Author: nfltalk

Enhanced email blasts and social media spreaders have started at Ohio State for this college football season’s Heisman Trophy race. The top-ranked and unbeaten Buckeyes are campaigning for two potential finalists in the conversation — quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — and are trying to become the eighth team since 2000 to send multiple players to New York for the ceremony.

Troy Smith became Ohio State’s sixth Heisman winner in 2006 and is the last Buckeyes player to earn the prestigious honor despite producing a couple of finalists and national championships since.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook’s updated odds entering Week 11, Sayin, a redshirt freshman, is the frontrunner with his teammate a few players behind him.

Locked in a legitimate competition with redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz during spring camp and the early portion of fall practice, Sayin was Day’s pick to lead based on a year-long evaluation that went well beyond arm strength and accuracy.

Sayin needed to be a dependable facilitator given Ohio State’s weaponry, like Smith, and be able to move around the pocket given the Buckeyes’ changes along the offensive line. His numbers have impressed through eight starts — 2,188 yards passing and 23 touchdowns — and Sayin’s become even more lethal as the season has progressed.

Teams with multiple Heisman finalists since the turn of the century include 2020 Alabama with DeVonta Smith and Mac Jones, the 2019 Buckeyes with Chase Young and Justin Fields, 2016 Oklahoma with Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook, 2004 and 2005 USC with Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, 2004 Oklahoma with Jason White and Adrian Peterson and 2002 Miami with Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee.

Player

Odds

Statistics

Julian Sayin, Ohio…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

Heisman stakes. American Conference championship stakes. College Football Playoff stakes.

There was no shortage of stakes on the line Saturday morning when the Navy Midshipmen made the long trek to Denton, TX for the first time since a record-breaking 74-62 matchup 18 years ago. On this occasion, Navy entered with an unblemished record against one of the college football’s ultimate breakout teams — the North Texas Mean Green.

While Navy is renowned for its FBS-leading rushing attack, it was an individual ground performance from the North Texas side which stole the show in front of an electric DATCU Stadium crowd. True freshman tailback Caleb Hawkins generated a career-high 197 yards and all four Mean Green touchdowns to lead his team to a 31-17 victory, unseating Navy from its undefeated status.

“Probably the most complete game we’ve played since I’ve been the head coach here,” North Texas head coach Eric Morris said. “That was a team win. Everybody stepped up in huge ways down the stretch. For our guys we started fast, they were able to gain momentum, but the fourth quarter was as good of football as I’ve seen our team play.”

North Texas drew headlines last Friday when star redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker fired for 608 yards and four touchdowns in a dominant road win over Charlotte. While Mestemaker still shined with a 19-of-24 showing and 234 yards, the Mean Green spearheaded their FBS-best scoring offense in a different manner vs. Navy — through a heavy dose of Hawkins.

“We pride ourselves in taking what the defense gives us,” Morris said on the offensive strategy shift. “We thought they’d try to pressure when we tempo’d, and we had some tempo runs that we liked that we were able to pop a gap there early. The offensive line was geared up. They practiced better than they…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

The college football polls will have one last update on Sunday before we officially shift into the College Football Playoff portion of the season with the selection committee offering its own top 25. That will begin this Tuesday, Nov. 4, and while the committee claims a process of independent thought, it’s hard to ignore the human element of those committee members knowing — and reacting to — the AP Top 25 poll. 

Often, the two sets of rankings will agree, particularly when it comes to the very best teams in the country. A consensus of 60+ AP poll voters are going to deliver a pretty sensible order, and usually the loss column is the ultimate sorter. But since the selection committee has less people and more discussion among the group, it’s easier for an outlier opinion to become the consensus. To that point, we’re looking not only to the new college football rankings wondering how the AP voters will react to the weekend’s results but also how the CFP committee might choose to over-rank or under-rank a team compared to the traditional polls. 

One of those teams that will be very interesting to track is Texas, which improved to 7-2 on the season with a 34-31 win against top-10 Vanderbilt. Paired with a win against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, the Longhorns’ resume looks much better now and the losses are tougher to weigh since Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the country and Florida is unranked. We are projecting that Texas is going to take a notable jump up into the top 15, but there is about a nine-spot range of realistic outcomes from the CFP Selection Committee. 

Bowl projections: Texas returns to College Football Playoff contention, Miami’s hopes fading down stretch

…..

[ad_2]

Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Julian Sayin passed for 316 yards and four touchdowns, Jeremiah Smith scored twice and top-ranked Ohio State pulled away in the second half to defeat Penn State 38-14 Saturday.

The Buckeyes (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) had a 17-14 lead at halftime, but took control in the second half, scoring on three of their first four possessions.

Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton both had rushing scores for Penn State (3-5, 0-5), which has dropped five straight and lost both games with interim coach Terry Smith at the helm. Smith took over after James Franklin was fired on Oct. 12.

Sayin completed 20 of 23 passes and joined Geno Smith as the only Football Bowl Subdivision players since 1985 to have three games in a season with at least 300 yards passing, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a completion rate of at least 85%.

Smith accomplished the feat in 2012 at West Virginia.

Sayin had three completions of at least 40 yards, including a pair to Carnell Tate, who finished with five catches for 124 yards. Sayin connected with Tate on a go route for a 45-yard TD midway through the second quarter to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 17-7.

Jeremiah Smith finished with six receptions for 123 yards. He put Ohio State on the board midway through the first quarter with a 14-yard catch on a slant pattern. The sophomore then extended the Buckeyes’ lead to 38-14 with a highlight-reel grab on an 11-yard touchdown with 9:43 remaining in the game.

Sayin’s pass appeared to be tipped, but Smith leapt and made a one-handed grab with his left hand while being surrounded by three Penn State defenders.

The Buckeyes got some breathing room on the opening drive of the second half. Tate had a 57-yard catch to the Penn State 4 on the second play of the possession and CJ Donaldson plowed in…

..

[ad_2]

Read More