Heisman 2016: 5 reasons Lamar Jackson should win

2 of 5

Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Papa John /

4. The Florida State game

Dominant performances against Syracuse and Charlotte got Lamar Jackson into the conversation as someone to watch for. However, the one game that voters and fans can look back on is the September 17 game against Florida State.

Louisville had a quick rise to No. 10 in the country, while Florida State had the No. 2 spot behind Alabama. Expectations were high for the Seminoles with freshman quarterback Deondre Francois and star running back Dalvin Cook set to lead the team. However, they would get absolutely thrashed by the Cardinals and Jackson, who led from nearly the moment the game started.

Jackson’s passing performance won’t be the only thing everyone remembers as he lit up FSU for 146 rushing yards and four touchdowns; he finished with five on the day. No matter what the opposition tried to do, they couldn’t stop the 19-year-old from reaching the end zone. This led to a route of what had been thought to be a top team, 63-20.

From there, Louisville vaulted up the AP Poll and Jackson was placed on the Heisman Trophy map. This made every game of his must-watch from there on, and the player to look for throughout the season.

Home/College Football