We’re a whole two weeks into the college football season, so that means it’s the perfect time to unveil our inaugural watch list for the Kentuckiana Heisman Trophy. Of course it’s a mythical award that we’ll give to a player from one of the four Football Bowl Subdivision teams (Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, Western Kentucky) in the area at the end of the season, however we do take these rankings very seriously (wink, wink). So without any more ado here are our first top-five rankings.
#1. Jordan Howard (Indiana) - The junior running back, who transferred in from UAB, has proven to be a very capable replacement for Tevin Coleman, who started for the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. In the Hoosiers’ season-opener Howard rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns - including the go-ahead score with 58 seconds left - in IU’s 48-47 victory over visiting Southern Illinois. He followed that up with 159 yards, on 27 carries, in Indiana’s 36-22 win over Florida International last Saturday. Through two games Howard ranks fifth in the FBS in rushing yards (304) and sixth in rushing yards per game (152).
#2. Brandon Doughty (Western Kentucky) - The sixth-year senior quarterback, and preseason frontrunner for this award (and darkhorse for the actual Heisman), has had very good games so far. We admit we expected a little bit more (at least in TD passes) out of Doughty, but that’s just because he set the bar so high last year. Through two games he has completed 47 of 68 passes for 650 yards and two touchdowns. He ranks 12th in the FBS in passing yards and passing yards per game (325) as well as 31st in passing efficiency (159.1).
#3. Stanley “Boom” Williams (Kentucky) - The sophomore running back with the great nickname has rushed for 245 yards and one touchdown - that memorable 75-yard sprint on the Wildcats’ first play of the season - so far. He ran for 135 yards in UK’s season-opening win over Louisiana-Lafayette, then followed it up with 107 yards in the Wildcats’ 26-22 triumph at South Carolina last Saturday night. He ranks second in the FBS in rushing yards per carry (10.1), 21st in rushing yards and 23rd in rushing yards per game (122.5).
#4. Nate Sudfeld (Indiana) - The senior quarterback has thrown for 583 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for two more TDs, in the Hoosiers’ first two games. He completed 19 of 32 passes for 349 yards and one touchdown in IU’s season-opening win over Southern Illinois, then followed that up by completing 19 of 33 passes for 234 yards and one TD (against one interception), while also running for two more TDs, against FIU. So far Sudfeld ranks 15th in the FBS in passing yards per completion (15.34) and 21st in passing yards per game (291.5) and total passing yards.
#5. Leon Allen (Western Kentucky) - We’d be remiss if we didn’t give some love to the senior running back who was off to a solid start before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Hilltoppers’ win over FIU. Allen, who led Conference USA (and ranked seventh nationally) in yards from scrimmage last year, accounted for 209 yards (137 rushing, 72 receiving) before going down. He had 75 total yards (56 rushing, 19 receiving) and a touchdown in Western’s season-opening 14-12 win at Vanderbilt, then 134 total yards (81 rushing, 53 receiving) and a TD before suffering his gruesome injury in the Tops’ 41-38 victory over Louisiana Tech.
Also on the radar: S Josh Harvey-Clemons (Louisville); LB Josh Forrest (Kentucky); QB Patrick Towles (Kentucky); WR Ricky Jones (Indiana).
