Heisman Trophy Race Wide Open, Williams’ Stock Rises
Week 14 has arrived in the NCAA and the race for the Heisman Trophy is still wide open as more candidates start to drop out of the race.
For the second time in two seasons, Johnny Manziel and his Texas A&M Aggies stumbled versus the LSU Tigers suffering their third loss of this season.
Bryce Petty and his previously undefeated Baylor Bears were routed in Stillwater by the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Marcus Mariota and his Oregon Ducks’ teammates could only score 16 points while being upset by an unranked Arizona Wildcats team.
It seems that if this had been any other year Jameis Winston, the quarterback for Florida State would have wrapped up the trophy following the shakeup this past weekend.
Winston enjoyed a four-touchdown game as his team set a scoring record for their football program in a rout of Idaho 80-14.
However, due to an ongoing investigation over an alleged sexual assault by Winston, his Heisman chances have been put on hold.
Florida prosecutors are still deciding if they will charge the FSU quarterback. However, if he receives felony charges he would be sidelined until they were resolved, per a policy set by Florida State.
If that were the case, Winston would have to worry about more than only the Heisman trophy, his entire career in college football could go down the drain.
Currently the Heisman standings are Winston, A.J. McCarron, Andre Williams, Bryce Petty and Johnny Manziel.
Andre Williams’ stock soared this past week after the running back for Boston College had 263 yards rushing and two TDs.
His late season move up the ladder is making a strong case for consideration.
This was the fifth time this season he has rushed for 200 or more yards. He also had a late game 32 yard run that put the Eagles in scoring position for the winning field goal.
The week before Maryland, Williams ran for 339 yards against NC State and had 295 the previous week versus New Mexico State. Williams now has 2,072 yards rushing on the season, which leads the nation and is 462 yards ahead of the next closest rusher.
Only six other players have rushed for more yardage through the first 11 games of a season. Of the top 10 most productive performances rushing the ball this season, Williams has four of them.
Williams’ and his teammates have lost four games, but three were to Clemson, Florida State and USC, which boast a combined record of 30-4. A great week in his final week against Syracuse could open the eyes of voters to his great talent.
Other players whose stock has risen of late include Jordan Lynch from Northern Illinois who just set a rushing record for NCAA quarterbacks. Derek Carr, the prolific quarterback for Fresno State last week had 527 yards passing and seven touchdowns.
Falling away quickly thanks to their team’s demise are Johnny Manziel, Bryce Petty and Marcus Mariota.
