The stages are getting bigger and bigger at this time of year, and I don’t expect ’em to get smaller any time soon. Oregon-Ohio State delivered. Ole Miss-LSU delivered. Oklahoma decided to shit the bed, but that’s not the point. We’re going to start getting big games week in and week out for the rest of the way. This is where the Heisman race really starts to sort itself out.
Heisman Watch: Week 7, 2024
1. RB Dylan Sampson, Tennessee – 112 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime win over a heated rival in the Florida Gators? Yeah, that’s good enough to get you into the Heisman Watch. His 12 touchdowns on the season are second only to Ashton Jeanty.
2. RB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa – The Hawkeyes were dominant, as was Johnson, against the Washington Huskies on Saturday. He averaged 7.9 yards per carry, turning 21 carries into 166 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 22 receiving yards, and his first receiving touchdown in the season. He’s up to 937 yards on the season, 2nd in the FBS.
3. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State – I mean, what more can I say at this point? I could just add “he did it again” to every week’s column, and you guys would totally get it. This week, he had 217 yards and a touchdown as Boise State pulled away from Hawaii in the second half. He’s now at 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season. No one is close to that kind of production.
2. QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU – My goodness, not only did Nussmeier hit some big time NFL throws when the lights were on bright, but the stones he had to step into that throw in overtime and put the ball right on the money was some real moxie shit. The lights were on bright Saturday night against 5-1 Ole Miss in what felt like a de facto elimination game for the College Football Playoff. Nussmeier rose to the occasion, going 22/51 for 337 yards and three touchdowns. We’ll forgive the two picks and the sluggish start to that game because of how this game ended and how Nussmeier seemed to poised, calm, cool, and collected in the bigger pressure-laden moments of the game.
1. QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon – Gabriel and the Ducks haven’t exactly lit the world on fire this season. I’d stop short of calling it a disappointment, but for a guy who was the preseason favorite to win the Heisman, he hasn’t even been in the race yet this season. That changed Saturday night in a gut check performance. Every time Ohio State pulled ahead, Gabriel and company answered the bell. It was 28-22 Buckeyes heading into the 4th quarter before Gabriel ripped off a 27-yard touchdown run to pull ahead. When Ohio State kicked a field goal, Gabriel got Oregon down the field to respond in kind with 1:47 left on the clock. The Ducks won 32-31, and it’s that kind of gutsy performance that can springboard Gabriel back into the Heisman race. On the evening, he was 23/34 for 341 yards, two passing touchdowns, 32 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown.
Heisman Watch 2024 Standings
- Ashton Jeanty – 17
- Cam Ward – 16 (total points)
- Jalen Milroe – 11
- Dillon Gabriel – 8
- Kaleb Johnson – 7
- Quinn Ewers – 5
- Abdul Carter, Jaxson Dart, Travis Hunter, Garrett Nussmeier, Shedeur Sanders – 4
- Will Howard, Tetairoa McMillan, Jam Miller – 3
- Luke Altmyer, Luther Burden III, Miller Moss, Diego Pavia, Ryan Williams – 2
- Tahj Brooks, Ethan Hampton, Arch Manning, Dylan Sampson – 1
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, third on Football & Other F Words, co-host of The Hot Read Podcast, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, 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, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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