FOURNETTE, BOYKIN TOP HEISMAN SURVEY
The race for the national championship might be jumbled with no teams distinguishing themselves, but in the race for the Heisman Trophy two players are clearly ahead of the field.
LSU running back Leonard Fournette and TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin pulled away in this week’s USA TODAY Sports Heisman Trophy survey.
Fournette, the nation’s leading rusher with 1,022 yards for the No. 5 Tigers, was named on all 30 surveys cast by editors and reporters with Heisman votes who work for properties owned by Gannett, USA TODAY’s parent company.
Boykin of No. 3 TCU was named on 29 surveys, including four that gave him a nod for first. Boykin is second in the country in passing touchdowns with 21, one behind Baylor’s Seth Russell, and second in total offense at 411.5 yards a game. He is sixth in passing yards per game and passing efficiency.
Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott remained third.
A new player made his first appearance on any of the surveys this season: Florida State running back Dalvin Cook in fourth place.
Cook ran for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the No. 8 Seminoles’ 29-24 victory against Miami (Fla.) on Saturday.
When the preseason began, Cook wasn’t even sure he’d play. He had been suspended by FSU after allegedly punching a woman outside a bar in June. His status was so tenuous the Seminoles took two team photos — one with him, one without him.
But he was found not guilty in late August and was reinstated. He is sixth in the country with 792 yards rushing and has eight TDs. He is second in average yards per game at 158.4, but that is almost 50 a game behind Four- nette’s average.
Eight players received votes, the smallest field since the survey began after Week 3. Eleven players were mentioned last week. One of them, Georgia running back Nick Chubb, saw his season all but end with a knee injury.