Wearing uniform number two, Jeanty is a junior running back for the 25th-ranked Boise State Broncos who is off to a fabulous start in 2024. Sure, Jeanty did not find the end zone in Boise State's 56-14 victory over Portland State last Saturday. But he delivered mightily in only two quarters of action, carrying the ball 11 times for 127 yards.
With the game essentially in hand after one half of play, it made perfect sense to rest Jeanty. Giving him a series or two of snaps (or an entire third quarter) would have been beneficial in padding stats for Jeanty. The risk of playing Jeanty further far outweighed the reward, with Boise State vying to make a run to the postseason playoffs. Especially, too, since the Broncos already lost backup Sire Gaines to injury earlier in the game.
Gaines had two carries for 24 yards and, even without their top two running backs in the second half, a drop-off in production did not occur.
Dylan Riley, with his nine carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns, earned Mountain West Freshman of the Week. All Tyler Crowe did was carry the ball 11 times for 57 yards while hammering opponents (and a touchdown, to boot). Boise State as a team finished with 342 yards on the ground, with the offensive line, even down starters, continued to rip open huge gaps.
Jeanty and company are the beneficiary. Of course, Jeanty is a special talent and remains on track to be in Heisman consideration.
Ashton Jeanty: Behold the numbers
Three games into the '24 season, it appears Jeanty's fantastic 2023 was only a prelude to fireworks.
In '23, Jeanty was named an AP 2nd team All-American after rushing for 1347 yards and 14 touchdowns. Coupled with 43 receptions for 569 yards and five scores, Jeanty was poised to do wonders in '24.
Though he hasn't been utilized in the passing game so far (5 receptions, 12 yards), Jeanty has proven to be a strong blocker. And with the way he is performing on the ground, and with plenty of talent at the wide receiver position, Jeanty hasn't been needed to catch the ball yet.
Jeanty has 586 yards, averaging 10.5 yards per carry, with nine touchdowns. After he set school single-game records of 267 yards and six touchdowns in the opener, Jeanty was just as good in a narrow loss at Oregon.
In that game, Jeanty rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns.
After the "limited" production in game three, Jeanty dropped to second in the nation in rushing yards and touchdowns. Of course, he has also played one less game than the national leaders in each category.
Kaleb Johnson has scampered for 685 rushing yards for the 3-1 Iowa Hawkeyes. Johnson also has nine touchdowns, tied with Jeanty and trailing Dylan Sampson, who has found the end zone ten times for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Jeanty, Johnson, and Sampson are the top running backs among the Heisman hopefuls.
Jeanty & other Heisman contenders
Jeanty will need a little help to reach the pinnacle, namely keeping up with his output and hoping Boise State wins out. While the Heisman field isn't necessarily crowded, the top performers are doing mighty things at Power 4 schools.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart for sixth-ranked Ole Miss (4-0) is enjoying a near-perfect start. Dart has thrown for 1554 yards and completed 79.8 percent of his pass attempts, with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Nearly even with Dart is quarterback Cam Ward. Ward leads the seventh-ranked Miami Hurricanes (4-0) with 1439 passing yards. He has completed 72.4 percent and tossed 14 touchdowns (against only two interceptions.
A third quarterback who is sneaking his way into conversation is Nico Iamaleava out of Tennessee. Iamaleava has the Volunteers ranked fifth and, with not quite the numbers of the first two on this list, is gaining momentum.
The real wildcard is Travis Hunter for the 3-1 Colorado Buffaloes. Playing wide receiver and defensive back, Hunter is doing magnificent things. He is tied for fourth with touchdowns (5) and is sixth in receiving yards (472) on 37 receptions.
Hunter also has 14 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble, and two passes defended as one of the nation's top defensive backs.
This group is not short on talent. For this individual accolade, a lot will have to go Jeanty's way to be the winner. The more important thing, however, is for the Broncos and Jeanty to simply continue to produce and win ball games. Do that, and the rest will quite possibly take care of itself when it comes to sending Jeanty to the ultimate college football stage.
More on Boise State 2024 season:
Comments