He accounted for five touchdowns in a 45-37 win over North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game, giving him 41 touchdowns passing and rushing.
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Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey are the finalists for the Heisman Trophy.
“To my left is the best player in the nation”, Shaw said of McCaffrey following a win over USC in the Pac-12 championship (via Kyle Kensing, Sports on Earth). The last three Heisman winners were OR quarterback Marcus Mariota, Florida State signal-caller Jameis Winston, and Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel. The pure sophomore is from Gainesville, GA. He scored 12 touchdowns and threw for two. He led the Tigers to eight straight wins since then with over 500 yards of offense to finish the regular season.
FILE – -This Oct. 3, 2015, file photo shows Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson taking the snap during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame in Clemson, S.C. Calm and confident without being flashy, Watsons style led the Tigers to their first 12-0 season since 1981 _ and a chance to accomplish much more. His 3,496 all-purpose yards are 1,000 more than anyone else has this season. He finished with 3,512 yards passing (69.5 completion percentage, third best in the country), 30 touchdowns passing, 887 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns rushing.
That mark stood until last Saturday when Henry ran for 189 yards and a TD on 44 carries in the Tide’s SEC championship game victory over Florida.
HEISMAN-DEFINING MOMENT: Henry made one cut behind the line and sprinted toward the end zone while Auburn defenders seemed to be moving in slow motion. He would be the second for an Alabama player under coach Nick Saban.
A Broyles Award finalist for the second time in his coaching career, Venables did not win the honor announced Tuesday morning.
The 2015 finalists for the Heisman Trophy include a pair of running backs and one quarterbacks. Showing his versatility, he also amasses 1,109 yards on kick and punt returns. McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders’ record for all-purpose yards in a season, but he truly put the “all” in “all-purpose”.
He hopes to become the first Heisman victor from Stanford since it went to Jim Plunkett in 1970. Alabama has had four running backs drafted in the first two rounds since 2011, including first-rounders Ingram and Trent Richardson.
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If LSU sophomore running back Leonard Fournette is feeling a tinge sad because he wasn’t among the three players invited to NY for Saturday’s Heisman Trophy ceremony, he shouldn’t be. The victor will be announced during the 5 p.m. broadcast. All three play on conference-winning teams, two of which were selected for the College Football Playoff, and all three have been consistent playmakers throughout the season.
