Ad Disclosure
SI’s Bruce Feldman has two B1G backs in his Heisman top-5
Published:
Once again, Sports Illustrated’s Bruce Feldman has Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor in his Heisman top-5 after Week 8. Barkley came in at No. 1 and Taylor was at No. 5.
Here is what Feldman had to say about the two backs:
Barkley: “Don Brown’s Michigan D led the nation in total defense entering Week 8, but Barkley and the Nittany Lions torched them for 42 points as PSU’s star ran for 108 yards on just 15 carries to go with 53 yards receiving and three TDs on the night. How’s this for versatility: Barkley now has five catches that have gone for 40 yards or longer. Two of the other RBs on this list—Love and Taylor—have combined for five catches all season. Barkley can open his lead in this race even further if he can help Penn State to a win over a very talented—and angry—Ohio State team in Columbus.”
Taylor: “He overcame an early fumble to go for 126 yards against Maryland as the Badgers romped. He became the fastest Wisconsin freshman to reach 1,000 yards in terms of carries, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark on his 130th attempt, breaking James White’s freshman record of 138 carries from the 2010 season. It’ll be an uphill climb for Taylor to win the Heisman, especially given that he only has one catch and this is such a deep crop of star running backs.”
To round out Feldman’s Heisman top-5 was Stanford back Bryce Love at No. 2, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield at No. 3 and Notre Dame back Josh Adams at No. 4.