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Bob Moore Nissan Heisman Hunt

Each month, The Franchise’s own Heisman voters, Dylan Buckingham and Ryan Chapman, will give their thoughts on the Heisman race and who’s in the hunt. Presented by Bob Moore Nissan. At Bob Moore Nissan in Norman! We’re calling all the right plays with deals you cannot pass up!

The Heisman Hopeful You’ve Never Heard Of

He’s a Heisman favorite and you’ve likely never heard of him. Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty Is off to a historic start. In just four games Jeanty has 82 carries for 845 yards (that’s 10.3 yards per carry!) and 13 touchdowns. If his 10.3 yards per carry stat holds still that would be good enough for fourth best since 1937. That’s when official statistics began keeping track of rushing yards. Jackie Robinson, yes that Jackie Robinson, holds the NCAA record for yards per carry which was an astounding 12.2 per rush in 1939. Only three other humans have managed to notch a 10+ yards per carry average in division one football.

Jeanty leads in the nation in rushing yards and his next closest competitor is Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson who has 685 yards on the ground thus far.

So what caused this historic start? A bet. Jeanty bet a teammate if he didn’t rush for 2,000 yards he would cut his dreadlocks. And so far so good. He’s on pace for 2,535 yards which is 93 yards from the all-time single-season rushing record. Boise’s explosive star is off to a better start than the last five Heisman winners at his position. Derrick Henry, Mark Ingram II, Reggie Bush, Ron Dayne, and Ricky Williams. The only one of those five to have a better stat than Jeanty through four games was Ricky Williams. He had 15 touchdowns to Jeanty’s 13. 

As Jeanty’s stardom begins to take off, so will defensive coordinators gameplans to slow him down. It’s truly difficult for a running back to win the Heisman. Typically because a lot of the elite backs in college football have similar numbers. But so far, no one has come close to his productivity. Only time will tell if this Bronco back can keep pace and bring the Heisman home to the blue turf.

As September Ends, All Eyes Should Still be on Travis Hunter

Has there been a more “Travis Hunter” game than what went down between Colorado and UCF on Saturday?

The two-way superstar shredded UCF’s defense, hauling in nine receptions for 89 yards as the Buffaloes (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) rolled past the Knights (3-1, 1-1) 48-21 in Orlando. Then on the other side of the ball, where Hunter is somehow more dynamic, he intercepted a pass, broke up another pass and chipped in a pair of tackles. In total, Hunter played 128 snaps per Pro Football Focus, only getting a brief reprieve when Colorado had its special teams unit on the field. 

The attention surrounding Deion Sanders’ program waxes and wanes depending on the team’s record. Last year, the Buffaloes burst onto the scene and dominated the college football conversation for the opening weeks of the season. 

Then as Colorado lost, it faded to the background. The early loss to Nebraska seems to have had a similar impact on the messaging around Colorado early in 2024, but nobody should sleep on the work Hunter has done so far. He’s already played 652 snaps this season, which dwarfs Miami quarterback Cam Ward’s 296 snaps or the 111 snaps played this season by Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe. Hunter’s totaled 46 catches for 561 yards and six scores already this year, and he’s added another two interceptions, three passes defended and 16 total tackles already in 2024. 

No matter how the rest of the season plays out for Colorado, Hunter is carrying a load no other player in college football is going to come close to touching, and he’s still delivering at a high level on both sides. The Buffs are still in the thick of the early stages of the Big 12 race, too, alongside BYU, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Arizona and West Virginia, who are all unbeaten in conference play. 

The on-field success of Colorado will keep Hunter at the front of the minds of voters across the country, a space he should occupy no matter how the rest of the year plays out in Boulder.