Heisman Watch: Week 7

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Oct 18, 2011

Heisman Watch: Week 7

QB Denard Robinson

Last week: Nine-of-24 passing for 123 yards, one TD and one INT; 18 rushes for 42 yards and one TD in 28-14 loss to No. 23 Michigan State. Season (seven games): 76-of-141 passing for 1,253 yards, 11 TDs and 10 INTs; 120 rushes for 762 yards and nine TDs. Stop me if you've heard this one before: Shoelace puts up monster numbers week after week, but then sees his Heisman chances dealt a major blow against the first ranked opponent he meets. Robinson, who came in averaging 341.2 yards per game of total offense, was held to 165 by the Spartans' stingy D, including a season-low 42 rushing. He also threw a costly pick late in the game which Isaiah Lewis returned 39 yards for a score, giving Robinson one more TD pass (11) than picks (10). Now the question is whether he and Michigan are in for another second-half slide? Next up: Saturday, Oct. 29 vs. Purdue

CB Tyrann Mathieu

Last week: One tackle and one pass breakup; two punt returns for 22 yards in 38-7 win over Tennessee. Season (seven games): 42 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1 ½ sacks, five pass breakups; three forced fumbles, two returned for TDs; two interceptions; 15 punt returns for 119 yards. It was a quiet game by Mathieu standards, though he didn't exactly remain quiet. He jawed with Tennessee running back Tauren Poole, who threw the ball at Mathieu and drew an unsportsmanlike conduct flag. Overall, LSU's secondary was dominant, giving up 128 passing yards in the win, but Mathieu was beaten over the middle by Da'Rick Rogers and needed 16 yards to bring him down, resulting in a 44-yard completion. He was also called for a pass interference penalty that set up a Volunteers TD. The road to the Heisman is tough enough for a defender, and this game didn't help his cause. Next up: Saturday vs. No. 19 Auburn

QB Case Keenum

Last week: Idle Season (six games): 170-of-238 passing for 2,309 yards, 17 TDs and two INTs; 24 rushes for 24 yards. It's debatable whether the 21st-ranked Cougars have a schedule that can help them make a case for a BCS berth if they run the table -- it includes only one team, SMU, that is currently .500 or better -- but there's no debating Keenum's place on this list. The sixth-year senior is now 422 yards from breaking Timmy Chang's NCAA career record for total offense (16,910). Given that he has 11 games with at least 400 yards under his belt, he could set that record Saturday against Marshall, which is 80th in pass efficiency defense. Next up: Saturday vs. Marshall

QB Brandon Weeden

Last week: 23-of-41 passing for 218 yards and one TD in 23-41 win over No. 22 Texas. Season (six games): 189-of-260 passes for 2,098 yards, 16 TDs and six INTs Weeden wasn't at his sharpest against the Longhorns. He finished with a career-low 218 yards and had his fewest completions (23) and lowest completion percentage (56.1) of the season. It was simply an off game as he failed to connect with Justin Blackmon on four deep balls. So why does he make his debut in the Watch this week? Weeden is making a push as a dark horse candidate for the Oklahoma State's first Heisman in 23 years as he pushed his TD to INT ratio to 16/6 and kept the Cowboys very much in the mix in the Big 12 and BCS races. Next up: Saturday at Missouri

QB Kellen Moore

Last week: 26-of-30 passing for 338 yards and four TDs in 63-13 win over Colorado State. Season (six games): 151-of-199 passing for 1,729 yards, 21 TDs and four INTs. Put Colt McCoy on alert. Moore moved within a win of equaling the former Texas QB for the all-time NCAA wins mark as he picked up the 42nd of his Broncos career. The senior hit on his first 18 passes, helping Boise State to a school-record 742 yards in a shellacking of Colorado State in the Bronco's MWC debut, which was its second straight win of 50 points. Moore also posted his third game this season with at least four TD passes -- he now has eight overall -- and did it in less than three quarters of work vs. the Rams' 93rd-ranked defense. Next up: Saturday vs. Air Force

RB Trent Richardson

Last week: 17 rushes for 183 yards and four TDs; two receptions for 30 yards in 52-7 win over Ole Miss. Season (seven games): 132 rushes for 912 yards and 15 TDs; 15 receptions for 179 yards and one TD; two kick returns for 43 yards. So it came against the nation's 95th-ranked rush defense. Richardson has more than hit his groove, again breaking his career yardage mark vs. Ole Miss. The comparisons to Mark Ingram, Richardson's former backfield mate, are unavoidable and seven games into his first season as the lead back, Richardson is more than holding his own. He has more yards (912 to 905), more touchdowns (15 to eight) and more 100-yard games (six to four) on three less carries than Ingram at this point in his Heisman-winning season of '09, which was also his first year as Alabama's No. 1 runner. Next up: Saturday vs. Tennessee

QB Robert Griffin III

Last week: 28-of-40 passing for 430 yards, three TDs and one INT; 12 rushes for 15 yards in 55-28 loss to No. 21 Texas A&M. Season (six games): 142-of-182 passing for 22 TDs and two INTs; 72 rushes for 295 yards and two TDs; one reception for 15 yards; one punt for 39 yards. As expected, RG3 put up big numbers against a Texas A&M defense that had allowed an average of 446.3 passing yards the previous three games, setting a school record with 430 yards. He also tied his own Bears mark of 22 TD passes in a season, and he has a minimum of six games remaining. But his resume took a hit with Baylor's second Big 12 loss -- coincidentally, both of Griffin's picks have come in those losses -- as it dropped the first of two consecutive road matchups with ranked opponents. The pressure's on as the Bears head to Stillwater to take on No. 6 Oklahoma State. Next up: Saturday, Oct. 29 at No. 6 Oklahoma State

QB Landry Jones

Last week: 29-of-48 passing for 363 yards, three TDs and one INT; two rushes for nine yards in 47-17 win over Kansas. Season (six games): 171-of-253 passing for 2,177 yards, 16 TDs and six INTs; 12 rushes for 11 yards and two TDs. It was Ryan Broyles, the other half of Oklahoma's prolific passing duo, that etched his name in the NCAA record book vs. Kansas, becoming the all-time leader in career receptions. But Jones, remains the Sooners' best chance at another Heisman -- for those debating it, you only need look at 2008 when Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell finished higher than Michael Crabtree in voting. Jones got off to a rocky start, missing on his first four throws and having one red-zone completion by halftime, but he wound up with his fourth straight game with at least three TD passes. Next up: Saturday vs. Texas Tech

QB Russell Wilson

Last week: 12-of-17 passing for 166 yards and one TD; two rushes for 42 yards; one reception for 25 yards and one TD in 59-7 win over Indiana. Season (six games): 95-of-128 passing for 1,557 yards, 14 TDs and one INT; 24 rushes for 182 yards and two TDs; one reception for 25 yards and one TD. Wilson has routinely burned opponents in the passing game in his short time as a Badger, but not like this. The senior hauled in a pass from RB Montee Ball for a 25-yard TD reception -- the second of his collegiate career -- as part of a drubbing of Indiana in which he accounted for 233 total yards and three scores. The FBS leader in pass efficiency should get a stiffer test next week as Wisconsin heads to East Lansing to face No. 15 Michigan State, whose second-ranked defense is yielding 186.1 yards per game. Next up: Saturday at No. 15 Michigan State

QB Andrew Luck

Last week: 23-of-36 passing for 336 yards, four TDs and one INT in 44-14 win over Washington State. Season (six games): 129-of-181 passing for 1,719 yards, 18 TDs and three INTs; 13 rushes for 60 yards and one TD; one reception for 13 yards. He threw an interception on his first attempt and went a half without a touchdown pass. In all, it was an underwhelming opening two quarters for Luck against Washington State. But he looked much more Luck-like after halftime, finishing with his third 300-yard game of the season, and the second in as many weeks. He also tied a career high with four TDs. Luck could continue to pad his stats in Week 8 as the Cardinal take on Washington, which ranks 116th in pass defense and allowed 333 yards to Hawaii's Bryant Moniz and 349 to Cal's Zach Maynard. Next up: Saturday vs. Washington