Heisman Watch: Hendon Hooker Checks All the Boxes Against Florida

Hendon Hooker showed up for his team when the lights were on the brightest.

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The stage was set for a memorable game on Saturday. College Gameday was in Knoxville. The Tennessee Volunteers played host to the Florida Gators. Both teams were ranked. The Vols were knocking on the door of the top 10. Vols fans were filled to the brim with optimism given the team’s undefeated start, but the ghosts of seasons past and a tormented history against Florida lingered in the back of their minds. But, Josh Heupel‘s squad outlasted the Gators 38-33. Hendon Hooker‘s performance in the game checked all the boxes you look for in a Heisman resumé builder. He had good stats – 22/28 for 349 yards and two touchdowns while also leading the Vols in rushing with 112 yards and a score on the ground. He showed poise under pressure. He took down a quality opponent in a big game. It was the first true “Heisman moment” of the 2022 campaign for him. Now, he’s gotten some real momentum in this year’s Heisman race off of this game. If he can keep it up once the schedule gets tougher, he’s going to become a bona fide contender in New York.

While the Michigan Wolverines struggled to put away the Maryland Terrapins, they got a big time performance from their running back. If you want to see the definition of “valuable,” just take a look at Blake Corum in that game. He averaged 8.1 yards per carry en route to 243 rushing yards and two touchdowns. When they needed a play to drive the nail in the coffin for Maryland, Corum was the guy. Speaking of powerful running backs, USC’s Travis Dye tacked on 133 yards and a touchdown in the Trojans’ 17-14 survival of Oregon State.

It was an awkward evening for the Georgia Bulldogs as they had their hands full with a Kent State team that came out of nowhere to make life difficult for them. While Stetson Bennett didn’t exactly have his best game of the season, the Bulldogs continue to use tight end Brock Bowers in ways that accentuate his raw talent and take advantage of the match-up nightmare he is. Bowers had five catches for 60 yards on Saturday, but he also had 77 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, including a big 75-yarder. Has a tight end ever won the Heisman???

Out West, those Pac-12 quarterbacks continue to string good games together. Bo Nix threw for 428 yards and three touchdowns (with one interception) in Oregon’s 44-41 win over the surprise Washington State. Meanwhile Michael Penix Jr. continues to air it out at Washington. He threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns, but has quietly ascended to the top of the FBS in passing yards on the season with 1,388.

Checking in on the preseason favorites, CJ Stroud and Bryce Young both had excellent stat lines on Saturday. It feels like neither has really stepped forward and had that “Heisman moment” type of game, but I think their greatness has become so routine over the last couple of years that we don’t even really notice it anymore. Stroud was 17/27 for 281 yards with five touchdowns and one interception against Wisconsin. He is tied for the FBS lead in touchdown passes on the season right now with 16. Young was 25/36 for 385 yards and four touchdowns against Vanderbilt.

HEISMAN POINTS (WEEK 4)

  1. Hendon Hooker
  2. Blake Corum
  3. Bryce Young
  4. CJ Stroud
  5. Brock Bowers

HEISMAN POINTS (SEASON)

  1. CJ Stroud, Bryce Young – 9
  2. Caleb Williams – 6
  3. Brock Bowers, Hendon Hooker – 5
  4. Jordan Addison, Blake Corum, Stetson Bennett – 4
  5. Sam Hartman, Anthony Richardson, Bijan Robinson – 3
  6. Deuce Vaughn, Mike Wright – 2
  7. 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

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