Heisman rankings - Week 8: Kyler Murray remains in the hunt

Heisman rankings – Week 8: Kyler Murray remains in the hunt

FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 20: Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs with the ball during the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and TCU Horned Frogs on October 20, 2018 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, TX. (Photo by Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – OCTOBER 20: Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Dwayne Haskins (7) scrambles up the middle from pressure during the college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and Ohio State Buckeyes on October 20, 2018, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

4. Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State

You can’t blame Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Dwayne Haskins as the biggest reason for the team’s upset loss to Purdue on Saturday. To do that, you have to look at a defense that allowed 49 points on the night and a run game that averaged just 3.0 yards per carry as a group. It was a brutal affair, but Haskins was still able to put up solid numbers as he was asked to throw the ball a ton.

Haskins threw 73 attempts on the night, completing 49 of them for 470 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. It was clear that, with how the game played out, that the game was put in Haskins’ hands. Though he did produce well, that Ohio State wasn’t close to Purdue with the game-script going to the quarterback does cause him to drop one spot from last week.

3. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson

After having established himself in recent weeks and truly carrying the offense for much of the year, Clemson Tigers running back Travis Eitenne wasn’t the focal-point of that group in their marquee matchup with the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday. Instead, fans were treated to the real coming out party for true freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was dominant on the day.

At the end of the four quarters and the beatdown, Etienne had just 15 carries for 39 yards on the day. Having said that, the production was still there for him in terms of putting points on the board as he found the end zone three times. Considering that Etienne has now scored three touchdowns in three-straight games, he can be forgiven for a lackluster yardage total against a good run defense. In a race that once appeared to be all quarterbacks, this running back is firmly in the mix.

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