SEC Heisman Hopefuls (Post Week 6)

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Oct 10, 2015; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) breaks a tackle by South Carolina Gamecocks linebacker Skai Moore (10) during the first quarter of a game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

1. Leonard Fournette

When reports first showed that the NCAA wouldn’t allow Leonard Fournette to auction his game jersey for charity to help the victims in South Carolina, the NCAA literally almost cave in itself from barrage of attacks of public opinion. The backtracked quickly, and my bleacher report notifications slowly subsided regarding the matter.

Other than that news, it was just another day at the office. Surprisingly, South Carolina had him bottled up at first to start the game, and then he rattled off an 87 yard touchdown run, and that was that. He finished the day with 20 carries for 158 yards and a touchdown. This game brought his ypc average down to 8.2 yards for the year. I laughed out loud typing that because it just seems so unreal.

Reality could hit this weekend though as the Florida Gators come to town. They are easily the best front seven LSU has seen all year, and with signs of mortality against South Carolina, people are eager to see how he performs against a top tier offense. Even with a bad game, Fournette has done enough to prevent any major fall out from this game in relation to his Heisman candidacy. However, the easy road is behind him. LSU still has games against Ole Miss, Alabama, and Arkansas after their tilt against UF. They’re “easy game” comes against an upstart Western Kentucky team that will not go quietly. Can Fournette keep it up? I think his numbers may come back down to earth, but I cannot think of a player in the country, much less any player in the SEC, that is even relatively close to matching the type of energy currently surrounding Leonard Fournette. For now, there is Leonard Fournette, and then there is everybody else.

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