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  1. #1
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    College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    http://fansided.com/2015/06/28/colle...samaje-perine/




    Will we see the first running back to win the Heisman since 2009 in the 2015 college football season?

    Quarterbacks are all the craze in college football. For evidence of this, you need not look any further than the fact that someone from the position has won the coveted Heisman Trophy every year since the 2009 season, where Alabama running back Mark Ingram took home the bronze statue. Prior to Ingram’s victory, another running back to win college football’s most coveted prize was Ron Dayne — in 1999.

    However, with the talent pool at the position in 2015, will that trend change? Will we see one of these amazing rushers standing on the stage in New York City come December holding up the piece of hardware that every college football player strives to hold?

    Given the love that quarterbacks have been receiving from the Heisman voters for years now, it’ll be mighty difficult to achieve this, but it won’t be impossible. There are many players at the position this season that can put their teams on their backs and make people recognize them as the best player in college football by the time all is said and done.

    And the craziest part of it all? They’re all sophomores who lit the world on fire in 2014.

    Here’s a look at six of these running backs that can potentially be holding the Heisman when all is in the books in 2015.




    Look, this one is pretty self explanatory. When you set the record for yards rushed for in one game like Samaje Perine did in his freshman year, then you’re going to have that Heisman hype surrounding you like a flannel blanket.

    Last November in a game against the Kansas Jayhawks, Perine ran for a jaw-dropping 427 yards, breaking the record that was actually set earlier in the season by Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon. It was a moment that college football fans won’t soon forget, just because it was so astonishing to watch.



    By the time the season was over, Perine had rushed for 1,713 yards with 21 touchdowns, cementing himself as one of the Heisman front runners for 2015.

    Having watched TCU and Baylor battle for Big 12 supremacy last season, Oklahoma wants to take back what they believe is their rightful place atop the conference. To get back to that point, it might fall on the legs of Perine, who should be more than up to the task.

    Helping Oklahoma get back to the top of the conference –and the nation– would almost certainly land him that bronze statue.

    Dalvin Cook, Florida State

    While most of the Florida State focus last season was on a Heisman winner himself in Jameis Winston, there’s no question that Dalvin Cook may have been the MVP on offense last season as a true freshman. This running back out of the Miami area burst right onto the scene and let everyone know he’s for real, running for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

    This season as a seasoned sophomore, a lot will be asked of Cook in regards to carrying this offense most of the time. Sure, Everett Golson is an experienced starting quarterback that will more than likely be the starter in Tallahassee, but with the limited time he has to get the playbook down pat, Cook will be there a lot of times to help get the Seminoles out of some trouble.

    If Cook can help guide this Florida State team to an ACC title win, then he’ll have opened up the eyes of a lot of voters and would have a legitimate shot at winning Florida State’s second Heisman in three years.

    Nick Wilson, Arizona


    Much like Cook, Wilson more than stood out as a dominant freshman running back in 2014, meaning that he’ll be hungry for a lot more in 2015.

    As a freshman last season for Arizona, Wilson ran for an astounding 1,375 yards with 16 touchdowns in 13 games. Out of those 13 games, he ran for over 100 yards seven times.

    As anyone who watches the game of college football knows, the high-potent Rich Rodriguez offense thrives with a great running back at the helm and Wilson has that potential to be remembered as one of the greats.

    A lot will be asked out of Wilson this season in the Pac-12 for the Wildcats, but he showed last year that he’s more than ready to shoulder the load as a sophomore this season. If he can keep that weight on his shoulders, than he’ll end up hoisting the weight of the Heisman in New York City.

    Nick Chubb, Georgia


    When people talked about the Georgia Bulldogs going into last season, all of the talk centered around a running back, but it wasn’t Chubb, rather it was Todd Gurley. Well, by the time the season was over, Chubb had made sure that people would never forget about him again.

    With Gurley struggling with injuries again, Chubb stepped in as a true freshman and this athletic freak lit the world on fire. By the time all was said and done in the 2014 season, Chubb rushed for 1,547 yards on 219 carries with 14 touchdowns. Georgia fans slowly but surely started to realize that life without Gurley in Athens was not going to be as bad as they thought.

    This year with some questions at the quarterback position for the Bulldogs, Chubb will be asked to be that freak of nature once again. But if anyone is up to the task, it surely is this young man. This preseason there are a lot of folks that have Georgia pegged as a potential sleeper team in the SEC, and if they’re going to make an SEC run a reality, Chubb will more than likely be the main reason.

    If Nick Chubb can run Georgia to an SEC Championship, then he’ll probably be running home with the Heisman.

    Leonard Fournette, LSU


    Coming in as one of the most heralded recruits in some time last season, there were some that believed Fournette could win the Heisman as a true freshman. However, head coach Les Miles had other ideas, slowly easing his freshman phenom into the fold little by little. Splitting time with Kenny Hilliard, Fournette didn’t see as much time as people thought.

    But in 2015, it’s time for Miles to let the beast off the leash fully, and that could mean nothing but bad things for teams in the SEC, as well as other players looking to make a Heisman run.

    Even splitting time, Fournette still went over 1,000 yards as a true freshman, totaling 1,034 yards and throwing in 10 touchdowns for good measure. While he wasn’t the full-time back everyone wanted to see, we saw a glimpse of what was to come.

    With the quarterback spot as messy as it is in Baton Rouge at the moment, Fournette will be the engine that makes the LSU offense run. Considered the best college running back since Adrian Peterson, this is a responsibility that he’ll not only take on, but open up a lot of eyes in the process.

    Everyone who has watched this young man since his spectacular high school days would not be surprised one bit of Fournette was the one to take the Heisman home when the 2015 season comes to a close.

    Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State


    Then, there’s Ezekiel Elliott. Everyone learned who this young man was last season as he helped lead Ohio State on their improbable run towards the national championship. Torching his way through the defenses of both Alabama and Oregon, Elliott made sure that the first ever College Football Playoff trophy was going nowhere other than Columbus.

    On the season last year, Elliott nearly hit the 2,000 yard barrier, totaling 1,878 yards with 18 touchdowns. Putting in one of the best performances we’ve ever seen from an Ohio State back, Elliott made a late case that he was the best college football player in the land for 2014.

    By the time all is said and done in 2015, there might not be any denying this.

  2. #2
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    Re: College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    2009 was Alabama's NFL dud, correct? That was more a political choice than anything else. Oh noes, the great roll tider crimsons have never had a Heisman so we MUST give them one immediate to go with all of their crystal footballs... who's their top player? Mark Ingram? Eff it, we could do worse

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    Re: College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    Lots of real studs on that list - certainly Perine, Chubb, Elliott and Fournette qualify. It's hard to predict what kind of number Perine will put up this year with the change in offense and the potential to split more time with Mixon. Both LSU and UGA are power running teams, so Chubb and Fournette will get their chances if they can stay healthy (always a big if at RB). I thought Fournette doing the Heisman pose in an early game was a red flag on being self centered and not team oriented. We'll see if that was just a goofy freshman stunt. Perine has the perfect all American personality to win the hearts of voters if he is indeed a candidate.

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    Sooner All-Big XII-2-1+1-1+1 Sabanball's Avatar
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    Re: College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    I really like Perine but Derrick Henry should also get some consideration and I would think you guys would agree after his individual performance in the 2014 Sugar Bowl.
    Oklahoma will begin working with the Pacific Institute after the 2009 season.

    "(Oklahoma coach) Bob Stoops' words to me were, 'I want exactly what Alabama got,'" Institute instructor Antowaine Richardson said.

    The University of Alabama --All-Time leader with 10 AP NC's in the modern era and back-to-back AP NC's 3 times (64/65, 78/79, 11/12)

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    Re: College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    Quote Originally Posted by Sabanball View Post
    I really like Perine but Derrick Henry should also get some consideration and I would think you guys would agree after his individual performance in the 2014 Sugar Bowl.
    Only if Kiffin gives him more than a dozen touches a game.

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    Re: College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    Henry and Elliott are the 2 best from the ones I've seen, if they don't screw up or get hurt.
    Last edited by RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!; 7/2/2015 at 06:57 PM.
    Put a lid on it! Kiss it goodbye. We gave it away, and apparently thought it made sense to do so.

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    SoonerFans.com Elite Member King Crimson's Avatar
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    Re: College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    i like Perrine. i don't like an O based on him or that throws 50 times a game....and if we can't block anyone as usual when it matters with a legit front 7...than hooray, no way. his big game listed here was against Kansas. i like our guy. we can't block anyone for a while now.

    SP and I are the same Heisman candidate. no way we win enough games for the cosmetic trophy.

    Henry is good but if he was SO good to Bama fan in a game they lost to us, then why didn't he win it last year? Elliot is tough, LSU kid could blow up. that's the Les factor. i don't even know what that means, and that is the point.
    “someone's controlling the vibes!"--apache dropout

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    Re: College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    Quote Originally Posted by BoulderSooner79 View Post
    Only if Kiffin gives him more than a dozen touches a game.
    yeah, exactly.
    “someone's controlling the vibes!"--apache dropout

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    Re: College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    Considered the best college running back since Adrian Peterson
    Huh?

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    Re: College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    Quote Originally Posted by Sabanball View Post
    I really like Perine but Derrick Henry should also get some consideration and I would think you guys would agree after his individual performance in the 2014 Sugar Bowl.
    This is true. They're about a year and a half overdue to stop handing the ball to Yeldon.

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    Re: College football running backs poised for Heisman runs in 2015

    Quote Originally Posted by Eielson View Post
    This is true. They're about a year and a half overdue to stop handing the ball to Yeldon.
    Henry is a world class RB, whose skill has been sold very short by Saban, at least so far.
    Put a lid on it! Kiss it goodbye. We gave it away, and apparently thought it made sense to do so.

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