The Heisman Trust revealed Monday that Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey are the finalists for this year’s award, and all three appear to have realistic chances to win.
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Both Henry and McCaffrey have also shattered the records of former Heisman winners. Whether the school lands a second will be announced Saturday.
The victor will be announced near the end of a one-hour show at 8 p.m. Saturday on ESPN. But I don’t think I saw a better player all year, at least not on offense.
McCaffrey is a different type of running back, though, and is making a strong push down the stretch. He became Stanford’s fourth finalist in the past seven seasons.
Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey runs for a first down against Cal in the first quarter of the Big Game at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015. John Elway finished second to Georgia’s Herschel Walker in 1982.
My main focus is on finishing and helping this team win, Henry said after the SEC championship game. McCaffrey broke Barry Sanders’ record for all-purpose yards in a season, but he truly put the “all” in “all-purpose”.
McCaffrey’s season was a steady stream of excellence, highlighted by a series of jaw-dropping plays that perfectly showcased the sophomore running back’s unparalleled versatility. This is a historic year.
There’s no question how dominating Deshaun Watson has been this season and he deserves the honor of being called the best player in the nation and receiving the Heisman Trophy.
Watson is a big reason Clemson has won 16 consecutive games, a school record, and has already established a season mark for victories (13), and ACC wins (nine).
This year’s race for the Heisman stands in stark contrast to recent years, in that the three-person field is headlined by two running backs.
Meanwhile, as great as Henry and McCaffrey were, nobody is going to cry foul if Clemson’s Watson were to hear his name called.
Watson also ran for a touchdown in a game that lifted him back onto the Heisman radar after a sluggish start. “Especially early, he was having some really good games but didn’t get a lot of notoriety because half of America is asleep when he’s doing what he does”, Shaw said.
Miles says not winning the Heisman or finishing as a Heisman finalist will likely motivate Fournette to have an even better year next season.
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Henry has four 200-yard rushing games and has played his best against the toughest competition, gaining 1,155 yards and 15 touchdowns against top 50 nationally ranked rush defenses with an average of 5.37 yards per carry and 165 yards per game. Freeman is at 142.2 in 12 games.
