Week 5 didn’t just sort out the college football landscape. It also put a serious dent in three Heisman bids that had been gaining real momentum.
The trophy race looked wide open heading into the weekend, with quarterbacks popping up from nowhere and a few position players stacking eye-popping numbers. But the biggest games on the slate carried real weight, and for three players in particular, Saturday may have been the point where the Heisman path started to disappear.
Kamario Taylor’s shot took a hit in Alabama-Mississippi State
Mississippi State had a chance to make a statement against Alabama, and Kamario Taylor had a chance to put himself in the thick of the Heisman conversation. Instead, the foot injury that had been bothering him showed up in a big way. Taylor was clearly limited and never looked fully comfortable, even though he still managed to go 19 of 34 for 258 yards and three touchdowns.
The problem was the turnovers. They hurt Mississippi State badly, and they also slammed the brakes on Taylor’s Heisman case. If the injury keeps him out for any length of time, the Bulldogs may be looking ahead to next year before they get another real run at a Heisman-level season from him.
Jadan Baugh got swallowed up by Missouri
With Kewan Lacy and Ahmad Hardy both dealing with injuries, Jadan Baugh had become the running back with the clearest Heisman opening. That made Saturday’s showing against Missouri even tougher to swallow.
The Tigers completely shut him down, holding Baugh to 13 yards on 12 carries. It was the kind of performance that can wreck a campaign fast, the same way Alabama once ended Leonard Fournette’s hopes. Baugh still has time and games left to make a push, but after this one, he’s working from a deep hole.
Julian Sayin’s problem is sitting next to him
Julian Sayin has been steady for Ohio State, but the Heisman buzz around him is fading for a different reason. The issue isn’t that he’s been bad. It’s that Jeremiah Smith keeps putting up numbers that look historic.
Smith is piling up Ohio State records and, even if Sayin is helping drive the offense, the receiver is clearly the engine behind what the Buckeyes are doing. That dynamic makes it hard to see Sayin climbing all the way to the top of the Heisman race. In a season where Smith keeps taking center stage, Sayin’s candidacy is starting to look like one that won’t get there.
In Other News...
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Added Another Chapter To Ohio State History
Jaxon Smith-Njigba turned Ohio Stadium into a showcase on Saturday, piling up 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns as No. 5 Ohio State handled No. 14 Iowa, 31-14. It was the kind of afternoon that reminded everyone why the Buckeyes have long been a factory for elite receivers, with Smith-Njigba producing the kind of big-play outing that can change a game in a hurry.
By the time the dust settled, Smith-Njigba had moved into first place in Ohio State history in receptions, receiving touchdowns and receiving yards, adding another line to a program record book already crowded with stars. Julian Sayin helped make it possible, completing 20 of 27 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, giving the Buckeyes a passing performance that kept Iowa chasing from start to finish. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Can Turn Homecoming Into A Bigger Big Ten Problem
Ohio State heads into homecoming weekend still carrying the momentum of its 31-14 win over Iowa, and Maryland is next on the schedule with the Buckeyes expected to keep rolling. The matchup gives Ohio State a chance to protect its place in the Big Ten race while also putting another conference opponent in a difficult spot on a festive weekend in Columbus.
Maryland arrives with a lot more pressure attached than the usual road trip, which is part of what makes this game worth watching beyond the spread. Mike Locksleys program has been struggling again this season, and another rough outing against Ohio State would only deepen the questions around where things are headed for the Terrapins. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Just Got A Harsh Reminder Of The Gap They Face
Ohio State left Iowa with more than another conference win after Saturdays 31-14 result. The Buckeyes latest showing was enough to push them to the top of ESPNs FPI rankings, another sign that the national machine in Columbus is rolling early and creating separation from the rest of the Big Ten pack.
Jeremiah Smith was at the center of it again, turning the trip into a showcase performance and further underscoring why the Buckeyes are built so differently right now. Iowa got a reminder of the gap it still has to close, while Ohio State kept adding to the sense that its ceiling is rising with each week. [Read more 🡒]