Heisman Watch: What will Jalen Hurts have in store for an encore?

Our Heisman Watch for Week 2 looks at what Jalen Hurts will have in store for an encore and if the top running backs can add to their Heisman resume.

Heisman hopefuls did little to hurt their chances to hoist the trophy at the end of the year. A few notable performances from Jalen Hurts, Travis Etienne and Jonathan Taylor have others chasing them. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence looks to have a bounce-back after a less-than-stellar opener and Adrian Martinez has fallen from preseason darling to Heisman longshot.

Heading into Week 2, most teams are playing cupcakes before they begin conference play. However, there are two big-time matchups in LSU at Texas and Texas A&M at Clemson that are great opportunities for Heisman moments.

There are quite a few players in those two matchups that could see themselves fall or rise down the watch list.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma quarterback vs. South Dakota

Last week we discussed how Jalen Hurts could be Oklahoma’s third straight Heisman Trophy winner, and he didn’t disappoint in his debut. Oklahoma cruised to a 49-31 win over the Houston Cougars on the arm and legs of their new quarterback. Hurts put on an absolute show Sunday night passing for 332 yards and rushing for 176 yards with six total touchdowns. He picked up right where Kyler Murray left off, and this Sooner offense looks just as dangerous as it has been the past few seasons.

Lincoln Riley’s offense seems to be two steps ahead of defenses, and he is a master at putting his players in position to succeed. So at this point, it doesn’t seem to matter what style of quarterback you give him, he’ll make it work.

Granted it was against an underwhelming Cougar defense, but watching Hurts’ efficiency in the passing game was impressive. And with his power and athleticism in the run game, he brings a dynamic that not even Murray or Baker Mayfield brought to the offense.

This week looks to be another game where Oklahoma will do whatever they want offensively as they face South Dakota. Hurts more than likely won’t play much beyond halftime, but that’s plenty of time for him to put up another huge stat line.

Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama quarterback vs. New Mexico State

Things got off to a slow start for the Alabama offense against Duke in week one as they were held scoreless in the first quarter. They even went into the half with just a 14-3 lead over the Blue Devils which was certainly head-scratching. However, in the second half, Tua and the talented Crimson Tide offense flipped the switch and ended up winning the game 42-3.

Tua was his usual self as he ended the game with 336 passing yards and four touchdowns. When you watch him, it is clear why he is such a sought after prospect in the upcoming NFL draft. He is deadly accurate and throws with an incredible touch to all points of the field, but particularly when pushing the ball deep. In this game, he also showed some great poise in the pocket being able to elude defenders and reset his feet to throw or even take off and run when needed.

The second half offense from Alabama is what we should expect for a large part of the season as they have too many weapons to stop. Tua is throwing to four NFL caliber receivers and even threw a touchdown to the tight end.

Alabama welcomes New Mexico State to Tuscaloosa this week in what should be about as lopsided a matchup as possible this Saturday. Tua might not even make it to the second half in this game, but the Tide could look to the passing attack to put that game away early.

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin running back vs. Central Michigan

On last week’s preview, we mentioned that Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor had the highest Heisman odds of any non-quarterback according to Bovada. He proved those oddsmakers right in week one as Taylor was a one-man show in the Badgers beat down of South Florida 49-0. He finished with 183 total yards and four touchdowns.

Perhaps it is because we’re so used to Wisconsin having good running backs, but there seems to be a lack of appreciation for how good Taylor truly is. He had the full repertoire on display against the USF.

The Badgers running game is always built on power, which Taylor showed plenty of throughout the game. However, he also displayed his quickness and speed in the open field on multiple occasions as a rusher and receiver out the backfield.

Taylor is coming off back-to-back 2,000 yard seasons and is on his way toward a third straight season topping that mark. The offense is built around Taylor, and he has proven he can succeed even when the defense is fully committed to stopping him.

The Badgers play Central Michigan this week and Taylor should be in line for another huge performance.

Justin Fields, Ohio State quarterback vs. Cincinnati

After transferring from Georgia to Ohio State, there was a ton of pressure on Justin Fields to succeed. He also had the daunting task of replacing Dwayne Haskins who set records last season as the Buckeyes’ quarterback.

Well, he got off to a hot start in the opener against FAU as he totaled 295 yards and five touchdowns. The Buckeyes offense looked unstoppable in the first quarter as they put up 28 points in the first eight minutes of the game. Things slowed down a bit after that as FAU adjusted as the Buckeyes took their foot off the gas a bit. Regardless, Fields was able to show the talent that made him such a sought after recruit coming out of high school.

One significant dynamic he added to the Ohio State offense was his ability to run, which aided a rushing attack that was a bit stagnant during the game. His first touchdown was a great example of this as he took a zone-read 51 yards for a touchdown. He also used his feet multiple times to get out of trouble and extend plays.

As a passer, Fields showed the ability to make throws to all levels of the field and was able to read through progression. He wasn’t as sharp as some of the other quarterbacks on this list, but this was Fields first-ever start under center.

The level of competition takes a big upswing in Week 2 as the Buckeyes have a home game against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Former Ohio State coach Luke Fickell brings in a very talented Bearcat defense so it should be an excellent chance for Fields to show he can play against more stout competition.

Clemson running back Travis Etienne and quarterback Trevor Lawrence

Everyone knows how talented the Clemson Tigers offense is and they showed it last Thursday against Georgia Tech.

It starts with sophomore sensation Trevor Lawrence, but he did not have very memorable performance. He passed for just 168 yards and two touchdowns while also being a little risky with his passes which led to two interceptions. Georgia Tech also dropped two more interceptions so it could have been even worse for Lawrence. His accuracy to the intermediate and deep parts of the field was inconsistent even on his long touchdown to Tee Higgins. There were positives as he made some difficult throws and showed he could make plays with his feet too. It is certainly not time to panic when it comes to Lawrence, and he will surely bounce back from this game, but it was a game he would like to forget.

It was the opposite for running back Travis Etienne as he had a career game rushing for 205 yards and three touchdowns. All of this was done on just 12 carries as he was breaking off several big plays. Etienne is known for his blazing speed, and he showed it early and often starting with a 90-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. He added a 48-yard run later in the 3rd quarter and finished with a 17-yard average per carry.

Both players will get a huge chance to make an early Heisman statement, as they are hosting Texas A&M in one of the premier games of the week. This was one of the best games of the 2018 and the Aggies come into this year’s matchup ranked No. 12 in the AP Polls.

Given the lack of competition in the ACC, this is shaping up to be Clemson’s biggest game of the year so Lawrence and Etienne will need to perform well.