Yes, Lamar Jackson is still the Heisman front-runner after loss to Houston

Lamar Jackson is still ahead in the Heisman race despite what happened on Thursday night, but things still did tighten up a bit

Just this past week when the most recent College Football Playoff rankings were released, the entire Louisville Cardinals brigade was up in arms over the fact that, despite all the chaos in Week 11, they were still on the outside looking in at the top four. However, the fix for Lamar Jackson and company seemed simple enough — go out on Thursday night, put on an impressive performance against an 8-2 Houston Cougars team on the road and everything would be smooth sailing from there.

Well as we came to find out on Thursday night, that was anything but the case. When all was said and done in H-Town, Jackson and the Cardinals were drubbed by Tom Herman, Greg Ward Jr. and their squad, 36-10, watching all national title hopes fade away in the process. With that, some were even left wondering whether or not Jackson could be considered the front-runner for the Heisman any longer.

Oh yes, this was something that was happening on the wonderful world of the internet, I kid you not.

You see, out of Thursday night you might be able to sit back and question just how good and worthy this Louisville team actually was, sure. But just judging by the outcome of the game, you still cannot deny the fact that Jackson has a comfortable lead as this year’s Heisman ceremony and the month of December draw nearer.

Without a shadow of a doubt, this was indeed Jackson’s worst performance of his jaw-dropping season thus far. But when you look at the stats, it wasn’t something that could be considered a terrible night by any means, which really says something. It’s just a testament to how dominant he has been this season under center for Bobby Petrino.

Throughout the blowout loss, Jackson was 20-of-43 for 211 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He did fumble once, however, losing said fumble in the first half to the Cougars’ defense. The stat that sticks out the most is his 25 rushes for just 33 yards, but yeah, there’s a reason for that.

Speaking of the Cougars’ defense, they were really Jackson’s problem the majority of the evening. Well, or you can say that his own offensive line was a thorn in his side. Either way, the standout Louisville signal caller will be seeing that Houston defense in his upcoming nightmares, as they were all over him throughout the game, sacking him an astonishing 11 times — ELEVEN. Forget the Heisman for a bit, someone just get the sophomore an ice tub ready.

When you factor everything in, it wasn’t the most enjoyable night of the season for Jackson, but he’s still firmly leading in the Heisman race as the season comes to a close in the next couple weeks.

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Really, all the sophomore out of Boynton Beach, Florida has to do is put on another one of his wizard-like performances next week against the rival Kentucky Wildcats and he can stand in a mirror and practice his acceptance speech for New York City.

If he doesn’t, though, and say even the Cardinals are upset again which gives the likes of J.T. Barrett, Jabrill Peppers, Deshaun Watson and Jake Browning a chance to gain some ground in a conference title game, then maybe we can talk about even the remote possibility of Jackson not raising that trophy and entering the Heisman fraternity before 2016 comes to a close. .