The college football regular season has come to an end, but many are still speculating as to who will win the most coveted award in college football, the Heisman Trophy. Alabama running back Derrick Henry has separated himself from the pack down the stretch of this season, and barring a huge disappointment in the SEC Championship game against the Florida Gators. is almost a certain lock to win the award.
Henry's 271-yard rushing game against in-state rival Auburn this past Saturday was just the exclamation point on a phenomenal season. The Crimson Tide are currently ranked second in the College Football Playoff poll, and a win over Florida this Saturday will guarantee them a chance to play for a National Championship. Henry has rushed for 1,797 yards with 22 touchdowns this season, and accounts for over 50 percent of Alabama's offensive touchdowns.
While Alabama's defense is arguably the best in the country, and is a major factor as to why they currently rank second in the nation, they clearly would not be the same team without Henry in the backfield. The case can be made that no other player has as much of an impact on their respective team as Henry has on Alabama.
The junior running back opens holes for the entire offense, and alleviates pressure on quarterback Jake Coker. Opposing defenses have to commit to the run when Henry lines up behind the quarterback, which opens holes down the field for the Crimson Tide's passing attack. Tackling Henry is a team effort, and multiple times this season audiences across the nation have seem him shed tacklers as if they were nothing.
At the beginning of the season Leonard Fournette was the clear frontrunner for the Heisman award, but has slowed down in the final games of, including a 31-yard rushing game against Alabama. The Tigers star running back is only a sophomore, and left Heisman voters with something to think about after rushing for 159 yards and a touchdown against Texas A&M this past weekend. Fournette though, is not the only player to be in the discussion with Henry for the Heisman, as Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield have moved themselves into the conversation.
Mayfield has jumped in headfirst with great play down the stretch of this season. Mayfield led the Sooners to a Big 12 championship this past Saturday, and has thrown for 3,389 yards with 35 touchdowns to just five interceptions. The Sooners quarterback is clearly in the discussion, but there is still a large gap between him and Henry.
Watson has already been named the ACC player of the year, and has led an undefeated Clemson team to the top overall spot in the College Football Playoff poll. The Tigers' dual-threat quarterback has thrown for 3,223 yards and rushed for 756 yards. Watson has accounted for 36 touchdowns for Clemson's offense, but has struggled with turnovers and has 10 interceptions on the year. Watson will likely need a huge game against North Carolina this weekend in the ACC Championship game if he wants to be a legitimate threat to Henry's Heisman chances.
While Mayfield and Watson have put up some incredible numbers this season, it has to be remembered those numbers came against Big 12 and ACC defenses. Henry leads all of college football in rushing yards, and has continually been dominant against SEC defenses. Heisman voters will be watching Henry closely this weekend, but outside of a terrible performance and a loss to the Gators, he likely is just putting the icing on the cake for his remarkable Heisman season.
