Tag: Heisman trophy

Matchup preview: Georgia’s defense against LSU’s offense

Georgia enters the SEC Championship ranked fourth in total defense. LSU is ranked second in total offense. Something’s gotta give.

Georgia enters the SEC Championship ranked fourth in total defense behind playoff locks Ohio State and Clemson and playoff hopeful Utah. They’ve given up the fewest touchdowns (12) in FBS.

LSU’s offense is led by Joe Burrow, the Heisman Trophy frontrunner who recently broke the Southeastern Conference record for passing yards in a single season.

The Tigers are ranked second in total offense and thus poses the greatest threat that the historically great 2019 Georgia defense has yet seen.

Something’s gotta give, right?

It’s worth noting that LSU’s main offensive strength plays well against the Georgia defense’s primary weakness whereas the Silver Britches’ defensive strengths play well against LSU’s offensive weakness.

Maybe the Tigers shouldn’t be labeled a “pass first” offense, but they have attempted 25 more passes than runs on the year (438 to 413). The Dawgs’ secondary has been great but is at times prone to giving up chunk yardage in quick passing plays. As we saw against Auburn, Georgia’s cornerbacks tackle well but occasionally have trouble covering in quick-release short-yardage scenarios.

Without opponents stacking the box in anticipation of a possible pass, LSU’s air attack in turn opens things up for a group of tailbacks who have accumulated more yards than any of the Bulldogs’ prior competion excluding Kentucky (who have rushed for over 3000 yards this season despite only gaining 160 ground yards in a rain-plagued contest in Athens).

Behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s 1233 solo rushing yards, the Tigers have combined for 2299 yards on the ground.

Georgia’s defense is second in the nation in rushing defense, giving up 71 ground yards per game and having allowed only 16 plays of over ten yards rushing this season. They’ve given up just 852 yards this year. The Junkyard Dawgs have proven they can contain tailbacks.

With a Heisman hopeful and one of the most talented group of wide receivers in college football, LSU will almost certainly attempt more passes than runs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday. Now more than ever, expect Ed Orgeron’s Tigers to go to the air against a defense that can stop tailbacks before they get a chance to run.

For a full statistical breakdown of how the Dawgs match up against the Tigers, click here.

Ohio State has a strong argument for 3 2019 Heisman Trophy finalists

Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins and Chase Young could all end up as Heisman finalists.

Most college football teams are lucky if they have one Heisman Trophy candidate on their roster. Ohio State has three, which is undoubtedly one of the many reasons the Buckeyes have been No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings in three of the last five weeks.

Quarterback Justin Fields, running back J.K. Dobbins and defensive end Chase Young are all outstanding players. The Heisman field is a bit crowded this season — despite LSU quarterback Joe Burrow being the clear favorite in the second half of the season — but these three players have strong arguments to be finalists.

So when Monday’s voting deadline comes around, maybe we’ll see five or even six finalists invited to the December 14 ceremony in New York.

Regardless, Ohio State is understandably vocal about its three players in the running and released its “Heismen” campaign Tuesday on Twitter. And their cases are pretty compelling.

Although he’s not up there with Burrow’s nation-leading 78.3 completion percentage — although, no one is — Fields is still having an incredible season worthy of Heisman consideration. With a 68.2 completion percentage, the sophomore quarterback has thrown for 2,654 yards and the third-most touchdowns so far with 37. He also has just one interception and had added 10 rushing touchdowns to his resume.

However, the double-edged sword for Fields is that he’s not carrying the Buckeyes’ top-5 offense alone with Dobbins out there too. The junior running back is ranked fourth nationally with 1,657 rushing yards and is tied for fifth with 19 touchdowns. Most recently, he had a stellar performance against Michigan in Week 14, finishing with four touchdowns for the first time in his career while breaking the 200-yard mark.

And then there’s Young, who is unquestionably the most dominant defensive player in the country and should terrify every opposing quarterback. The junior defensive end is disruptive, athletic and fast, and he’s a huge reason why Ohio State is ranked No. 2 in passing defense and No. 4 in rushing defense. Young leads the nation with 16.5 sacks this season, despite missing two games because of an NCAA suspension, and has 38 total tackles.

But the Heisman winner is almost always on offense, so that’s his disadvantage. Former Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson remains the only player to win the Heisman, which he did in 1997.

In addition to LSU’s Burrow, Fields, Dobbins and Young are up against Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who could still be a finalist despite suffering a season-ending injury in Week 12 against Mississippi State.

The best the Buckeyes’ trio and fans can hope for is that there is a small enough margin in the voting that all three are finalists and invited to the ceremony in New York. And this year, that’s not really much of a reach.

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Michigan legend Charles Woodson on if Chase Young can win the Heisman

“He absolutely has a shot,” Charles Woodson said about Chase Young’s Heisman campaign.

Former Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson is the only defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, but on the morning of the Ohio State-Michigan game Saturday, he explained why he thinks Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young could become the second.

Young is undeniably one of the best players in college football this season. He’s powerful, dominant and fast, all of which should make quarterbacks terrified, and he’s been in the Heisman conversation for weeks.

He leads the nation with 16.5 sacks, three of which came last weekend in Ohio State’s win over Penn State, and could finish the season with 20, which ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said would be “unheard of.” He also has 38 total tackles, 27 solo, and seven forced fumbles.

“I think he absolutely has a shot [to win the Heisman], and I think this thing was set up for him weeks ago when people started claiming he was the best player in the country, hands down,” Woodson, a FOX Sports analyst who won the trophy as a Michigan junior in 1997, said.

But the NCAA suspended Young for two games this season, the Buckeyes’ wins over Maryland and Rutgers, for accepting a small loan, which he repaid, reportedly so his girlfriend could travel to Pasadena to see Ohio State play in the Rose Bowl last year.

Woodson explained he isn’t entirely sure how the suspension could impact his Heisman campaign. He continued:

“When he got suspended though, I think that kind of derailed it a little bit. I think in the eyes of some voters, that will take away from him a little bit. But you think about those two games that he missed: Maryland, Rutgers.

“Look, he had three sacks last week against Penn State. We can almost safely assume that he would have had another three or four sacks a game against those particular teams, and then he would have had Penn State left and Michigan again at the end of the season.”

Suspension aside, Young’s Heisman competition is steep with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the mix, but he’s also up against two players on his own team in quarterback Justin Fields and running back J.K. Dobbins.

But whether or not he wins, it’s hard to deny that Young is very worthy of being a Heisman finalist this year.

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Chase Young should be one of two Heisman Finalists according to CampusLore

Former Georgia quarterback and CampusLore personality Aaron Murray believes only Joe Burrow and Chase Young should be Heisman finalists.

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We’re getting closer and closer to the Heisman ceremony which means we’re running out of games and moments for players to make an impression. So who will get the invite to New York?

According to former Georgia quarterback and current CampusLore personality Aaron Murray, everyone should be looking at two guys. It’s no secret that LSU’s Joe Burrow has almost lapped the field, but if there’s another guy voters should be taking note of, it’s Ohio State defensive end Chase Young.

“It needs to be Chase Young,” said Murray when discussing who else should be a finalist. “I know Chase Young missed two games, but still — right now, Chase Young is the best player in college football. This award goes to the best player in college football. Chase Young needs to be in New York. In my mind right now it is Joe Burrow and Chase Young. And don’t invite anyone else — just let those two guys go.”

What do you think? Do you think Chase Young will be in New York? Should he win the Heisman?

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WATCH: Former Ohio State QB JT Barret discusses Justin Fields’ Heisman chances

Former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett sat down with CampusLore and discussed the chances of Justin Fields still winning the Heisman.

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There’s not too many former Ohio State players that bleed scarlet and gray more than former quarterback J.T. Barrett. He’s still an all-time favorite of many Buckeye fans, and despite an NFL career that’s yet to come to much fruition, he was about as tough and fiery as they come when he played in Columbus.

In fact, there are a handful of players that had — and still do — a special relationship with Urban Meyer, and he’s one of them.

So, when Barret speaks on all things Ohio State, most of Buckeye nation like to listen to what he has to say. In that case, we’ve got something to point to.

While being interviewed by former Georgia Quarterback Aaron Murray, now with CampusLore, Barrett was asked about the Heisman chances of current Ohio Stat quarterback Justin Fields. Barrett acknowledges that LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is the likely favorite right now, but compliments Fields and believes he’s right there to make a late push if Burrow were to falter.

“I think his ability to just throw the football on time, the things they have set up, the plays they have involved, a great group of receivers they have, said Barrett. “It’s been really great for them. Attacking defenses, whether it be his legs, or like I said throwing the football on time. So, it’s been very tough for defenses to stop him. I think you’re right with saying that I think Joe Burrow right now is the Heisman guy, but then Justin Fields if he continues doing what he’s been doing, he’ll be that next guy up.”

If you remember, Barrett himself flirted with the Heisman Trophy back in 2014 and might have won the thing if not for an injury against Michigan that took him out of the magical run towards a national championship.

For now, any kind of Heisman campaign will live and die by what happens against Penn State on Saturday for Fields. But Barrett and others still believe it’s possible. Just win and the rest will take care of itself.

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Watch: Tim Tebow bids emotional goodbye to his dog, Bronco

Former Denver quarterback Tim Tebow had to say farewell to his Rhodesian Ridgeback, Bronco.

Tim Tebow is one of the best people out there. The former Heisman winner and current New York Mets farmhand moves up another few notches in the eyes of animal lovers as he posted a bittersweet video of him saying goodbye to his dog, Bronco.

According to ET, Tebow said he had to put Bronco to sleep on Wednesday, but did not detail why. He shared multiple photos as a tribute to his “son,” raised from a pup.

“One of the toughest goodbyes. Wanted to make a special tribute to the sweetest boy ever — thank you for all the joy you brought and all the memories,” Tebow wrote. “… If you had the pleasure of meeting Bronco, one of the best dogs ever.”

After Tebow was selected by Denver with the 25th pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, he received a gift: a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy, who he named Bronco.

“It made sense when I just got drafted by the Broncos,” Tebow said in a 2018 interview with AOL.com. “We’ve always liked the name, we always liked that truck, so we talked about it and we were like, yeah, that’s really cool.”

Im so thankful and humbled by everyone’s support, prayers and love. I was able to lay Bronco to rest in a really special place. Thank you all for so much encouragement. I love you Bronco, thanks for being the sweetest boy

May Tebow and Bronco’s friends and family find solace in these grief-stricken times in the Rainbow Bridge poem.

 

Chase Young’s Heisman chances plummet with suspension looming

Just two weeks ago Chase Young was a top-two candidate for the Heisman trophy. Now, after sitting one game, he’s barely in the top five.

Just two weeks ago Chase Young was a top-three candidate for the Heisman trophy. He was looking to join the top-tier candidates, Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa, with an easy outing against Maryland.

Now, after sitting one game, he’s barely in the top five, and it seems that LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is pulling away from the pack.

Young was held out of the team’s 69-point victory over Maryland. His status for what should be another massive Buckeyes victory against Rutgers this Saturday is unknown.

While the official penalty for accepting a small loan from a family friend which was repaid is still in the air, if he continues to miss games, he can kiss any shot at the Heisman trophy goodbye.

A four-sack performance against Wisconsin in another dominant effort from the Buckeyes just over two weeks ago bounced the projected top-five pick over the likes of Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields.

However, according to ESPN’s Heisman Watch, Young has slid under fellow teammate Justin Fields. Young sits at No. 5 and received just 12 votes with zero first-place votes. He had 24 votes in the week following the Wisconsin game.

Young has 13.5 sacks on the season and could’ve easily set the single-season Ohio State record this past weekend. The record is currently 14.0 which was set by Vernon Gholston in 2007.

The Ohio State defensive didn’t skip a beat without Young on the line. They gave up just two touchdowns all game and none in the first a half, a 30-minute period where they totaled 42 points.

As for Young, it’s likely he’s out again Saturday, but there seems to be hope that he’ll take on Penn State and Michigan to finish the regular season. That said, if he does miss these two games which could’ve easily solidified his claim as a competitor for the Heisman, his chances are virtually over.

Young would’ve been just the second defender to have won the award and the first since Charles Woodson did it in 1997. For now, that’s looking extremely unlikely, although we haven’t seen a collegiate defender as dominant as Young in decades.