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09/05 16:43 CDT Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Miami's Malachi Toney already
producing Heisman-caliber performances
Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Miami's Malachi Toney already producing
Heisman-caliber performances
By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer
Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Miami's Malachi Toney have wasted no time
launching their respective Heisman Trophy campaigns.
Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the first half
alone as No. 1 Ohio State opened its season with a 56-3 blowout of Ball State
on Saturday. Smith celebrated his second touchdown by doing a Heisman pose.
One night earlier, Toney performed a similar celebration during his
three-touchdown performance in the seventh-ranked Hurricanes' 45-6 victory at
Stanford. Toney set a school single-game record with 234 yards receiving.
Smith was a first-team selection and Toney was a second-team pick on last
year's Associated Press All-America team. The AP's preseason All-America team
this summer had both as first-team receivers along with Texas' Cam Coleman.
Now they're showing they're among the top players in the land, regardless of
position.
They faced off in last year's College Football Playoff. Smith had better
numbers that night --- catching seven passes for 157 yards and a touchdown ---
but Toney's Hurricanes advanced with a 24-14 Cotton Bowl quarterfinal victory
over the Buckeyes.
There could be another matchup in this season's playoff, given how dominant
both Ohio State and Miami looked in their respective openers.
But the star receivers could be meeting in New York for the Heisman ceremony
well before then.
Hoosiers open title defense No. 6 Indiana's new faces helped the defending national champions roll to a 52-16 victory over North Texas in their opener. Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover went 13 of 16 for 231 yards with four touchdowns in his first game stepping in for Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard scored twice and Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh got the Hoosiers' first touchdown with a one-handed grab. One sign of concern for Indiana is that a defense that allowed the second-fewest points per game of any FBS team last year struggled to slow down North Texas, which had to overhaul its roster after former Mean Green coach Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State and took most of his weapons with him.
Heisman Trophy watch Smith, Toney and Hoover weren't the only notable players delivering noteworthy performances this weekend. --- Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, went 21 of 25 for 320 yards with three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown. --- Miami QB Darian Mensah, who led Duke to an Atlantic Coast Conference title last year, threw five touchdown passes in his first game with his new team. --- South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers was 19 of 23 for 270 yards with three touchdowns in a 57-0 victory over Kent State. --- Southern California QB Jayden Maiava, the reigning AP national player of the week, went 25 of 29 for 286 yards with two touchdown passes in a 39-0 win over Fresno State on Friday night. Maiava has thrown five touchdown passes and six incompletions through No. 14 USC's first two games of the season. --- Maybe it's too soon to put Pitt QB Mason Heintschel on this list, but he set an Atlantic Coast Conference single-game record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a 59-14 rout of Miami (Ohio). He went 31 of 41 for 459 yards.
Get to know these guys These freshmen made major impacts in their college debuts. --- Nebraska's Jamal Rule rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and caught two passes for 47 yards and another score in the Cornhuskers' 49-21 win over Ohio. --- Syracuse's Shavane Anderson Jr. ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns in a 66-3 blowout of New Hampshire. That game also featured a notable comeback by Syracuse QB Steve Angeli, who threw three touchdown passes in his first appearance since tearing his Achilles tendon in a victory over Clemson last year.
The elephant in the room Clemson at No. 11 LSU on Saturday night was always going to be a showcase game. Two teams that went 7-6 last season trying to get back in the national championship mix (LSU winning in 2019 and Clemson in 2018 seems so long ago), two outspoken coaches in Dabo Swinney and LSU's expensive new hire, Lane Kiffin. The game took on a lot more meaning when the NCAA's new eligibility rules blew up in courtrooms all over the country and LSU made no secret of its interest in bringing back not just fifth-year players who went to court but players who had signed professional contracts. This issue lingered late into the week, including the surreal spectacle of the SEC battling LSU in multiple courtrooms. LSU eventually decided against placing onetime pros Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris on its roster in advance of its season opener.
Wait, there's more! The Sunday lineup includes a weirdly early Apple Cup between No. 17 Washington and Washington State before prime-time showdowns: No. 4 Notre Dame against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and No. 9 Mississippi against No. 24 Louisville in Nashville, Tennessee. The Labor Day capper sees Mike Norvell and Florida State hosting No. 19 SMU and dynamic quarterback Kevin Jennings. The next AP Top 25 rankings to sort it all out will be released Tuesday. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here
Hoosiers open title defense No. 6 Indiana's new faces helped the defending national champions roll to a 52-16 victory over North Texas in their opener. Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover went 13 of 16 for 231 yards with four touchdowns in his first game stepping in for Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard scored twice and Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh got the Hoosiers' first touchdown with a one-handed grab. One sign of concern for Indiana is that a defense that allowed the second-fewest points per game of any FBS team last year struggled to slow down North Texas, which had to overhaul its roster after former Mean Green coach Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State and took most of his weapons with him.
Heisman Trophy watch Smith, Toney and Hoover weren't the only notable players delivering noteworthy performances this weekend. --- Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, went 21 of 25 for 320 yards with three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown. --- Miami QB Darian Mensah, who led Duke to an Atlantic Coast Conference title last year, threw five touchdown passes in his first game with his new team. --- South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers was 19 of 23 for 270 yards with three touchdowns in a 57-0 victory over Kent State. --- Southern California QB Jayden Maiava, the reigning AP national player of the week, went 25 of 29 for 286 yards with two touchdown passes in a 39-0 win over Fresno State on Friday night. Maiava has thrown five touchdown passes and six incompletions through No. 14 USC's first two games of the season. --- Maybe it's too soon to put Pitt QB Mason Heintschel on this list, but he set an Atlantic Coast Conference single-game record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a 59-14 rout of Miami (Ohio). He went 31 of 41 for 459 yards.
Get to know these guys These freshmen made major impacts in their college debuts. --- Nebraska's Jamal Rule rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and caught two passes for 47 yards and another score in the Cornhuskers' 49-21 win over Ohio. --- Syracuse's Shavane Anderson Jr. ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns in a 66-3 blowout of New Hampshire. That game also featured a notable comeback by Syracuse QB Steve Angeli, who threw three touchdown passes in his first appearance since tearing his Achilles tendon in a victory over Clemson last year.
The elephant in the room Clemson at No. 11 LSU on Saturday night was always going to be a showcase game. Two teams that went 7-6 last season trying to get back in the national championship mix (LSU winning in 2019 and Clemson in 2018 seems so long ago), two outspoken coaches in Dabo Swinney and LSU's expensive new hire, Lane Kiffin. The game took on a lot more meaning when the NCAA's new eligibility rules blew up in courtrooms all over the country and LSU made no secret of its interest in bringing back not just fifth-year players who went to court but players who had signed professional contracts. This issue lingered late into the week, including the surreal spectacle of the SEC battling LSU in multiple courtrooms. LSU eventually decided against placing onetime pros Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris on its roster in advance of its season opener.
Wait, there's more! The Sunday lineup includes a weirdly early Apple Cup between No. 17 Washington and Washington State before prime-time showdowns: No. 4 Notre Dame against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and No. 9 Mississippi against No. 24 Louisville in Nashville, Tennessee. The Labor Day capper sees Mike Norvell and Florida State hosting No. 19 SMU and dynamic quarterback Kevin Jennings. The next AP Top 25 rankings to sort it all out will be released Tuesday. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here
