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As Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter headline the two Heisman trophy finalists, the Boise State running back has his case as to why he deserves to be in. Jeanty’s 2,497 yards this season places him fourth all-time in single-season rushing yards behind Barry Sanders, Melvin Gordon, and Kevin Smith. His 29 touchdowns this season tie him for sixth all-time in a season. Jeanty spoke on The Edge with Micah Parsons and justified why he believes he should bring home the premier college trophy.
“You go week by week, you watch the film, by Week 4, I wasn’t seeing anything less than an 8-man box,” Jeanty said. “So that means the whole defense, every single week, is geared towards stopping me, and they still couldn’t. Some may have slowed me down, but I won’t even say that because, in some games, I didn’t play my best, which is human nature.
“I just feel like there’s that, and people want to talk about other conferences. Okay, whatever. But when I played in ranked games against ranked teams, I put up big numbers against them and proved that it doesn’t matter who I’m playing against, I’m a great player on the field.”
One of the biggest arguments against Jeanty and Boise State football as a whole was their conference. The Broncos are in the Mountain West Conference, still Division I, but not a Power 4 school. As a result, it's diminished Jeanty's case by some. However, numbers are numbers, and wins are wins. Boise State football only lost one game, which was against Oregon. Not to mention, it was a three-point loss in Week 2.
Ashton Jeanty's Heisman season helped Boise State football secure a CFP bid
In that game, Jeanty rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns. That put the entire college football world on notice. After that, the Broncos won 10 straight, including their conference championship against UNLV. Again, Jeanty had 209 yards and a touchdown, which was highlighted by a 75-yard dart to the endzone. The numbers are great, but Jeanty believes his consideration should be worth more than his production.
“Just for us to win the conference and not only that but make history and bring Boise State to their first-ever playoff appearance, I mean, there you go,” Jeanty said. “That was the final checked box.”
Hunter will compete with Jeanty for the top spot after Hunter made history of his own. He played both wide receiver and defensive back. Regardless, Boise State football is in the College Football Playoff and has a shot to win the National Championship, with Jeanty leading the way.
