Heisman Watch: How Miami's Tyler Van Dyke, Other Contenders Performed Week 1
After demolishing Bethune-Cookman 70-13, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke of the Miami Hurricanes is one of several Heisman Trophy hopefuls with bigger games ahead of him. Here’s an overview of Van Dyke’s performance along with other notable Heisman contenders.
Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami
Passing: 13 of 16, 81.3%, for 193 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Van Dyke took advantage of the opportunities he was given and played efficient football when tasked with passing. Look, BCU is not on the same level as Miami. That is why the Hurricanes pounded the football to the tune of 300-rushing yards.
The only real way Van Dyke could have made mistakes was by forcing the football down the field to give the Wildcats a shot at interceptions. Instead of doing that, Van Dyke handed off and continued to allow the rushing attack grind out first downs.
That’s smart football and it also eventually allowed Van Dyke to connect for two scores: The first to his favorite target Xavier Restrepo:
The second Van Dyke touchdown went to Michael Redding III, with both scores coming from 16 yards. Overall, Van Dyke’s accuracy also stood out. He placed the football in a position for his intended targets to not only catch the ball but also make a play afterward.
Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
Passing: 18 of 28, 64.3%, 195 yards, and five touchdowns.
A new version of Young was on display against Utah State. Controlled passing and a quarterback looking to run? Well, Young operated in a fashion that produced six total touchdowns, with five coming through the air.
Just 195 yards were added to his career passing statistics. Most of Young’s completions were short to intermediate in range, and they worked. As expected, he was accurate and consistent; that’s Young during just about any given game.
Not the flashiest day of passing by Young, but one that is absolutely efficient. Now, onto Young’s rushing prowess.
A 63-yard scramble for big yards is the No. 1 item to point to in the box score. That run proves that Young can move well and even take off as a threat when he desires. That’s not something that’s been in his bag of tricks since arriving in Tuscaloosa.
If Young continues to add rushing yardage to his passing totals, it’s going to be quite difficult to see him not at least reaching New York once again as a Heisman finalist.
Devin Leary, QB, North Carolina State
Passing: 17 of 33, 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Unlike Van Dyke, Leary did not have the same level of running game support. The Wolfpack rushed for just 133 yards and produced 344 yards in total. That’s not a good start for the talented senior, but he’s also going to show a Week 1 win on the road against a solid East Carolina team.
What’s odd is that NC State was up two scores until a late rally by ECU put the game in jeopardy. If kicker Owen Daffer had made the kick to beat the Wolfpack, Leary’s Heisman race might have ended before it truly began. He missed wide right, however, and Leary’s hopes are still at least breathing. Barely.
Leary and NC State take on Clemson, inside of Death Valley, on Oct. 1. Until then, any true news about Leary is not likely to be all that newsworthy as the Wolfpack’s schedule lacks much punch.
CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State
Passing Statistics: 24 of 34, 224 yards, 70.6%, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Buckeyes struggled to move the football against a quality Notre Dame defense, but Stroud and the Buckeyes scored two late touchdowns to put the game away and win 21-10 over the Irish.
Stroud had a couple of jaw-dropping passes on the run, and even throwing against his body, that are good to point to when discussing his accuracy in the clutch. Without those passes, maybe Notre Dame holds on for an ugly win inside The Horseshoe.
Stroud was hindered by star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba being banged up during the early portion of the game and eventually tapping out and watching on the sidelines. At that point in the third quarter, Stroud looked somewhat bewildered. He did come out of the fun, however.
When needed, he delivered strikes. Was it a Heisman-moment performance to get him to be at the forefront of the Heisman race? Not really. Still good enough to keep Stroud in contention towards the top of the list.
Five Heisman Contenders to Note
The following five players are also important to note. Each one of them could be invited to New York.
Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
The 29-26 victory for Florida's quarterback will certainly allow the redshirt sophomore to gain some attention. He was 17 of 24, 70.8%, 168 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. What Richardson did with his legs is more valuable. He rushed 11 times for 106 yards, 9.6 average, and three scores on the ground. Keep an eye on Richardson as he’s a dark horse.
Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
Hooker is a quarterback that makes plays. After his opening game including a stat line of 18 of 25, 72%, 221 yards and two passing touchdowns, he’s off to a good start. For good measure, Hooker also ran in for two more scores during Tennessee’s 59-10 victory over Ball State.
Jaxon Smith-Nijiba, WR, Ohio State
Smith-Njiba’s injury truly hurts his chances, especially with an opportunity to showcase his skills to go to work against a Notre Dame secondary with at least a couple of future NFL players. Unfortunate that he has a leg injury, but that's football. Hopefully he's back in action soon so everyone can enjoy watching him play.
Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
The redshirt freshman for the Texas Longhorns made his debut against Louisiana-Monroe and it went fairly well. He went 16 of 24, 66.7%, 225 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He has one of the most watched positions in all of college football as the quarterback of the Longhorns. Ewers will have a chance to showcase that position with the enormous game at home against Alabama (Sep. 10).
Will Anderson, Jr., OLB, Alabama
Looking to sack Ewers and also Young’s teammate at Alabama in the race, Anderson is an outside linebacker with hopes of heading to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. He’s off to a slow start, however, with Utah State’s quick passing game and various blocking schemes keeping him away from earning even one sack. Anderson had two tackles, including one tackle for loss.
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