A two-way star out in Colorado. A running back powering a team in the City of Trees on the blue turf. So much in fact that Ashton Jeanty of the Boise State Broncos tops the Heisman list at this point of the 2024 season.
Not to discount what Travis Hunter is doing for, and means to, the Colorado Buffaloes, on both sides of the ball. But Jeanty is delivering video game level numbers and on pace to break a longstanding FBS record.
Ashton Jeanty
Bursting through tackles, finding huge gaps, and outsprinting defenders is the modus operandi of Jeanty, especially in '24. Through six games, Jeanty has rushed for 1,248 yards and 17 touchdowns, both marks tops in the FBS.
The next closest in yards is Caleb Johnson of Iowa, with 937. And Dylan Simpson of Tennessee is next up in touchdowns, with 15.
The record on the minds of fans is the single-season rushing yards record set in 1988 by Barry Sanders. Sanders, in only 11 games, owns the record with 2,628 yards. This does not even account for a Holiday Bowl performance of 222 yards and five touchdowns because back then the NCAA didn't count these extra games.
Not so the case anymore. If Jeanty maintains health, he has a minimum of six games left for the 15th-ranked Boise State Broncos. Throw in a possible Mountain West title game appearance and a bowl game (or playoff) appearance, Jeanty could finish with close to 3,000 yards on the ground.
A bright future out on the horizon. For now, Jeanty is averaging 9.9 yards per carry and has three games of 200+ yards. In each game this season, Jeanty has at least one run of 50 yards or more.
Jeanty had a big workload in last Saturday's victory over Hawai'i, carrying the ball 31 times for 217 and one touchdown. He was also more involved in the passing game, hauling in three catches for 20 yards and a score.
Fans will have to wait more than a week to see Jeanty in action again. Boise State is on a bye this weekend, with its next game in Las Vegas against UNLV on 10/25.
Rest of the Heisman field
The difficulty ranking the rest of my top five is that all players are fairly close (and in reality, not too far behind Jeanty). The nod here goes to senior quarterback Cam Ward, who has the Miami Hurricanes undefeated and ranked sixth in the latest AP poll.
Ward has completed 69.2 percent of his pass attempts for 2,219 yards (good for second in the nation). His 20 touchdown passes are tied for the top spot, alongside Chandler Morris of North Texas, and Ward has thrown only five interceptions.
In the last three games, Ward has 1,184 passing yards with nine touchdown passes. Against Cal, Ward spearheaded a comeback, completing 35 of 53 for 437 yards.
Ward passed for over 300 yards in all six games this season and will look to keep the Hurricanes rolling on the road against Louisville (10/19)
Hunter and the Buffaloes (4-2) have experienced ups-and-down, the most recent down being a loss to Kansas State. Hunter left early in that game with a shoulder injury but expects to play this week.
On offense, Hunter opened the season with four straight games of 100+ receiving yards. He has 587 total on 49 receptions with six touchdowns.
Equally important has been Hunter's play on defense, where the junior has two interceptions and 16 tackles.
Rounding out this field are quarterbacks Jaxson Dart of 18th-ranked Ole Miss and Kyle McCord of Syracuse.
Dart hit some hiccups in recent weeks, where Ole Miss has lost two of three. In those games, Dart was 56 of 96 for 830 yards, two touchdowns and one pick. Dart also got sacked 11 times.
In seven games, Dart leads the nation with 2,384 passing yards with a 70.2 completion rate. Dart has 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.
McCord has Syracuse at 5-1, with a two-point loss to Stanford its lone blemish. He has passed for 2,160 yards, throwing for over 300 in all six games. His 19 touchdown passes tie him for third.
There is plenty of action on the gridiron left to play, with colder weeks fast approaching. If the high-octane offense at Boise State keeps rolling, and Jeanty is the leader of the express, than the Heisman Trophy will no doubt land in the running back in Boise. Not too shabby.
image credit: Freerange Stock
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