Heisman rankings – Week 2: Will Grier looks unstoppable
The race for the 2018 Heisman Trophy has already been shaken up by a major injury and some newcomers, but can anyone catch Will Grier anyway?
After the first week of the 2018 college football season, it appeared as if we could have a many-man race for the Heisman Trophy early in the season. At the forefront of that race seemingly with limitless potential this season was Oklahoma Sooners running back Rodney Anderson. In the first week of action against Florida Atlantic, he had only five carries, but took them for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
Coming off of that type of performance, there was rightful excitement about what could come next for Anderson. With the level of competition increasing and his talent, a historic year for him didn’t seem out of the question. Unfortunately, all of those Heisman dreams and hopes for a monster year have seeming fallen by the wayside after Week 2.
In the first half of the Sooners’ matchup against the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, Anderson made a few beautiful cuts on a first-down scamper, but a gang tackle left him holding his knee and then limping off of the field. He did not return to the game after being taken back to the locker room, but after returning with a brace, the fear is that the running back tore his ACL, which would end his 2018 season.
With Anderson out of the race, things have cleared out somewhat at the top in the early 2018 Heisman Trophy race. Even still, some new players have added their names to the mix following Week 2. And with that, let’s take a look at our top 10 candidates as of right now — even though they are always subject to change as the year goes on.
10. Drew Lock, QB, Missouri
Put simply, the Missouri Tigers haven’t played anyone just yet. They opened the season against UT Martin and followed that up with a Week 2 bout against Wyoming. As such, we haven’t heard much about them or quarterback Drew Lock to this point. However, he and the Tigers have been taking care of business in a big way, as they should.
Through the first two games of the 2018 season, Lock has completed 74.3 percent of his passes for 687 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. What’s more, he added 51 rushing yards and a score with his legs on Saturday. Mind you, these numbers have also come with Missouri blowing teams out and resting Lock at the end of games. If he can continue to put up that type of production as the level of competition increases, he’s going to be in the mix.
9. Bryce Love, RB, Stanford
One of the most baffling performances from the first week of college football was that of Stanford Cardinal running back Bryce Love. The second-place finisher in Heisman Trophy voting last year finished with a mere 29 yards rushing in the team’s season-opener. As such, he needed a massive bounce-back game in Week 2 against the USC Trojans.
Love provided that as he was the catalyst for the Cardinal offense in a big Pac-12 win over the Trojans. The senior running back finished with 22 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown. That’s not enough to erase his season-opening dud, but it gets him on the right track once again after getting derailed.