RICH’S WEEKLY HEISMAN TROPHY BALLOT
1. Najee Harris, RB, Alabama(248 all-purpose running yards in the Crimson Tide’s 63-48 road win over Mississippi. Rushed 23 carries, 206 yards, and 5 TDs of 5,33,16, and 39 yards. Received 3 catches for 42 yards, including a 24-yard catch.Currently on a streak of 10 straight games with scoring a rushing TD.)
2. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson(222 all-purpose running yards in the Tigers’ 42-17 home win over Miami. Rushed 17 carries, 149 yards, and 2 TDs of 2 and 72 yards. Received 8 catches for 73 yards, including a 22-yard catch. His 4,430 career rushing yards are fourth-most in ACC history.)
3. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson(326 total offensive yards and 4 TDs responsible for in the Tigers’ home win over Miami. Passed 29-41, 292 yards, and 3 TDs. Rushed 8 carries, 34 yards, and 1 TD from 3 yards out. His current streak of 355 straight pass attempts without an INT are second-most in ACC history.
RICH’S TOP TEN
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame
4. Georgia
5. North Carolina (6)
6. Cincinnati (7)
7. Oklahoma State (8)
8. Ohio State (not ranked or mentioned)
9. Penn State (not ranked or mentioned)
10. Oregon (not ranked or mentioned)
OTHER TEAMS TO MENTION (OTM):BYU, SMU, Louisiana, and Wisconsin
RANKINGS ANALYSIS:
For a third straight week, another shake-up in my top ten rankings but the top four remain the same. I decided to rank Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon, who have to wait 2-4 weeks to finally start this season, because I don’t think BYU and SMU will end this season undefeated while on their 4-0 start … Texas A&M have put that 52-24 road loss against Alabama from a previous week behind them to have a 41-38 home win over then-#5 Florida, who was ranked #3 in the ESPN Coaches’ Poll.. Speaking of Alabama, the Crimson Tide remain at #1 in my top ten rankings after a tougher than anticipated 63-48 road win over Mississippi. Reason I am keeping the Crimson Tide at #1 is I think they will win out including a home game against #4 Georgia, who is coming off a 44-21 home win over Georgia, this SAT (7:30 PM, CBS). The Bulldogs will need their offense to step up their game OR else the Alabama defense will eat them for dinner. If Georgia didn’t have a defense carrying them to this 3-0 start, I wouldn’t have them remain at #4 and give them any benefit of a doubt prior to this SAT… Clemson remains at #2 after making easy work in a 42-17 home win over Miami. The Tigers will keep winning until they take on tough competition in November (i.e: at Notre Dame). Clemson will have a road game against Georgia Tech this SAT (Noon, ABC)…As expected, Notre Dame is coming off a 42-26 home win over Florida State. The Fighting Irish will get better and better with another home game coming up against Louisville, who is trying to end a current three-game losing streak, this SAT (2:30 PM, NBC). This Notre Dame defense will be tested by this Louisville offense, led by RB Javian Hawkins… North Carolina moves up from #6 to #5 after a 56-45 home win over Virginia Tech and finally ends a four-game losing streak against the Hokies. This game is one of those games in which this Tar Heels can beat you with both their passing and rushing game. More improvements need to be made on defense. North Carolina will have a road game against Florida State this SAT (7 PM, ESPN)…Cincinnati moves up from #7 to #6 while having a bye-week. These UC Bearcats will have their hands full with a road game against upset-minded Tulsa this SAT (Noon, ESPN2). Remember, these Golden Hurricanes had a 34-26 upset road win over UCF a couple SAT’s ago…Oklahoma State moved up from #8 to #7 while having a bye-week. The OSU Cowboys have a road game against upset-minded Baylor, who is on a 1-1 start, this SAT (7:30 PM, ABC)… I will keep undefeated BYU among my OTMs because I believe they underperformed in their 27-20 home win over UTSA. I really thought the BYU Cougars would’ve beaten these UTSA Roadrunners decisively. BYU will have a road game against Houston, who is on a 1-0 start and in rebuilding mode, this FRI (9:30 PM, ESPN)…Louisiana, who is among my OTMs with a is coming off another bye-week with a 3-0 mark, will have a rescheduled game with another undefeated SBC team named Coastal Carolina (3-0) this WED (7:30 PM, ESPN). I don’t have CCU mentioned because the jury is out on these Chanticleers because we need to know how good they are and this WED’s game should tell us more…SMU, who is among my OTMs with a 4-0 start, is coming off another bye-week as the Mustangs have a road game against upset-minded Tulane this FRI (6 PM, ESPN) before an Oct.24 home game against Cincinnati….I have Wisconsin among my OTMs because the Badgers will win the Big Ten West Division unless another team in that division, such as Minnesota and Iowa, really have something to say about that…
GAMEBALLS and HELMET STICKERS
Texas A&M PK Seth Small- Scored 11 points in the Aggies’ 41-38 home win over Florida. Scored on all 2 FG and 5 XPK attempts. Scored that 26-yard FG (on last play) to win this game.
Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond- Passed 25-35, 338 yards, and 3 TDs in the Aggies’ home win over Florida.
Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller- Rushed 27 carries, 174 yards, and 2 TDs (3 and 19) in the Aggies’ home win over Florida. Also had a 23-yard carry.
Texas A&M WR Caleb Chapman- Received 9 catches, 151 yards, and 2 TDs (2 and 51) in the Aggies’ home win over Florida.
Texas A&M LB Buddy Johnson- Produced 11 tackles (led team; 5 solo), 1 TFL, and 1 forced fumble in the Aggies’ home win over Florida.
Florida QB Kyle Trask- Passed 23-32, 312 yards, and 4 TDs in the Gators’ road loss against Texas A&M.
Oklahoma CB Tre Brown– Made that game-winning INT (in the endzone; on 2nd and Goal in 4th OT) to seal the Sooners’ 53-45 neutral-site win (in Dallas, TX) over rival Texas. Also produced 6 tackles (4 solo).
Oklahoma RB T.J Pledger– Rushed 22 carries, 131 yards, and 2 TDs (2 and 1-each scored in the 3rd quarter) in the Sooners’ neutral-site win over Texas. Also had a 26-yard carry.
Oklahoma LB David Ugwoegbu- Produced 6 tackles (2 solo), 2 TFLs,1 sack, 1 blocked punt, and 1 QB hurry in the Sooners’ neutral-site win over Texas.
Texas QB Sam Ehlinger- 399 total offensive yards and 6 TDs responsible for in the Longhorns’ neutral-site loss against Oklahoma.
Alabama WR DeVonta Smith- Received 13 catches, 164 yards, and 1 TD (14 yards) in the Crimson Tide’s 63-48 road win over Mississippi. His 13 catches ties a single-game school record. His 2,425 career receiving yards are sixth-most in school history.
Alabama QB Mac Jones- Passed 28-32, 417 yards, and 2 TDs in the Crimson Tide’s road win over Mississippi. Completed first 12 pass attempts to start this game.
Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams- Rushed 19 carries, 185 yards, and 2 TDs (1 and 46) in the Fighting Irish’s 42-26 home win over Florida State. Also had a 65-yard carry.
Notre Dame CB Shaun Crawford- Produced 3 tackles (all solo), 1 INT (23 yards), and 2 PBUs in the Fighting Irish’s home win over Florida State.
Notre Dame CB TaRiq Bracy- Produced 8 tackles (led team; all solo), 1 TFL, and 1 PBU in the Fighting Irish’s home win over Florida State.
Georgia- Scored 27 unanswered points (all in 2nd half) after trailing 21-17 in the Bulldogs’ 44-21 home win over Tennessee.
Georgia LB Monty Rice- Produced 8 tackles (5 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery (20-yard TD) in the Bulldogs’ 44-21 home win over Tennessee.
Georgia LB Azeez Ojulari- Produced 5 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFLs/sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery in the Bulldogs’ home win over Tennessee.
Georgia CB Eric Stokes- Produced 1 solo tackle, 1 INT, and 2 PBUs in the Bulldogs’ home win over Tennessee.
The Clemson defense- Held the Miami offense to 210 total yards (including 95 rushing yards) and 9 1st downs in the Tigers’ 42-17 home win over Miami. Also produced 11 TFLs (including 5 sacks) and 9 passes defended (including 6 PBUs).
Kansas State CB Justin Gardner- Produced 2 tackles (all solo) and 4 PBUs in the K-State Wildcats’ 21-14 road win over TCU. Made that game-winning PBU (on last play) to win this game.
Boston College CB Josh DeBerry- Produced 6 tackles (5 solo), 1 INT, 1 PBU, and 1 QB hurry in the BC Eagles’ 31-30 home win over Pittsburgh.
Boston College LB Max Richardson- Produced 9 tackles (5 solo), 3 TFLs, and 1 sack in the Eagles’ home win over Pittsburgh.
Boston College WR Zay Flowers- Received 6 catches, 162 yards, and 3 TDs (44, 77, and 25) in the Eagles’ home win over Pittsburgh.
Boston College P Grant Carlson- Had 7 punts with 43.7 yards per punt in the Eagles’ home win over Pittsburgh. Had 4 punts land inside the 20-yard line, including a 51-yard punt landing on the 1-yard line.
Pittsburgh LB Sirvocea Dennis- Produced 11 tackles (led team; 8 solo), 4 TFLs, and 1 QB hurry in the Pitt Panthers’ road loss against Boston College.
Auburn PK Carlson Anders- Scored 12 points in the Tigers’ 30-28 comeback home win over Arkansas. Kicked 3-4 FGs (including a 47-yard FG) and scored on all 3 XPK attempts. Scored a 39-yard FG (on 4th and 4 with 0:07 remaining) to eventually win this game.
Auburn RB Tank Bigsby- 268 all-purpose running yards in the Tigers’ home win over Arkansas. Rushed 20 carries for 148 yards, including a 26-yard carry, and returned 4 kickoffs for 106 yards, including a 35-yard kickoff return.
Auburn CB Nehemiah Pritchett- Produced 3 tackles (2 solo) and 3 PBUs in the Tigers’ home win over Arkansas.
The North Carolina offensive line- Helped this offense have 666 total yards (including 399 rushing yards) in the Tar Heels’ 56-45 home win over Virginia Tech.
North Carolina RB Michael Carter- Rushed 17 carries, 214 yards, and 2 TDs (16 and 62) in the Tar Heels’ home win over Virginia Tech.
North Carolina QB Sam Howell- Passed 18-23, 257 yards, and 3 TDs in the Tar Heels’ home win over Virginia Tech.
Missouri QB Connor Bazelak- Passed 29-34, 406 yards, and 4 TDs in the Tigers’ 45-41 home win over LSU.
Missouri LB Nick Bolton- Produced 11 tackles (led team; 7 solo) and 3 PBUs in the Tigers’ home win over LSU.
LSU WR Terrance Marshall- Received 11 catches, 235 yards, and 3 TDs (6,2, and 75 yards) in the LSU Tigers’ road loss against Missouri.
N.C State CB Shyheim Battle- Produced 7 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 PBU in the Wolfpack’s 38-21 road win over Virginia.
N.C State CB Malik Dunlap- Produced 4 tackles (3 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 2 PBUs in the Wolfpack’s road win over Virginia.
Iowa State RB Breece Hall- Rushed 27 carries, 135 yards, and 2 TDs (11 and 1) in the Cyclones’ 31-15 home win over Texas Tech. Also had a 26-yard carry.
The Duke offensive line- Helped this offense have 685 total yards (including 363 rushing yards) in the Blue Devils’ 38-24 road win over Syracuse.
Georgia Tech DE Jordan Domineck- Produced 6 tackles (2 solo), 1 TFL/sack, and 1 fumble recovery in the Yellow Jackets’ 46-27 home win over Louisville.
Kentucky LB Jordan Wright- Produced 6 tackles (4 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 INT (8 yards), and 1 PBU in the UK Wildcats’ 24-2 home win over Miss. State.
Kentucky P Max Duffy- Had 8 punts with 44.9 yards per punt in the Wildcats’ home win over Miss. State. Had 3 punts land inside the 20-yard line, including a 75-yard punt landing on the 5-yard line.
South Carolina RB Kevin Harris- Rushed 21 carries, 171 yards, and 2 TDs (25 and 88) in the Gamecocks’ 41-7 road win over South Carolina.
South Carolina LB Ernest Jones- Produced 13 tackles (led team; 7 solo), 3 TFLs, and 1 sack in the Gamecocks’ road win over South Carolina.
BYU QB Zach Wilson- Passed 22-30, 292 yards, and 2 TDs in the BYU Cougars’ 27-20 home win over UTSA.
La Tech DT Milton Williams- Made that game-winning fumble recovery (on last play) to seal the Bulldogs’ 21-17 home win over UTEP. Also produced 5 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFLs, 1 sack, and 1 QB hurry.
La Tech CB Cedric Woods- Produced 5 tackles (4 solo), 1 INT, and 2 PBUs in the Bulldogs’ home win over UTEP.
Army LB Arik Smith- Produced 11 tackles (led team; 4 solo), 3 TFLs, and 2 sacks in the Black Knights’ 14-9 home win over The Citadel.
MTSU S Gregory Gate- Made that game-winning INT (34 yards; on 1st and 10 with 0:35 remaining) to seal the Blue Raiders’ 41-38 road win over FIU.
MTSU CB Decorian Patterson- Produced 9 tackles (led team; 6 solo), 1 TFL/sack,1 forced fumble, and 2 QB hurries in the Blue Raiders’ road win over FIU.
Houston WR Marquez Stevenson- 223 all-purpose running yards and scored 2 TDs in the Cougars’ 49-31 season-opening home win over Tulane. Received 5 catches, 118 yards, and 1 TD (41 yards). Returned 1 kickoff for a 97-yard TD. Rushed 1 carry for 8 yards.
Houston DE Payton Turner- Produced 7 tackles (5 solo), 4 TFLs, 2 sacks, and 1 QB hurry in the Cougars’ home win over Tulane.
Houston RS Marcus Jones- Returned 7 punts for 108 yards, including a 34-yard punt return, in the Cougars’ home win over Tulane.
East Carolina LBs Xaiver Smith and Aaron Ramseur- Each produced 3 TFLs and 1 sack in the ECU Pirates’ 44-24 road win over South Florida. Smith produced 12 tackles (led team; 11 solo). Ramseur produced 7 tackles (6 solo).
Troy QB Gunnar Watson- Passed 33-46, 338 yards, and 4 TDs in the Trojans’ 37-17 home win over Texas State.
Troy LB Carlton Martial- Produced 7 tackles (led team; 4 solo) and 2 TFLs in the Trojans’ home win over Texas State.
Marshall LB Tavante Beckett- Produced 2 tackles (all solo) and 3 fumble recoveries (including a 38-yard TD) in the Thundering Herd’s 38-14 road win over Western Kentucky.
Marshall RB Brendan Knox- Rushed 15 carries, 107 yards, and 3 TDs (45, 1, and 9) in the THundering Herd’s road win over Western Kentucky.
Arkansas State WR Jonathan Adams- Received 6 catches, 101 yards, and 2 TDs (4 and 22) in the Red Wolves’ 50-27 home win over Central Arkansas.
Arkansas State LB Justin Rice- Produced 12 tackles (led team; all solo), 4 TFLs, 3 sacks, and 1 QB hurry in the Red Wolves’ home win over Central Arkansas.
Charlotte RB Aaron McAllistor- 214 all-purpose running yards and scored 2 TDs in the 49ers’ 49-21 road win over North Texas. Rushed 12 carries, 140 yards, and 1 TD (66 yards). Received 2 catches, 74 yards, and 1 TD (71 yards).
