Heisman Watch, Week 14: Joe Burrow vs Chase Young

Joe Burrow is closing in on the Heisman and the last real challenger may be on the defensive side of the ball.

We’ve reached the end of the college football season and with that comes the best weekend on the calendar, that being rivalry week. The history of the sport can be told in many of the matchups we’ll see this weekend and no matter the records of these teams, bragging rights throughout the offseason can make it all worthwhile.

And because of that importance, this weekend is a great chance for a Heisman hopeful to make a huge statement. Think of Cam Newton in 2010 with his epic comeback against Alabama, Troy Smith vs Michigan in 2006, Carson Palmer lighting up Notre Dame in 2002 or epic punt returns by Charles Woodson and Desmond Howard on the Buckeyes. These rivalry games are ripe picking for legendary moments.

Joe Burrow is still the leader in the clubhouse, but what we’ve seen from Chase Young in Ohio State’s biggest games this season has been intriguing. There is no debate as to which position is more important because that clearly favors Burrow. However, when we talk about who’s been the best player regardless of the position it’s hard not to think of Young.

Burrow’s lead may be too big for anyone, especially a defensive player, but we’ll see what a big performance in “The Game” does for Young.

Here is a look at them and the remaining Heisman watch for week 14

Joe Burrow, LSU QB vs Texas A&M

• 291-369, 4014 yards, 41 TDs
• 79 attempts, 239 yards, 3 TDs

Joe Burrow remains the heavy favorite going into rivalry week and he was brilliant again last weekend passing for 327 and three touchdowns as LSU smacked a struggling Arkansas team 56-20.

It has been Burrow trophy to lose since his legendary performance against Alabama and so far he is leaving little doubt that he’s the best quarterback in the country. Now he gets the chance to finish the season 12-0 but will need to do so against a Texas A&M team that is far better than it’s record indicates. Everyone remembers the crazy seven overtime game they played last year and although that likely won’t ever happen again, this is another one the Tigers probably are dying for revenge in.

The Aggies have had arguably the toughest schedule in the country as their four losses have come against Clemson, Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia. They are still a very good team but are just simply not talented enough at the moment to keep up with that many elite opponents. Defensively they rank 21st in total defense and are sixth in passing efficiency allowed so this is yet another test for the LSU passing attack.

The issues for Texas A&M in the big games usually come from the other side of the ball as their offense tends to start extremely slow. It seems like they wait until the fourth quarter to start moving the ball and by then it is too late. If that happens again this weekend, Burrow will get extra possessions to wear down the Aggie defense and at that point, it is only a matter of time before they break.

Regardless, Burrow and this passing game are just too advanced and even if Texas A&M’s offense does find life against a good, not great LSU defense, it is hard to imagine them outscoring the Tigers.

Chase Young, Ohio State DE at Michigan

• 38 Tackles, 16.5 sacks
• 19.5 tackles for loss, 7 forced fumbles

Ohio State finally found themselves in a competitive game, but in the end, Chase Young and the defense was just too much for Penn State.

After being suspended for two games, Young came back and was completely dominant again with nine tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles. If you add what he did against Wisconsin which was the last game he played prior to the suspension, he has seven sacks and four forced fumbles in his last two games. Young also broke the single-season sack record for Ohio State and is easily within striking distance of a 20-sack season which is rarified air. If Young had played against Maryland and Rutgers there is a good chance we would have already eclipsed 20.

However, it may mean even more to Young if he is able to hit that benchmark this week against hated rival Michigan. This rivalry game is one of the elites in all of the sport and a great performance in this one could really solidify Young making it to New York.

The Wolverines are ranked in the 60s in terms of sack rate, but honestly, it doesn’t even seem to matter who you have at tackle because Young is just at a different level.

Justin Fields, Ohio State QB at Michigan

• 175-252, 2352 yards, 33 TDs
• 195 attempts, 445 yards, 10 TDs

Justin Fields faced some adversity for the first time this season and even though it wasn’t pretty, he did what he had to do beat Penn State. Fields showed incredible toughness running the ball 21 times while still completing 16-of-22 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He did, however, fumble multiple times so it wasn’t the greatest performance and he certainly didn’t make the jump up the Heisman odds as he could have.

He’ll get another shot at a high-level matchup and this time it is on the road verse Michigan. We talked about Young and his ability to wreck games, but this game will likely come down to Fields making big plays both with his arm and legs.

Michigan is coming into this game with a lot of confidence and their defense is top ten in yards, scoring, and passing yards allowed. However, they have not faced an offense near the level of Ohio State’s so this will be a proving ground for both sides. The weather looks to be cold and rainy so that may affect the gameplan for both teams and so we could see Fields run just as much as he did against Penn State.

Michigan proved unable to handle Ohio State’s speed last season so if that is still the case Fields could take a good amount of deep shots. Though his accuracy down the field was sketchy against Penn State.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma QB at Oklahoma State

• 192-269, 3184, 30 TDs
• 180 attempts, 1156 yards, 17 TDs

Things got dicey for Jalen Hurts last week against TCU as he continued to have bad turnovers and miss some throws, but he did enough for Oklahoma to win 28-24. It was easily his worst passing game as he only completed 52 percent of his passes for 145 yards (two touchdowns), but was amazing on the ground rushing for 173 yards and two touchdowns.

Lincoln Riley’s squad has been in survive and advance mode as they’ve only outscored opponents 145-144 in their last four games and are 3-1 in those games. And there has been some inconsistent play from Hurts as of late with bad turnovers, but they are only in their current position because of Hurts and his production.

The Sooners are in for another competitive game this weekend as they head to Stillwater for Bedlam. Oklahoma State comes into this game on a four-game winning streak, but like most seasons they are not very stout on defense. They are 80th in total defense and are tied for 116th in passing yards allowed (61st in efficiency).

This has all the making of a shootout which has become the norm in this game so Hurts could get back on track passing the ball and he is already the main run threat for Oklahoma. And if it is anything like the Sooner’s past four weeks, this is a must-watch game that will come down to the last possession.