For several preseason Heisman frontrunners, Week 1 offered an opportunity to pad stats against the sport's have-nots. And most happily obliged at the quarterback and wide receiver positions for title contenders. That's part of the battle in the Heisman picture -- occupying the leading role for a blockbuster team.
New Heisman odds leader Darian Mensah (+650 Heisman odds) was a magician during Mimai's beatdown of Stanford, finishing 27-of-30 for a career-high 401 yards and five touchdowns. Mensah set program-best marks for passing yards and touchdowns in a debut. "His skill set really fits what we do," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.
"His ability to read the field and his ability to digest concepts and to continue to evolve is really, really impressive. Sky's the limit." Updated Heisman odds courtesy of FanDuel. Quarterbacks who can execute what's called with precision are a dream for offensive coordinators.
Mensah, Arch Manning at Texas (+1100), Ole Miss star Trinidad Chambliss (+1100) and Ohio State's Julian Sayin (+1300) all answered the call at a high level in Week 1 with eye-popping numbers. Three of those signal callers were performing with a new playcaller for the first time. Ohio State hired Arthur Smith away from the NFL this offseason, while Miami signed Mensah as a transfer from and Ole Miss landed ECU's John David Baker after Charlie Weis Jr. bolted to LSU.
Only Chambliss played a ranked opponent, and the Rebels needed his best during a 41-38 win over Louisville. Chambliss led the game-winning drive in the waning seconds. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith's (+1100) eight-catch, 151-yard and multiple-touchdown showing came in the first half.
That was by design, according to Ryan Day, who kept his top player on the sideline after intermission in prep for Texas in Week 2. We knew Malachi Toney was a stud after last season's record-setting freshman showing at Miami. Now, the uncoverable wide receiver for the Hurricanes has launched his Heisman campaign after a night to remember on The Farm against Stanford.
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