nix – 1
If you haven’t already, be sure to go subscribe to the College Football Roundup Podcast, on which Steven McCash and myself break down all the action from the college football world and look ahead to the week to come.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
