Oregon has a running back making a move on the Heisman!
Coming into the season, there were three running backs with a chance to with the Heisman. LSU’s Leonard Fournette, Georgia’s Nick Chubb, and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey led the way. But here in Week 2 of the college season, Royce Freeman of Oregon is among the running backs.
This is the first time in a while that there are more running backs than quarterbacks leading the way. The three running back candidates opened the season with strong performances. But in Week 2, Fournette and McCaffrey had the night off and Chubb had an off night.
So Freeman had an opportunity Saturday night to further solidify his candidacy among the running backs. And he took advantage with 21 carries, 207 yards and two TDs against Virginia. The highlight of his night was an 85 yard run near the end of the third quarter.
Packed with power at 5’11, 230 pounds, he showed he has the moves and speed of a scat-back. He also had 29 yards on two catches on the night and was solid in pass protection. Of course, those are the traits of a bell-cow back that you don’t take off the field.
And right now, those traits have him in contention for the Heisman Trophy. He also looks like he could go in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the other running backs. Freeman could even come off the board first among these running backs if he continues his stellar play.
Wouldn’t that be something?