Category Archives: Heisman Watch

ACC Football 2012 Heisman Watch: Week 12

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UNC Running Back Giovani Bernard Continues Putting Up Impressive Numbers While Few Take Notice

The ACC no longer has a viable national title contender, thus we have no Heisman candidate to speak of, either (not fair, but unfortunately true). So as promised, for the remainder of this season, we’ll now be compiling a watch list for the fictional Chris Weinke Award, to honor the best player in the ACC. These posts will remain under “Heisman Watch” for the purposes of consistency and SEO, however. Have other nominees? Submit your ballots below.

1. Tajh Boyd, QB/Clemson (3,227 total yards, 33 total TD, 9 INT, 68 percent completion) (LW: 1)

I hate to devalue the Clemson offense and/or Tajh Boyd’s efforts this season, but both have become almost workman-like here as we enter the last few weeks of the season. There’s no surprise in the Tigers scoring 45 points per game, nor shock in Boyd throwing a casual three or four touchdowns, while managing a completion percentage around 70 percent. This is a strange series of events, however. While we may be used to this sort of feeling when it comes to teams and quarterbacks in lesser conferences piling up monstrous stats, it’s baffling to see Clemson and Boyd get little-to-no respect whatsoever.

2. Giovani Bernard, RB/North Carolina (1,670 all-purpose yards, 17 TD) (LW: 2)

And strangely enough, Bernard seems to suffer from the same issue Boyd does. We’re too used to him putting up staggering numbers. So when he falls a bit short of 200 all-purpose yards for the first time in over a month, we’re unimpressed — despite the two scores and (again) 172 yards. In fact, when you look at the box score of UNC’s 68-50 loss to Georgia Tech last Saturday, your first thought is probably “why didn’t Gio have even more impressive stats?!” And that’s the tragedy (I guess) of competing at the elite level the Heels sophomore does each week.

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ACC Football 2012 Heisman Watch: Week 11

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Tajh Boyd Keeps His Spot Atop the ACC Heisman Watch After Recording Another Six Touchdowns on Saturday

The ACC no longer has a viable national title contender, thus we have no Heisman candidate to speak of, either (not fair, but unfortunately true). So as promised, for the remainder of this season, we’ll now be compiling a watch list for the fictional Chris Weinke Award, to honor the best player in the ACC. These posts will remain under “Heisman Watch” for the purposes of consistency and SEO, however. Have other nominees? Submit your ballots below.

1. Tajh Boyd, QB/Clemson (2,966 total yards, 30 total TD, 9 INT, 67.8 percent completion) (LW: 1)

Those pesky interceptions are tough to sweep under the rug when it comes to actual Heisman voting, but for our purposes here, they’re a little less important. Boyd’s still leading an 8-1 team in a major conference, and has still racked up some of the best passing statistics in the country (another five touchdown tosses last week). Shouldn’t that count for something? National accolades or not, Boyd’s put on a show thus far this year. Now, he’s not just looking to shatter the Clemson record books, but get the Tigers back to a BCS game, too.

2. Giovani Bernard, RB/North Carolina (1,498 all-purpose yards, 15 TD) (LW: 2)

Bernard didn’t play last week, but that obviously doesn’t hurt his candidacy at all. While he’s getting passed up for Heisman buzz, mostly due to his team’s losses (three already) and postseason ineligibility, attention has now focused to whether or not the sophomore running back will even return next season. Considering all of the young talent on that Tar Heels squad, they’re bound for special things going forward. But again, nothing’s guaranteed. So instead, we celebrate the phenomenal performance he’s putting in this season, and hold out some hope that next year gives us more of the same.

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ACC Football 2012 Heisman Watch: Week 10

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Giovani Bernard Has Firmly Laid Claim to the Title of “Nation’s Best Running Back”

The ACC no longer has a viable national title contender, thus we have no Heisman candidate to speak of, either (not fair, but unfortunately true). So as promised, for the remainder of this season, we’ll now be compiling a watch list for the fictional Chris Weinke Award, to honor the best player in the ACC. These posts will remain under “Heisman Watch” for the purposes of consistency and SEO, however. Have other nominees? Submit your ballots below.

1. Tajh Boyd, QB/Clemson (2,550 total yards, 24 total TD, 6 INT, 67.7 percent completion) (LW: 1)

As our own Joel Penning pointed out earlier today, Boyd’s improvement from last season to this one cannot be praised enough. He’s got more accuracy, more mobility and might just be the most dangerous weapon in a Clemson offense chock-full of them. Take a look at the numbers he put up against Wake Forest last Thursday night: 27/38, 428 yards and five touchdowns; and most of that was in the first half (including all five TDs). If not for some severe anti-ACC bias going on, the junior would be charging up the actual Heisman board.

2. Giovani Bernard, RB/North Carolina (1,498 all-purpose yards, 15 TD) (LW: 3)

Seven games. That’s all Bernard’s played in this season (and in one of those, he only touched the ball six times). And yet, he’s the ACC leader in all-purpose yards, national leader in all-purpose yards per game and in the top 10 for total all-purpose yards. He’s 70 yards short of 1,000 rushing yards on the season, yet has only carried the ball 126 times (a 7.4 yards-per-carry average).  If that wasn’t enough, his receptions-per-game (4.6) rank ninth in the conference, and he’s already had his Heisman performance (last week’s comeback over NC State). Sadly, we’re unlikely to see him in a UNC uniform next year, but there’s no doubt he’ll spend the rest of this season as a sort-of darkhorse for the Heisman.

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ACC Football 2012 Heisman Watch: Week Nine

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Don’t Look Now, But UNC’s Giovani Bernard is Flying Up Our List of the ACC’s Top Playmakers

The ACC no longer has a viable national title contender, thus we have no Heisman candidate to speak of, either. So as promised, for the remainder of this season, we’ll now be compiling a watch list for the fictional Chris Weinke Award, to honor the best player in the ACC. These posts will remain under “Heisman Watch” for the purposes of consistency and SEO, however. Have other nominees? Submit your ballots below.

1. Tajh Boyd, QB/Clemson (2,095 total yards, 19 total TD, 6 INT, 67.1 percent completion) (LW: 1)

Boyd and the Clemson offense failed to look all that great against Virginia Tech, but that’s only when compared to their usual standards of individual and collective excellence. Though the junior passer was just 12-for-21 with 160 yards passing, he also managed 27 yards on the ground. His three touchdowns on the day were still well worth praise, too. The accuracy drop under pressure — especially when they had a lead for the large majority of the contest — is still a concern, but no need to extrapolate it out until we see a trend.

2. EJ Manuel, QB/Florida State (2,253 total yards, 15 total TD, 4 INT, 71.5 percent completion) (LW: 2)

EJ Manuel shook off a rocky start against Miami to set up a decisive victory in the fourth quarter, but without a single touchdown directly attributable to him, it’s hard to move him up from second. On the other hand, his passing improved throughout the evening, and once again, he made smart decisions to tuck it and run when necessary. With Chris Thompson now out for the season, we may see the weight of the offense transferred back to Manuel; an interesting development as he tries to improve his team’s title chances and his draft stock, too.

3. Giovani Bernard, RB/North Carolina (1,194 all-purpose yards, 12 TD) (LW: 4)

When taking into account the time he’s missed (2.5 games), Bernard’s numbers stand out even more, and they’re already pretty impressive. And Saturday’s game was more of the same, as he racked up 209 total yards. But it doesn’t even tell the full story. In one of the zanier plays of the weekend, Erik Highsmith‘s late fumble ended up in the hands of Bernard for the touchdown, thanks to the running back’s heads-up play. While the Heels ultimately lost, it was that fumble recovery that put them in position to win with just three minutes to go.

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ACC Football 2012 Heisman Watch: Week Eight

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Despite the Bye Week, Clemson QB Tajh Boyd Still Looks Like the ACC’s Top Player

As we detailed last week, the ACC no longer has a viable national title contender, thus has no Heisman candidate to speak of. So, as promised, for the remainder of this season, we’ll now be compiling a watch list for the fictional Chris Weinke Award, to honor the best player in the ACC. These posts will remain under “Heisman Watch” for the purposes of consistency and SEO, however. Have other nominees? Submit your ballots below.

1. Tajh Boyd, QB/Clemson (1,972 total yards, 16 total TD, 5 INT, 68.2 percent completion) (LW: 1)

Nothing’s changed for Boyd, our clubhouse leader, since his team had a bye last week. So while other candidates may be hot on his tail, he’ll get his opportunity to further distance himself from the pack on Saturday, when his Tigers take on Virginia Tech on ABC. We’ve said it before, but the junior’s evolution can be traced to his increased mobility — something that could very well be on display this weekend if the Hokies rush the passer as well as they did in their previous game.

2. EJ Manuel, QB/Florida State (1,990 total yards, 15 total TD, 4 INT, 72.1 percent completion) (LW: 3)

Manuel’s big game against Boston College showed that he’s still a contender to be named the ACC’s top player, as he threw for 439 yards and four touchdowns against a very overmatched Eagles defense. And while the yardage numbers were surely impressive, what’s most striking is Manuel’s much improved accuracy. This past weekend, he completed 27 of 34 passes (79.4 percent), his third game with a completion rate of 75-percent or higher.

3. DeAndre Hopkins, WR/Clemson (49 catches, 777 yards, 8 TD) (LW: 2)

Hopkins made some serious waves in the season’s first half, catching defenses off-guard and elevating himself as Clemson’s biggest playmaker. And for the second half of the year? Tajh Boyd will find him on the field; that won’t be a problem. But as defenses amass more game film on him and adjust to him as the focal point of the Tigers’ passing attack, things may start to change. This, of course, is completely nullified by a healthy Sammy Watkins, something Hopkins likely knows himself.

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ACC Football 2012 Heisman Watch: Week Seven

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After Another Stellar Performance This Weekend, Tajh Boyd Takes Over the Top Spot in Our Heisman Watch

With Florida State’s loss last week, it appears that the ACC‘s dream scenario — its first Heisman trophy winner in over a decade — was lost as well. So, as promised, for the remainder of this season, we’ll now be compiling a watch list for the fictional Chris Weinke Award, to honor the best player in the ACC. These posts will remain under “Heisman Watch” however, for the purposes of consistency and SEO. Have other nominees? Submit your ballots below.

1. Tajh Boyd, QB/Clemson (1,974 total yards, 16 total TD, 5 INT, 68.2 percent completion) (LW: 2)

Boyd has been a man on fire these past two weeks, racking up 869 total yards and seven total scores. He even caught a pass for a two-point conversion last Saturday. So while he’s a very long shot to win the Heisman, there’s no player better suited to win the first annual Chris Weinke Award. The Clemson junior is now — more than he ever has been — the axis on which the Tigers’ offense rotates, and is catapulting himself through the school’s record books as well.

2. DeAndre Hopkins, WR/Clemson (49 catches, 777 yards, 8 TD) (LW: 3)

But what would Boyd be without his new primary target, “Nuk” Hopkins? Whether Sammy Watkins has played or not, this junior wideout has been a force, and some would say among the best at his position. In just six games, he’s already just 23 catches shy of his total from all of 2011, and his eight scores are one less than his career total coming into this season. Hopkins is a playmaker who flat-out takes over games, and as long as he’s on the field, it’s been damn-near impossible to completely shut down the Clemson offensive attack.

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ACC Football 2012 Heisman Watch: Week Six

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Of the ACC’s Heisman Contenders, Tajh Boyd Did the Most to Help Himself This Past Weekend

What appears below is a quasi-realistic (read: crapshoot) view of which ACC players could potentially win the sport’s highest honor, the Heisman trophy. We’re looking at these players with the typical lens — winning team, team’s best player, signature moment and statistical excellence. And while none of the ACC players are putting up Geno Smith‘s video game numbers, all still have some sort of chance to win the award (for now).

1. EJ Manuel, QB/Florida State (1,344 total yards, 10 total TD, 1 INT, 73.3 percent completion) (LW: 1)

Manuel didn’t do anything wrong in the Seminoles’ win over USF this past weekend, but given the astronomical passing figures being put up around the country (and even in his own league), the senior will have to have a few more big statistical games to keep himself in this conversation. He’s obviously the leader of a team that’s in the hunt for both conference and national championships, which keeps him around awhile longer. But if we see another week or two of 240 yards and one touchdown (win or lose), he’ll unfortunately leave the running.

2. Tajh Boyd, QB/Clemson (1,512 total yards, 13 total TD, 3 INT, 69.4 percent completion) (LW: 2)

Boyd’s only real knock thus far is his one loss. Unfortunately, it came against Manuel’s squad, though. So while the Clemson QB’s numbers may be superior, the head-to-head matchup does come into effect here. All other things being equal, I do believe that Boyd has much more staying power due to his team’s high-flying offense and lack of defense (which keeps him in games later). He definitely helped himself out quite a bit with the 400 total yards and four scores he turned in last Saturday.

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