Heisman Watch: Will Justin Fields make Heisman statement vs. Penn State?

Joe Burrow is the leader in the Heisman rankings but can Justin Fields make a Heisman statement vs. Penn State to become a finalist?

The Heisman race took an unfortunate turn this past Saturday with Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa going down with a hip injury that will end his season. Tua may not have been the front-runner for the Heisman, but he was almost sure to get an invite to New York, and now his absence opens the door for someone else.

LSU’s Joe Burrow is still the prohibitive favorite and should only further the gap if he continues to play at his extraordinarily high level, but nothing is a guarantee.

The next three weeks are huge for a player like Justin Fields, who has been belittled in this race despite leading a dominant Ohio State team. He is about to face some stiff competition these coming weeks, and if he continues to play great in Ohio State’s most significant games, he will find himself in New York as well.

And another player from Ohio State will be back on the field this weekend ready to make amends for his absence the past two weeks.

Here is a look at our Heisman Watch for week 12.

Joe Burrow, LSU QB vs. Arkansas

• 268-341, 3687 yards, 38 TDs
• 75 attempts, 215 yards, 3 TDs

LSU did not suffer an emotional letdown after beating Alabama as they went into Ole Miss and beat them convincingly by a score of 58-37. The defense for the Tigers looks a bit shaky, but Joe Burrow was fantastic again, passing for 489 yards and five touchdowns and continues to make it look easy in the SEC.

It’s just a matter of maintaining his play at this point for Burrow, he remains the heavy favorite and could be the first LSU Tiger to win the trophy since Billy Cannon in 1959. Burrow has proven to be a transformative figure in LSU history, shattering single-season passing records and has turned the Tigers into a juggernaut of a modern offense. This is truly one of the best stories we’ve seen in college football for some time, but he still needs to finish the deal

Next up for LSU is bitter rival Arkansas, who is in the midst of perhaps its worst season in program history. Last week they were manhandled by Western Kentucky 45-19 and will come into this game with 109th defense in the country and 115th in pass efficiency allowed. Burrow is the third most efficient quarterback in the nation, so it doesn’t get more lopsided than this matchup. Expect huge numbers from Burrow again as he looks to eclipse the forty touchdown mark.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma QB vs. TCU

• 181-248, 3039 yards, 28 TDs
• 152 attempts, 983 yards, 15 TDs

The Oklahoma vs. Baylor game was a tale of two halves for Jalen Hurts. In the first half, Hurts struggled a ton, turning the ball over twice with a confounding fumble and a bad decision on an interception. Both of these, along with great play from a hungry Baylor team, lead to the Sooners trailing 31-10. In the second half, he was the Hurts we’ve seen all season as he led a massive comeback on the road and kept Oklahoma’s playoff hopes alive. Hurts totaled 411 yards and four touchdowns without his main target CeeDee Lamb who did not play.

It was undoubtedly a game that Hurts, and Oklahoma will always remember as it was the largest comeback in school history. And if Hurts has any legit chance of winning the Heisman, this game will be one of his marquee moments.

Now he and the Sooners look to continue their quest to sneak into the playoff at home this Saturday against TCU. The Horn Frogs have not been their usual selves under Gary Patterson this season, but are still a tough out. Their pass defense, in particular, is a good unit that has only allowed over 300 yards twice and has kept five teams under 200 yards.

Hurts will enter the game as the most efficient quarterback in the country and the leader in points responsible for with 260. And last week’s game was proof that you can only hold down Hurts for so long, so TCU has got their hands full.

Justin Fields, Ohio State QB vs. Penn State

• 159-230, 2164 yards, 31 TDs
• 84 attempt, 377 yards, 10 TDs

If anyone has a chance to make a serious statement in the Heisman race to close the season, it is Justin Fields who can get an invitation to New York with Tua’s assumed absence.

Over the next three weeks, Ohio State has a chance to possibly face three straight ranked opponents, which would include a Big Ten championship berth. This means Fields may finally get the opportunity to play in some closer games and into the fourth quarter. Both of which could increase his stats and provide some memorable moments if he performs well.

First up is perhaps the toughest matchup with Penn State coming to Columbus for a top 10 matchup and the game of the weekend. The last three games between these two have been incredible battles that were all decided by three points or less. This year’s game will decide which team represents the east division in the conference title game so that the scenario couldn’t be any better the Fields.

Penn State’s defense has been great overall this season as they currently rank 17th in total defense and fourth against the run, but the last two weeks have exposed some weakness in their pass defense. Minnesota and Indiana passed for a total of 710 yards on 80 percent completion percentage. These were probably the two best passing offenses the Nittany Lions have faced this year, and they struggled badly. The Buckeyes have more firepower than both those teams and look for them to test that secondary.

Fields had his first 300-yard passing game of the season last week against Rutgers, and it will be interesting to see what he does in his biggest test of the season.

Chase Young, Ohio State DE vs. Penn State

• 13.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles

After the Wisconsin game, there was serious debate as to whether Chase Young had a case to win the Heisman. That took a big hit with him being suspended for two games, but he is back just in time to remind people that he arguably the best player in college football.

Despite missing those two games, Young is still second in the nation in sacks with 13.5 and is facing a Penn State offensive line that is only middle of the pack in terms of sack rate (52nd). For reference, Wisconsin is just two spots below Penn State, and we saw Young did to the Badgers.

There will most likely be double teams on Young throughout the game, but unlike Wisconsin, Penn State runs a more modern spread offense. They are also reliant on explosive plays, which

means there will be times where quarterback Sean Clifford needs to hold to the ball a little longer than usual. And with how much talent is on the Ohio State defensive line, Young will eventually get one-on-one chances, and he could very well wreck this game too.

Young is only half a sack away from tying Vernon Gholston‘s school record of14 so he could see a record-breaking day.

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