Heisman Watch, Week 5: Anthony Gordon crashes the party

Heisman Watch for Week 5 sees Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon enter the conversation after a nine-touchdown performance last week.

Last week Jonathan Taylor and D’Andre Swift had big opportunities to make a Heisman statement. While Swift got a win as Georgia knocked off Notre Dame, it was Taylor who had the best day among top running backs.

That’s not to say there weren’t some big games by quarterbacks because a few signal-callers set school records (Joe Burrow, Justin Fields), but the running backs made their statements.

In Week 5, all teams are heading into their conference games, and most of these Heisman hopefuls begin to get tested weekly. There are still so many talented players who have their names in the Heisman pool, so wins will become the separator. A few players might put up undeniable numbers, but voters love to favor the top players on the best teams.

Here are five leading Heisman candidates worth watching this weekend and how they should fare.

(Note: Joe Burrow and Sam Ehlinger are on a bye so they aren’t included in this week’s Heisman watch because there’s nothing to watch.)

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma quarterback vs. Texas Tech

• 49-61, 880 yards, 9 TDs
• 38 attempts, 373 yards, 4 TDs

Even without playing last week, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts remains the odds leader for the Heisman according to Caesar Sportsbooks. Hurts and the Sooners return to action with week as they begin conference play against Texas Tech.

We’ve seen Hurts put up some huge numbers thus far, but things could get even more absurd as he may finally get the chance to play all four quarters.

The Red Raiders will be the first test for Hurts, and they have shown some decent improvement on defense under new coach Matt Wells. However, last week against Arizona they were subpar against quarterback Khalil Tate who presents a similar skillset to Jalen Hurts as a dual-threat. Tate was not great passing (185 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs) but was dynamic running the ball (179 yards) including an 81-yard touchdown.

Hurts is not the speedster that Tate is, but he leads the nation in QB rushing yards, so this is an area Oklahoma could undoubtedly exploit. Texas Tech also has not been tested in the passing game yet having played UTEP and Montana State the weeks one and two.

Any Big 12 game has the potential for a shootout so Hurts is in line to have a big game and continue his great play. The last four games against Texas Tech the Sooners have scored 63, 66, 49, 51 points.

Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama quarterback vs. Ole Miss

• 87-112, 1300 yards, 17 TDs
• 12 attempts, 44 yards, 1 TD

The Tide keeps rolling, and Tua Tagovailoa continues to make it look easy as Alabama made quick work of Southern Miss on Saturday 49-7. Tua had 293 yards passing and added another five touchdowns to his total. The Crimson Tide have scored 40 or more points in every game this season and look to do the same against a middling Ole Miss squad.

From 2014-16 this was a game you could pencil in as a must watch as Ole Miss seemed to be a thorn in Alabama’s side, but the last two seasons have been the opposite. Alabama has outscored Ole Miss 128-10 in the past two games. Last season Tua had an unassuming stat line of 191 passing yards and two touchdowns, but the game got out of hand so quickly he didn’t need to do much.

Alabama’s offense has become even more dependent on Tua and the passing attack since these two teams last met so expect a few more attempts this time.

Ole Miss surrender over 350 yards and four touchdowns to Chase Garber of Cal in a 28-20 home lost this past weekend. Garber came into that game having only passed for 478 total yards in his first three-game of the season and had never passed for over 300 yards in 14 previous starts.

This game has all the makings of a lopsided affair and another impressive statistical performance for Tua.

Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin running back vs. Northwestern

• 58 attempts, 440 yards, 7 TDs
• 6 receptions, 70 yards, 3 TDs

Jonathan Taylor was the big name to watch out for last week as Wisconsin and Michigan faced off in a top 15 matchups. Well, Taylor delivered big time as he ran wild on the Wolverines finishing with over 200 yards and two touchdowns. And he put up these numbers despite missing a large part of the game with cramps.

Big Ten fans already knew how good Taylor was, but the national audience got to see him in full force. At this point, Taylor has undoubtedly separated himself as the best back in the country and the biggest challenger for the Heisman at that position. However, he’ll need to continue his high-level production to keep up with these quarterbacks.

Wisconsin faces Northwestern this weekend, and the Wildcats are coming off a disappointing performance at home against Michigan State.

Taylor will be looking for some revenge against Northwestern as they were the only team to keep him under 100 yards rushing in 2018. In fact, they held him to only 46 yards and 11 carries.

Northwestern is not the same defense they were last season, but will Taylor and the Badgers have an emotional letdown after much a marquee win?

Justin Fields, Ohio State quarterback at Nebraska

• 66-95, 880 yards, 13 TDs
• 34 attempts, 150 yards, 6 TDs

Things got off to a very confusing start for Justin Fields and Ohio State against Miami (OH). Fields was strip-sacked in the end zone on the team’s first drive which led to a safety, and before you knew it, the Redhawks were up 5-0. However, both Fields and the Buckeyes as a whole settled in and unleashed an onslaught winning the game 76-5 including 42 points in the second quarter alone. Fields accounted for six touchdowns (4 passing, 2 rushing) and has the Ohio State offense looking like one of the best in the country.

However, this next month of games will tell if Fields can make a serious run at the Heisman starting with a night road game at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers don’t appear ready for a Big Ten title game run like many thought in the preseason, but these types of game on the road have been OSU’s Achilles’ heel the last two seasons. Nebraska is a sloppy turnover-prone team, but when right, they can put up points with Adrian Martinez running the offense.

Fields will get his first real test in a hostile environment, so we’ll see how he responds. Fortunately, the Nebraska defense does not strike much fear as they rank 56th in total defense despite not playing a single top 50 offense. Physicality in the trenches could heavily favor the Buckeyes, so this could be a game where Fields uses his feet a lot more. Nebraska is solid against the pass ranking top 35 in defensive passing efficiency, but it could be because teams can just run all over them. Illinois had 363 yards on 64 carries last week against this defense.

This might be another game where Fields doesn’t light it up with the passing numbers but is efficient both through the air and on the ground.

Anthony Gordon, Washington State quarterback at Utah

• 137-183, 1894 yards, 21 TDs

Pac 12 after dark hit a new level of outrageousness this weekend as UCLA and Washington State played in a wild shootout which the Bruins won 67-63. Despite losing, WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon went nuts passing for 570 yards and nine touchdowns. It is easy to say this is merely a product of head coach Mike Leach’s system, but you can’t put up these types of numbers if you can’t play so Gordon deserves his credit.

Last season Gardner Minshew finished fifth in Heisman voting for a good Washington State team, and Gordon is on pace to smash Minshew’s numbers. If the Cougars stay in the Pac 12 race, Gordon deserves his named mention among the best performers in the nation.

Gordon leads the nation in passing yards and touchdowns along with being top ten in completion percentage and passing efficiency. He is on pace to finish with over 5,600 yards and 60 touchdowns which is video game numbers, but in this age of the passing offense, nothing is off the table. Gordon will have to maintain a high level of play to keep himself in the Heisman race, and he gets an excellent opportunity to prove himself this week against Utah.

Utah is arguably the best team in the Pac 12, but their usually stout defense ran into some big trouble last week against USC and their passing game. The Trojans had to deploy their third quarterback of the season in Matt Fink, and all he did was throw for 350 yards and three touchdowns. An effort like that against a player that has barely touched the field does evoke much confidence when it comes to Utah’s ability to stop Gordon and the Wazzu passing attack.

This game is in Utah, so good road performance and upset could make a serious statement for Gordon and Wazzu.

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