Barry Sanders put together a Heisman Trophy-winning season in 1988. To this day, the rate at the level of the general itself.
Near the middle of the 2024 season, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is putting up numbers quickly to challenge the legendary Sanders.
BSU shared a graphic on its social media channels that offered a side-by-side comparison of Oklahoma State’s No. Jeanty had 1,031 yards on 95 carries with 16 touchdowns.
It’s not a one-to-one comparison. Sanders also returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns over the Cowboys’ first two games. However, the context of Jeanty’s performance makes the start of 2024 unique.
Jeanty’s eye-popping stats are produced during competitive games. He was never there when the game was out of reach. He hasn’t carried the ball more than 26 times in any of Boise State’s five games and spent much of the third and fourth quarters on the sideline in blowouts against Portland State and Utah State.
Coach Spencer Danielson could choose to put up more impressive stats for the star running back, but Jeanty’s role for the Broncos is more important than just impressing award voters.
“Ashton Jeanty is the best player in the country,” Danielson said after the Broncos’ 62-30 loss to Utah State in the Mountain West Conference opener on Oct. 5. added, “I’m proud that all the other guys stepped up. When (the opposing defense) opened up the box, (crosser Maddux Madsen) was able to get the ball to the playmaker.
The result is a balance that always defends-including No. 3-ranked Oregon-off balance. Boise State scores more than 50 points per game, No. 1 in the country.
Jeanty’s collective team output and contributions are even more impressive considering the Broncos’ offensive line is without starters and preseason All-MW honorees Mason Randolph and Roger Carreon.
This context adds another layer to Jeanty’s Heisman candidacy. Averaging more than 206 yards per game, Jeanty surpassed Rashaad Penny’s Mountain West rushing record of 2,248 yards gained in 2017—and did so in fewer games.
With 2,475 total yards through 12 games based on his current output, Jeanty will have regular season rushing numbers not seen since Marcus Allen in 1981 and Sanders in 1988 (2,342 and 2,628 yards, respectively, in 11 games).
Like Sanders, who received 559 first-place votes to Rodney Peete’s 70 in 1988, Allen is a runaway Heisman winner. He finished with 441 votes in first place to winner Herschel Walker’s 152.
Sanders and Allen also won the Heisman in an era that, frankly, shows more respect. It’s been nearly a decade since Derrick Henry was the last football player to win football’s highest individual award.
Of course, the historically significant production made Jeanty the talk of the town. But how can he overcome the dual handicap of playing a program outside the autonomous conference and playing a position that is often underestimated at the ballot box?
Well, Week 6 offers a template for at least one necessary step in the blueprint: Jeanty needs to be the frontrunners of the power conference to suffer a high-profile stumble.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe became an early Heisman favorite with his performance in a win over Georgia, but a loss the following week to Vanderbilt stunted his odds. Both Colorado sensation Travis Hunter and Miami quarterback Cam Ward entered Week 7 looking like top contenders.
Hunter’s candidacy depends on the total number of snaps from playing on both sides of the ball. The possibility of long seasons in which he continues to perform at a high level is simply not profitable due to natural attrition.
There’s a lot of football left, so maybe there will be another front-runner. However, if the race comes to Ward and Jeanty, there is another step for Boise State running back to consider, based on the last Heisman race star Miami quarterback and non-conference power running back.
In 1992, Gino Torretta beat San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk for the prize, as the Hurricanes beat the Aztecs. The result of that game—a 63-17 romp for The U—was less significant than Faulk missing the marquee showdown with a sprained knee.
As basic as it seems, there is a line of coaches that fit Jeanty’s Heisman road map: availability is the best ability. Staying healthy and staying ahead of Boise State’s pursuit of a College Football Playoff spot is paramount — and by the way, Danielson’s decision not to pile on Jeanty’s unnecessary workload in order to complete the more important stat sheet for the Heisman case is behind him. in a long time.
The last and perhaps most obvious step for Jeanty is to continue producing. Continuing as fast as Sanders meant Jeanty had to do more, as Barry had three regular-season games of 312 yards or more in the back half of Oklahoma State’s 1988 season.
That’s the highest standard Jeanty wants to live up to — the highest, if you consider Sanders’ ’88 sports gold standard. But until now, No.
