Heisman Watch, Week 7: Will Joe Burrow have Heisman moment vs. Florida, Sam Ehlinger vs. Jalen Hurts

The Red River Showdown will be a showdown of a pair of Heisman hopefuls at quarterback and Joe Burrow faces his toughest test with Florida coming to LSU.

Last week lacked very many marquee games or opportunities for Heisman moments, but this coming Saturday is loaded. Every single one of the Heisman candidates will be facing a quality or highly ranked team that will put them to the test.

Tua Tagovalioa is the clear front-runner, according to the latest Heisman odds, but there are opportunities for a few guys to make serious noise in Week 7 to make it a competition.

These are the types of weekends that can be separators when you get to December and look back at each player’s Heisman resume.

Three of the players on this list will be a part of the two biggest games of the week and will have the spotlight put right on them. Not only will Heisman campaigns be altered, but the college football playoff landscape will take a turn after Saturday.

Here is a look at the Heisman watch list for Week 7

* Ohio State’s Justin Fields is on a bye.

Tua Tagovailoa – Alabama quarterback at Texas A&M

• 113-148, 1718 yards, 23 TDs
• 16 attempts, 45 yards, 2 TDs

Tua Tagovailoa and the Crimson Tide had last week off, but they get their first real test this week on the road in college station against Texas A&M.

A hostile crowd and a capable defense is the perfect setting for Tua to continue strengthening his Heisman campaign. Last year he put up 387 yards and four touchdowns against this defense, and a similar performance would be a real statement.

Tua has been on an absolute tear thus far, but the Aggies defense has improved from last season. They rank 26th in yards per game allowed and 17th in defensive passing efficiency. Against Clemson earlier this season, the Aggies defense did a solid job against Trevor Lawrence, but the lack of help from their offense wore them down.

The Texas A&M offense has a propensity to get off to slow starts against good teams, so that could be an advantage for Tua as he wears down the defense.

Alabama is in the crux of their schedule now, and the competition is about to turn up a notch. This will be the first ranked team they have faced all season, and these will be the matchups where Tua’s Heisman candidacy is truly built off.

Jalen Hurts – Oklahoma quarterback vs. Texas

• 82-109, 1523 yards, 14 TDs
• 57 attempts, 499 yards, 7 TDs

It was a slower start than usual for Jalen Hurts and the Oklahoma offense as they were held to seven points in the first quarter. However, things got rolling in the second quarter, and from that point on, the Sooners found a solid rhythm beating Kansas 45-20.

Hurts didn’t put up the crazy numbers we have been used to as he had season lows in passing yards and completion percentage. However, he did finish with four total touchdowns and even made a catch for 21 yards.

Now he preps for the biggest test of Oklahoma’s entire season and the premiere game of the weekend against Texas in the Red River Rivalry.

This is one of the most storied rivalries in all of college football and produced some very entertaining games the past few seasons. A touchdown or less have decided the last five regular-season matchups between these two teams. And last year’s game was one of the best from all of 2018.

Hurts will get his chance to etch his name in this rivalry’s history and will have the edge against a Longhorns defense that’s struggled a good part of the season. They are still without their best defensive back Cade Sterns and will have to rely on some young talent, particularly at the cornerback position.

Look for Lincoln Riley and Hurts to attack those young players with their high-octane receiver group led by CeeDee Lamb. The Texas defense force four-interceptions last week against West Virginia but did surrender 460 yards of total offense. They also allowed LSU’s Joe Burrow to throw for 470 yards earlier in the season, so Hurts is in an excellent position for a huge Heisman worthy performance.

Jonathan Taylor – Wisconsin running back vs. Michigan State

• 103 attempts, 745 yards, 12 TDs
• 12 receptions, 114 yards, 4 TDs

When you combine the excellence of Jonathan Taylor with the disaster that is the Kent State run defense, you get over 200 total yards and five touchdowns.

Taylor dominated and put on the type of substantial statistical performance he needs to try and keep up with all the quarterbacks in this Heisman race. His 16 touchdowns have already tied his total from last season, so he is indeed on a different level to start 2019.

He will now get the chance to face a Michigan State run defense that is reeling after giving up over 300 rushing yards against Ohio State. The Buckeyes have a different style of run game predicated on read-option, but Wisconsin has been effective running straight at any defense they’ve faced so far.

This will be Taylor’s first time facing Michigan State in his three-year career. If he can break off some big runs like J.K. Dobbin did last week, he’ll be in line for nice performance and victory for his Badgers.

However, Wisconsin will need to show much more in the passing game to prevent Michigan State from just loading the box. They were fine last week, but Jack Coan played poorly two weeks ago against Northwestern, who is a competent defense. A performance like that won’t get it done and could have a serious effect on Taylor’s ability to find running lanes.

Joe Burrow – LSU quarterback vs. Florida

• 127-162, 1864 yards, 22 TDs
• 29 attempts, 62 yards, 2 TDs

LSU’s offense looks like an air raid scheme with how well they can throw the ball, and Joe Burrow’s Heisman and draft stock continues to soar upward. He passed for over 300 yards this past weekend and another five touchdowns against Utah State and fellow quarterback prospect Jordan Love in a 42-6 win.

However, like everyone else on the list thus far, Burrow is going to be facing one of his most significant tests of the season against the Florida Gators.

Alongside with Oklahoma vs. Texas, this is one of the premier games of the weekend as both are ranked in the top ten. Florida is coming off a big win against Auburn and will be heading into death valley with a ton of momentum. They’ll also bring one of the best pass defense in all of college football. They are allowing under 200 yards per game and are 19th in the country in pass efficiency defense. And when the ball is in the air, they can make game-changing plays as they currently lead the nation in passes intercepted with nine. They picked off Bo Nix of Auburn three times this past weekend and have multiple guys in their secondary who will be playing on Sundays.

A few things in Burrow’s favor are that he is at home and LSU’s passing game will be by far the best Florida has faced all season. In reality, neither unit has been seriously challenged, so something will come to a head this weekend.

Sam Ehlinger – Texas quarterback vs. Oklahoma

• 120-173, 1448 yards, 17 TDs
• 51 attempts, 236 yards, 3 TDs

The other half of the Red River Rivalry will feature Sam Ehlinger as he looks to show he’s a serious Heisman contender.

Texas is coming off a win against West Virginia, where Ehlinger performed a bit under his usual standard, not reaching 300 total yards and completing only 55 percent of his passes. However, there should be no doubt about Ehlinger being ready to play at a high-level this coming weekend. Last season Ehlinger put on a massive performance against Oklahoma totaling 386 yards and five touchdowns in a huge upset victory.

He will have to play at a similar level to keep up with Oklahoma’s high-powered offense in what will almost certainly be a shootout. The Oklahoma defense has played well in this early part of the season, but they have not been tested at all.

Ehlinger should have receiver Collin Johnson back in the lineup so he will help in the passing game. And we know the quarterback can tuck the ball and be a physical runner when need be.

This game is Ehlinger’s best chance all season to make a case for a spot in New York, so let’s see if he’s up for the challenge.

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