In the spotlight
Heisman watch: Who’s the frontrunner after two weeks of play?
The college football season is officially here, which means the Heisman Trophy race is underway. With Week 2 in the books, here’s a look at some early contenders for the 2018 Heisman, given annually to the most outstanding player in college football.
The frontrunners 1. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin, sophomore:
Taylor rumbled for a career-high 253 yards and scored three touchdowns on 33 carries as Wisconsin steamrolled New Mexico, 45-14. The sophomore has 51 carries for 398 yards and five touchdowns entering Saturday’s home game against BYU.
2. Will Grier, QB, West Virginia, senior:
Grier kept pace with four more touchdown passes and had 332 yards on 21 of 26 passing in West Virginia’s 52-17 rout of Youngstown State. He’s 46-for-60 with 761 yards, nine touchdowns and an interception in two games. The Mountaineers were to travel to North Carolina State on Saturday, but due to potentially unsafe conditions associated with Hurricane Florence, the game will not be played.
3. Dwayne Haskins, QB, Ohio State, sophomore:
Haskins was nearly perfect against Rutgers. The first-year starter completed 20 of 23 passes for 233 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-3 blowout. Haskins has thrown for 546 yards, nine touchdowns and an interception on 42 of 53 passing as the Buckeyes get set to host TCU in a matchup of AP top-15 teams.
4. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama, sophomore:
Tagovailoa, in his second start for the Crimson Tide, completed 13 of 19 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns in a 57-7 win over Arkansas State. Jalen Hurts also played and was 7-for-9 with 93 yards and two touchdown passes of his own, but Tagovailoa (25for-35, 455 yards, six passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown) will remain the starter when Alabama opens conference play at Ole Miss on Saturday night.
5. Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma, junior:
The Sooners lost running back Rodney Anderson for the season with a knee injury, but Murray was able to pick up the slack. He had 306 yards and three touchdowns on 19 of 33 passing to go with 69 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to beat UCLA, 49-21. Murray has thrown for 515 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns entering Saturday’s game at Iowa State. The next tier
6. Bryce Love, RB, Stanford, senior:
A week after averaging 1.6 yards per carry against San Diego State, Love got things going and helped Stanford grind out a 17-3 win over USC. Last year’s Heisman runner-up had 136 rushing yards — including a long of 59 yards — and scored a touchdown on 22 carries, giving him 40 carries for 165 yards and a TD as the Cardinal prepare to face UC-Davis on Saturday.
7. Ed Oliver, DT, Houston, junior:
Oliver helped Houston bottle up Arizona dual-threat quarterback Khalil Tate, creating interior pressure and clogging running lanes in the Cougars’ 45-18 win. He finished with five tackles and three quarterback pressures and helped keep Arizona scoreless until midway through the third quarter. The junior has 18 tackles in Houston’s first two games but has yet to record a sack. Houston plays at Texas Tech on Saturday.
8. Justin Herbert, Oregon, QB, junior:
Herbert has helped Oregon to a 2-0 start with 531 yards and nine passing touchdowns, including 281 yards and four touchdowns on 20-for-26 passing in the Ducks’ 62-14 win over Portland State. Oregon hosts San Jose State on Saturday.
Dropped out
McKenzie Milton, QB, UCF, junior Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia, sophomore Khalil Tate, QB, Arizona, junior