Heisman Watch: Week 2

SI Staff | Sep 28, 2010

Heisman Watch: Week 2 /

Heisman Watch: Week 2

Denard Robinson

The Heisman Trophy race is just two weeks old, but already one thing is certain: Archie Griffin is safe for another year. Reigning winner Mark Ingram is expected to return to practice for Alabama after missing the first two games following knee surgery, but that time on the sideline all but assures that the junior's chances of joining Ohio State's icon as the only two-time winners are over for this season. Ingram's sub makes his debut in the latest Heisman Watch but he, like the rest of the field, are following our surprising new leader. Last Week: 24 of 40 passing for 244 yards, 1 TD; 28 rushes for 258 yards, 2 TDs in 28-24 win over Notre Dame Season: 43 of 62 passing for 430 yards, 2 TDs; 57 rushes for 455 yards, 3 TDs I'm officially jumping on the Shoelace bandwagon. No player has taken the nation by hold like the Michigan Magician, who has written, then rewritten the record books in his first two starts. Robinson leads the nation in rushing yards with 227.5 pg, more than all but 24 teams and he's averaging 442.5 total yards, better than all but 33 teams. But the most impressive thing he's done so far? He's got the Wolverines back in the Top 25. Next Up: Saturday vs. UMass

Terrelle Pryor

Last Week: 12 of 27 passing for 233 yards, 1 TD; 20 rushes for 113 yards, 1 TD in 36-24 win over Miami Season: 29 of 52 passing for 480 yards, 4 TDs; 28 rushes for 130 yards, 1 TD He completed just 44 percent of his passes and made some ill-advised throws that can make Jim Tressel a shade of red reserved for his sweater vests. But that's all part of the Pryor Experience. In possibly the Buckeyes' biggest regular-season game of the year he averaged 19.8 yards per completion, showed he's found a way to demoralized opponents with his legs instead of relying on them and he hasn't turned the ball over once. Next Up: Saturday vs. Ohio

Ryan Mallett

Last Week: 28 of 43 passing for 400 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; 6 rushes for 1 yard, 1 TD in 31-7 win over Louisiana Monroe Season: 49 of 67 passing for 701 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs; 9 rushes for 1 yard, 1 TD At halftime, Mallett was 12 of 23 and the Razorbacks led a Sun Belt team that ranked 90th nationally in pass defense last season 7-0. Big Tex got back the offense back on track as he finished with his third career 400-yard game. He can't afford another slow start next week as his Heisman campaign truly gets underway with Arkansas kicking off a four-week stretch of Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M and Auburn next week in Athens. Next Up: Saturday at Georgia

Kellen Moore

Last Week: Idle Season: 23 of 38 passing for 215 yards, 3 TDs; 2 rushes for minus-19 yards Whether it's unfair to Moore and the Broncos or not, it's hard not to view that performance against Virginia Tech in a different light given the Hokies' stunning loss to James Madison, just ask AP voters. Like his team's BCS title chances, the margin of error is slim and Moore's case was hurt without even taking the field. He'll have a chance to remind everyone what he's capable of in two weeks vs. Oregon State. Next Up: Saturday at Wyoming

Cameron Newton

Last Week: 11 of 19 passing for 136 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 18 rushes for 70 yards in 17-14 win over Mississippi State Season: 20 of 33 passing for 322 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT; 33 rushes for 241 yards, 2 TDs Eight quarters into his Auburn career, Newton has seven total touchdowns. He delivered a win in his first SEC game as a Tiger and while the offense sputtered in the second half in Starksville, Newton still accounted for over 200 yards of offense. With 241 rushing yards he's 31 behind Tennessee's Tauren Poole for the SEC lead, though the thought of having his QB as his leading rusher is slightly concerning to coach Gene Chizik. Next Up: Saturday vs. Clemson

Case Keenum

Last Week: 15 of 24 for 279 yards, 1 INT; 1 rush for 10 yards in 54-24 win over UTEP Season: 32 of 46 for 553 yards, 5 TDs and 3 INTs; 3 rushes for 26 yards For the first time since his freshman year, Keenum went without a touchdown pass as he left in the third quarter after taking a blow to the head and is listed as day to day. The Cougars didn't miss a beat without him as replacement Cotton Turner led them to 17 points in his first three possessions, but after cracking the Top 25, they'll need him back as they put their BCS hopes on the line at UCLA. Next Up: Saturday at UCLA

Kendall Hunter

Last Week: 28 rushes for 157 yards, 2 TDs; 5 catches for 15 yards in 41-38 win over Troy Season: 49 rushes for 414 yards, 6 TDs; 8 catches for 11 yards If you're a Cowboys fan, the only time you can breathe easy is when the ball is in Hunter's hands. He helped OSU overcame five turnovers by QB Brandon Weeden and continued his personal mastery over Troy, giving him 451 yards in three career games and had a kickoff return for a touchdown that was called back. Next he'll get a crack at a Tulsa defense that gave up 538 yards to East Carolina in Week 1. Next Up: Saturday vs. Tulsa

Trent Richardson

Last Week: 22 rushes for 144 yards, 1 TD; 4 catches for 46 yards in 24-3 win over Penn State Season: 32 rushes for 210 yards, 3 TDs; 7 catches for 92 yards We may be getting a little carried away wondering if Richardson will play the Lou Gehrig to Ingram's Wally Pipp, but he'll clearly make life easier on the Tide as they can ease Ingram back from surgery. Only one school has ever had players at the same position win in consecutive years with Army's legendary RBs Doc Blanchard (1945) and Glenn Davis ('46). Richardson's likely just giving us a glimpse at a future campaign. Next Up: Saturday at Duke

Landry Jones

Last Week: 30 of 40 passing for 380 yards, 4 TDs; 4 rushes for minus-1 yard in 47-17 win over Florida State Season: 47 of 76 passing for 597 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INTs; 7 rushes for minus-32 yards He bounced back after struggling against Utah State in the opener, stealing the show in a duel with Florida State's Christian Ponder as Jones racked up 321 first-half yards to go along with three touchdowns. With the Seminoles focused on stopping DeMarco Murray, Jones picked the Seminoles apart with 31 of his 40 passes on screen plays or short routes, completing 14 straight passes at one point. Now, can we get him to bring back the `stache? Next Up: Saturday vs. Air Force

Marcus Lattimore

Last Week: 37 rushes for 182 yards, 2 TDs; 1 catch for 16 yards in 17-6 win over Georgia Season: 51 rushes for 236 yards, 4 TDs; 3 catches for 37 yards Steve Spurrier played quarterback. He's focused his offenses around quarterbacks. He's clearly rethinking that stance with this 6-foot, 218-pound bruiser at his disposal, who, if first impressions are any indication, is going to be a headache for SEC defenses seasons to come. Lattimore turned his conference debut into his own private launch party, running for 103 yards on 21 carries in the first half. His 37 carries were the most by any RB since Spurrier arrived in '05. Next Up: Saturday vs. Furman

Published Sep 28, 2010

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