Name: 3952/University House Leasing O; Width: 60p0; Depth: 2 in; Color: Process color, 3952/University House Leasing O; Ad Number: 3952

1

PREMIER STUDENT

APARTMENTS N O W L E A S I N G F O R 2 0 1 6

U N I V E R S I T Y H O U S E . C O M

Friday, September 18, 2015

DOUBLE COVERAGE

presents

page 5

A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

2

EDITOR’S NOTETexas redshirt freshman quarterback Jerrod Heard revitalized a stagnant Longhorn offense with his first collegiate start. His 120 passing yards, two touchdowns and 96 rushing yards alongside two big plays from a Daje Johnson punt return and a fumble return from Malik Jefferson helped Texas defeat Rice 42-28. With a tough California team coming to Austin, the Longhorns have a golden opportunity to show they’ve improved.

Writers:Claire CruzJori EpsteinJason EpsteinJillian Kushner

Double Coverage Editor...................................Nick CastilloDesign Editor..................................................Iliana StorchPhoto Editor......................................................Amy ZhangCopy Editor.............................................Blanche SchaeferCover Photo............................................Graeme Hamilton

Vol. 10, Issue 4 Friday, September 18, 2015

DOUBLE COVERAGE

presents

2 Friday, September 18, 2015

Texas wins if…Special teams plays like it did against Rice. Special

teams has not been a strong suit for Texas in recent years, but there was a notable difference in the 42-28 win. Senior wide receiver Daje Johnson returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. Texas was actually able to move the ball on kickoffs and punts, which is far from ordinary. If Johnson is able to make big returns again this weekend against Cal, Texas will be hard to stop. Even if the Longhorns are unable to score big, special teams could save the game.

The defense can force turnovers. Aside from special teams, turnovers won the game for Texas. Rice had five turnovers compared to Texas’ one. One fumble led to freshman linebacker Malik Jefferson scooping up the ball and running it in for six. These are the plays Texas needs, especially if the offense is unable to be explosive. However, Texas must capitalize on these turnovers — Jefferson’s fumble recovery was the only turnover that resulted in any points against Rice.

Jerrod Heard is the quarterback. Saturday’s game made a statement — this is Texas’ quarterback. Was Heard amazing? No. Did he get the job done? Yes. He got the win, which is all that matters. Heard was 4-7 with 120 yards and two touchdowns. What is con-cerning is that there were only seven pass attempts — Texas needs to get going offensively. Of those 120 yards, 69 yards came on one play. Once again, senior running back Johnathan Gray only had nine carries for 17 yards. Heard’s offense seems to be the answer for Texas.

SCENARIOSBy Jillian Kushner

@illiankushner

Rachel Zein | Daily Texan StaffYoung Texas fans cheer for the Longhorns during the Texas v. Rice game. Texas won 42-28.

FRAMES featured photo thedailytexan

Jacob MartellaAkshay Mirchandani

Blanche SchaeferEzra Siegel

Aaron Torres

Texas loses if…The stat line stays the same. On paper, Texas

should have lost to Rice. The Owls had 462 total yards compared to Texas’ 277. Rice had 30 first downs compared to Texas’ 11. Rice had the ball for 44 minutes and Texas only had it for 16 minutes. How did Texas come away with this win? The only answer in the stats is the turnovers. Texas must do better numbers-wise. It is shocking that Texas had 42 points with so few total yards and first downs. Against Cal, this type of play might not fly and could lead to a Texas loss.

3

Friday, September 18, 2015 3

By Akshay Mirchandani@amirchandani41

KEYS TO THE GAME R E C Y C L E ♲ AFTER READING YOUR COPY

MAKE IT EASY ON HEARDRedshirt freshman quarterback Jerrod

Heard got the start for Texas against Rice and didn’t disappoint, completing 4 of 7 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for 96 yards.

Heard is going to be tested this week against California, a team that is No. 5 in the Pac-12 in total defense, making it crucial that the Longhorns make it easy on him.

That means taking the pressure off with big plays on special teams, like senior wide receiver Daje Johnson’s punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter against Rice. Or freshman linebacker Malik Jeffer-son recovering a fumble and returning for a touchdown. Those are the kinds of plays that take the pressure off a young quarter-back like Heard.

Heard is a talented and electric player, but he’s not a quarterback that’s going to go out and win a game by himself at this stage. He’s going to need help from the players around him, especially against California.

MORE GREAT SPECIAL TEAMSLost in all the excitement about

Heard was how good special teams was on Saturday.

Johnson’s aforementioned touchdown punt return gave the Longhorns a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The senior ended up with

119 punt return yards and took home Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Senior cornerback Duke Thomas had a 56-yard punt return later in the first quar-ter that put Texas on the Rice six-yard line, and senior running back Johnathan Gray punched the ball in to go up 21-0.

If Johnson goes back to being a dangerous guy in the return game, it adds another di-mension to the Longhorns. Big plays on spe-cial teams spark other parts of the team, and Texas is going to need another nice showing from that unit if it hopes to beat California.

DEFENSE NEEDS TO SHOW UPTexas actually did a decent job of putting

pressure on the Rice offense. The problem was that the Longhorns couldn’t finish plays.

Head coach Charlie Strong said in his Monday press conference that Texas missed eight sacks against Rice. The team simply couldn’t get off the field, and Rice took ad-vantage, piling up 462 yards of total offense.

That’s not going to fly against California. The Golden Bears have the No. 1 pass of-fense and No. 2 scoring offense in the Pac-12. That’s thanks to junior quarterback Jared Goff, who has passed for 315 yards per game, six touchdowns and two interceptions.

Texas has to make those big plays on defense, or California and Goff will carve them up.

Rachel Zein | Daily Texan StaffRedshirt freshman Jerrod Heard runs past Rice’s defense on Saturday. Heard ran for 96 yards in his collegiate debut against the Owls.

4 Friday, September 18, 2015 5

Texas’ freshman class has a certain swagger. The talented young group talks a big game, and they bring it, too — freshman corner-back Kris Boyd epitomizes his class’ swagger and confidence. His teammates emphasize that it doesn’t matter whether it’s practice or game time, Boyd makes his presence felt with both his mouth and his play.

“[Boyd] has a ton of confidence,” junior defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway said. “He is one of those dudes you are going to have to watch. He is an energy dude, just like Peter [Jinkens]. They are one in the same breed. They are always talking. They are always bringing juice.”

With his attitude, Boyd brings a crucial element to the Long-horns’ locker room. In the midst of a long-term rebuild, Texas will have its ups and downs. The players have emphasized that the team was emotionally let down when things went wrong last year, and that the negativity yielded problems on the field. If Boyd’s en-ergy and positivity prove contagious, the Longhorns are less likely to fall victim to the same emotionally-driven fate. While Boyd is not listed as a starter and only plays limited downs, he’s shown a knack for making his playing time count. He was one of the few sparks in Texas’ season opening loss at Notre Dame, as he and fellow freshman linebacker Breckyn Hager made multiple big hits while covering punts on special teams.

“Boyd was unbelievable in the kicking game,” head coach Char-lie Strong said following the loss. “The thing about him is on the

kickoff I have these two guys who are going to be really great play-ers here.”

Boyd saw more opportunities against Rice and made an even bigger impact. He registered two tackles, but made one of the game’s biggest plays while laying a massive hit on Owls’ redshirt senior quarterback Driphus Jackson, which led to a fumble re-turned for a touchdown. Following the big play, there was no sur-prise when he let his teammates know about it.

“You see Boyd, he comes over to the sideline, he makes a mem-ory when on Malik [Jefferson]’s touchdown, he hits the guy, blows the guy up on the option, and he just runs over to the sideline and puts on his act,” Strong said.

While Boyd has been eased into playing time so far, he has no shortage of potential. Standing at six feet tall, he has the size to cover taller receivers and the athleticism to stick with speedsters and pure route runners. Most importantly, he believes in his skills and itches for more opportunities, despite still needing improvement.

“He’s a guy who believes he should start, which I love,” defensive coordinator Vance Bedford said. “That’s what you want in a de-fensive back — he wants to be out there. He’s going through some learning curves right now ... it’s on-the-job training.”

Boyd has already made a name for himself in his first two games, but he’s just one of many in Texas’ talented freshman class. Alongside other freshman stars, like linebacker Malik Jefferson and cornerback Holton Hill, Boyd has the chance to lift Texas’ de-fense back to a dominant level in the coming years. For now, he’s focused on bringing energy and making plays when his number is called.

Golden Bears provide opportunity for Texas

By Ezra Siegel@SiegelEzra

An air of change swept through Texas when it beat Rice 42-28.An unfilled Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium

crowd rose to its feet when redshirt freshman quarterback Jer-rod Heard took the field for his first start. He threw for 120 yards, two touchdowns and added 96 yards on the ground. The same crowd cheered as senior wide receiver Daje Johnson re-turned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown.

After a disappointing 38-3 opening game loss to Notre Dame, momentum swung in the Longhorns’ favor with the win over the Owls, despite the narrow margin of victory.

“I think it gives us definitely a good momentum for the team,” Heard said. “It was good for both sides of the ball, too, and just for the team, period. It was a great feeling. I think the guys like that feeling. We’re going to try to get another one this weekend.”

Texas has a chance to build off its much-needed win when California and its highly touted quarterback Jared Goff come to Austin. Goff enters into the game with 630 passing yards and six touchdowns in two games. Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong said the team will have to be consistent on all facets of the game to stop Goff and the Golden Bears.

“What you have to look at, too, you can play a really good opponent and we have to be ready to go play,” Strong said. “Cal is a little different than Rice. They’re going to be up-tempo, they score a lot of points. If we do give up the points, can we go match the score? That’s going to be key. Offensively, can we go down and match it?”

Containing California’s offense will be difficult, as the Long-horns’ defense has struggled in their first two games. Texas’ defense has given up an average of 494.5 yards per game and is ranked No. 114 in total defense. The Golden Bears are the Longhorns’ final non-conference opponent, and freshman Ma-lik Jefferson said he and his teammates want to make a state-ment before Big 12 play.

“This is going to be a challenge for us, especially as a de-fense,” Jefferson said. “This team likes to throw the ball. They’re very different than most teams we played so far. Now we really have to focus this week on the passing game, linebackers being ready for running, the O-line getting sacks.”

Although California provides a difficult challenge, the Long-horns are riding on their momentum and believe Saturday’s game is a golden opportunity to keep their season moving in a positive direction.

“The biggest thing, like I said, we have a lot of talented guys and we have a lot of potential,” junior offensive tackle Kent Per-kins said. “When everyone is on the same page, good things happen. If we stay on the same page, if the offense stays on the field, a lot of good things are going to happen this year.”

By Nick Castillo@Nick_Castillo74

Boyd brings swagger to Longhorns

Graeme Hamilton | Daily Texan StaffFreshman cornerback Kris Boyd defends a punt in Texas’ 42-28 win. The cornerback from Gilmer has brought swag-ger and confidence as he and the freshman class look to help the Longhorns improve in 2015.

Rachel Zein | Daily Texan Staff

4 Friday, September 18, 2015 5

Texas’ freshman class has a certain swagger. The talented young group talks a big game, and they bring it, too — freshman corner-back Kris Boyd epitomizes his class’ swagger and confidence. His teammates emphasize that it doesn’t matter whether it’s practice or game time, Boyd makes his presence felt with both his mouth and his play.

“[Boyd] has a ton of confidence,” junior defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway said. “He is one of those dudes you are going to have to watch. He is an energy dude, just like Peter [Jinkens]. They are one in the same breed. They are always talking. They are always bringing juice.”

With his attitude, Boyd brings a crucial element to the Long-horns’ locker room. In the midst of a long-term rebuild, Texas will have its ups and downs. The players have emphasized that the team was emotionally let down when things went wrong last year, and that the negativity yielded problems on the field. If Boyd’s en-ergy and positivity prove contagious, the Longhorns are less likely to fall victim to the same emotionally-driven fate. While Boyd is not listed as a starter and only plays limited downs, he’s shown a knack for making his playing time count. He was one of the few sparks in Texas’ season opening loss at Notre Dame, as he and fellow freshman linebacker Breckyn Hager made multiple big hits while covering punts on special teams.

“Boyd was unbelievable in the kicking game,” head coach Char-lie Strong said following the loss. “The thing about him is on the

kickoff I have these two guys who are going to be really great play-ers here.”

Boyd saw more opportunities against Rice and made an even bigger impact. He registered two tackles, but made one of the game’s biggest plays while laying a massive hit on Owls’ redshirt senior quarterback Driphus Jackson, which led to a fumble re-turned for a touchdown. Following the big play, there was no sur-prise when he let his teammates know about it.

“You see Boyd, he comes over to the sideline, he makes a mem-ory when on Malik [Jefferson]’s touchdown, he hits the guy, blows the guy up on the option, and he just runs over to the sideline and puts on his act,” Strong said.

While Boyd has been eased into playing time so far, he has no shortage of potential. Standing at six feet tall, he has the size to cover taller receivers and the athleticism to stick with speedsters and pure route runners. Most importantly, he believes in his skills and itches for more opportunities, despite still needing improvement.

“He’s a guy who believes he should start, which I love,” defensive coordinator Vance Bedford said. “That’s what you want in a de-fensive back — he wants to be out there. He’s going through some learning curves right now ... it’s on-the-job training.”

Boyd has already made a name for himself in his first two games, but he’s just one of many in Texas’ talented freshman class. Alongside other freshman stars, like linebacker Malik Jefferson and cornerback Holton Hill, Boyd has the chance to lift Texas’ de-fense back to a dominant level in the coming years. For now, he’s focused on bringing energy and making plays when his number is called.

Golden Bears provide opportunity for Texas

By Ezra Siegel@SiegelEzra

An air of change swept through Texas when it beat Rice 42-28.An unfilled Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium

crowd rose to its feet when redshirt freshman quarterback Jer-rod Heard took the field for his first start. He threw for 120 yards, two touchdowns and added 96 yards on the ground. The same crowd cheered as senior wide receiver Daje Johnson re-turned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown.

After a disappointing 38-3 opening game loss to Notre Dame, momentum swung in the Longhorns’ favor with the win over the Owls, despite the narrow margin of victory.

“I think it gives us definitely a good momentum for the team,” Heard said. “It was good for both sides of the ball, too, and just for the team, period. It was a great feeling. I think the guys like that feeling. We’re going to try to get another one this weekend.”

Texas has a chance to build off its much-needed win when California and its highly touted quarterback Jared Goff come to Austin. Goff enters into the game with 630 passing yards and six touchdowns in two games. Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong said the team will have to be consistent on all facets of the game to stop Goff and the Golden Bears.

“What you have to look at, too, you can play a really good opponent and we have to be ready to go play,” Strong said. “Cal is a little different than Rice. They’re going to be up-tempo, they score a lot of points. If we do give up the points, can we go match the score? That’s going to be key. Offensively, can we go down and match it?”

Containing California’s offense will be difficult, as the Long-horns’ defense has struggled in their first two games. Texas’ defense has given up an average of 494.5 yards per game and is ranked No. 114 in total defense. The Golden Bears are the Longhorns’ final non-conference opponent, and freshman Ma-lik Jefferson said he and his teammates want to make a state-ment before Big 12 play.

“This is going to be a challenge for us, especially as a de-fense,” Jefferson said. “This team likes to throw the ball. They’re very different than most teams we played so far. Now we really have to focus this week on the passing game, linebackers being ready for running, the O-line getting sacks.”

Although California provides a difficult challenge, the Long-horns are riding on their momentum and believe Saturday’s game is a golden opportunity to keep their season moving in a positive direction.

“The biggest thing, like I said, we have a lot of talented guys and we have a lot of potential,” junior offensive tackle Kent Per-kins said. “When everyone is on the same page, good things happen. If we stay on the same page, if the offense stays on the field, a lot of good things are going to happen this year.”

By Nick Castillo@Nick_Castillo74

Boyd brings swagger to Longhorns

Graeme Hamilton | Daily Texan StaffFreshman cornerback Kris Boyd defends a punt in Texas’ 42-28 win. The cornerback from Gilmer has brought swag-ger and confidence as he and the freshman class look to help the Longhorns improve in 2015.

Rachel Zein | Daily Texan Staff

66 Friday, September 18, 2015TEXAN STAFF PICKS

OverallRecord

Auburnvs. LSU

South Carolina vs. Georgia

Cal vs. Texas

Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame

CLAIRE CRUZ

BLANCHE SCHAEFER

NICK CASTILLO

EZRA SIEGEL

JORI EPSTEIN

AKSHAYMIRCHANDANI

JILLIANKUSHNER

JACOB MARTELLA

AARON TORRES

8-2

Cal35-27

JASONEPSTEIN

9-1 7-3 8-2 8-2 8-2 9-1 8-2 7-3 8-2Last WeeksRecord

Texas Tech vs. Arkansas

Ole Miss vs. Alabama

BYU vs. UCLA

Florida St. vs. Boston College

Iowa St.vs. Toledo

Nebraska vs. Miami

Cal31-17

Texas31-28

Cal45-28

Texas35-32

Texas35-34

Cal35-21

Cal38-31

Cal38-27

Cal30-21

LSU

15-5 16-4 15-5 15-5 16-4 17-3 16-4 15-5 15-5 17-3

LSULSU LSU LSU LSU LSU LSU LSU LSU

Georgia Tech Georgia TechGeorgia Tech Notre Dame Notre Dame Georgia Tech Notre Dame Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Notre Dame

Georgia GeorgiaGeorgia Georgia Georgia Georgia Georgia Georgia Georgia Georgia

Texas Tech ArkansasTexas Tech Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas Arkansas Texas Tech Arkansas Arkansas

Ole Miss AlabamaAlabama Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama

UCLA UCLAUCLA BYU UCLA BYU UCLA BYU UCLA UCLA

Boston College Florida St. Florida St. Florida St. Florida St. Florida St. Florida St. Florida St. Florida St. Florida St.

Toledo Iowa St.Toledo Iowa St. Iowa St. Toledo Toledo Iowa St. Toledo Iowa St.

Nebraska NebraskaMiami Nebraska Miami Nebraska Miami Miami Miami Miami

Before the Golden Bears suit up for practice, he’s there. Af-ter practice, when it’s time to read textbooks and solve math problems, he’s still there.

He’s in the weight room be-fore anyone else, and he’s there when everyone has left.

He was recruited by Cali-fornia before coaches, play-ers and fans knew what he would become.

After more than three years in the Golden State -- playing for the Golden Bears – senior running back Daniel Lasco re-turns to his home state to play the team that didn’t even re-cruit him.

“Anytime you go home and you’ve got people that are go-ing to be there that you know that are family and stuff, it makes it a little bit more spe-cial,” said offensive coordina-tor and running backs coach Tony Franklin. “I’m sure it’s a special trip for him to have a

lot of people get to come and see him play that haven’t seen him play.”

It’s been a while since Lasco played in Texas. From 2007-2011, he donned a green, red and white jersey from The Woodlands High School.

When they do see him play, he will look different. He’ll still be the same kid who works hard and leads by example. But he will be different.

“He’s increased his level of strength and his level of quickness and his level of speed, and he’s increased his size,” Franklin said.

Lasco gained 15-20 pounds of muscle in three years. As a result of bulking up, Franklin says he’s now one of the stron-gest guys in the weight room.

Franklin arrived at Califor-nia in 2013, so he wasn’t there to witness Lasco’s improvement from his freshman year to his senior year. But he was able to watch the exponential growth from last year to this year.

But what led to the leap Las-

co took in skill? Maybe it was, as Franklin put it, he had a lot of reps and a lot of chances to improve his craft. In his junior year, Lasco rushed for 1,115 yards on 210 rushes. He scored 12 touchdowns. He got better.

“He understands how to fin-ish runs better,” Franklin said. “He’s a dynamic run finisher now, and you know, he’s a 210, 215-pound kid that can fin-ish runs. That’s pretty amazing when you can run as fast as he can and finish the way he does.”

Lasco’s numbers were great last season, but it’s one number that led to that performance. It’s the number 10,000, and it stands for the 10,000-hour rule California preaches.

“There’s a saying that when you put in about 10,000 hours of something, that’s to a point where you master it,” sopho-more running back Vic Enwere said. “So you keep going until you get to 10,000 hours.”

Working on something for 10,000 hours seems impossible.

“But it’s the idea that you

keep working for the pursuit of perfection,” Enwere said.

Maybe it’s because of his mindset to achieve perfection that Lasco has become one of the best running backs in the nation.

Saturday night at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadi-um, he has 60 minutes to show Texas what it missed out on.

He’s worked 10,000 hours for these 60 minutes.

Name: 4022/Trudy’s; Width: 19p4; Depth: 6 in; Color: Black, 4022/Trudy’s; Ad Num-ber: 4022

7

fourstarevents@trudys.com

Friday, September 18, 2015 7

Running back Daniel Lasco returns home to Texas

By Blanche Schaefer@schaefer_bbPLAYERS TO WATCH

By Aaron Torres@aaron_torres95

Quarterback Jared GoffPredicted to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2016 NFL

draft, Jared Goff could break this game wide open for Cal. The junior quarterback boasts more than 8,000 passing yards and 59 touchdowns in his three seasons with the Bears. Goff ranked fifth in the nation in 2014 with 3,973 yards through the air, and he put up a career -high 527 yards in a 60 -59 win over Washington State. He’s already thrown for 630 yards in two games this year, with 321 yards and three touchdowns in last weekend’s 35 -7 win over San Diego State. Goff and Cal’s air raid attack could put up big numbers against a Texas de-fense that’s given up 547 pass yards and 989 yards of total of-fense in two games this season.

Wide receiver Kenny LawlerCal’s core group of receivers is led by junior Kenny Lawler,

who accumulated 701 yards on 54 receptions in 2014, put-ting up a career -high 138 yards in a Cal loss to BYU last sea-son. Lawler is poised to have another strong season, as he had 69 yards on 6 receptions with three touchdowns in a Week 1 route of Grambling State. With Goff behind center and a sta-ble of talented receivers such as Lawler at their disposal, the pass- happy Bears offense will look to take advantage of a weak Longhorns secondary.

Running back Daniel LascoCal also poses a threat on the ground with its leading rusher,

senior running back Daniel Lasco. He rushed for 1,115 yards in a breakout 2014 season with a career-high 188 yards in a 45- 31 win over Oregon State. Lasco is off to a hot start in 2015, run-ning for 123 yards on nine carries last weekend as Cal cruised to a 35 -7 victory over San Diego State. However, he left the game in the fourth quarter with a hip strain after colliding with an Aztecs defender. Bears head coach Sonny Dykes said in a conference call Sunday night that Lasco is expected to play Sat-urday, which could spell bad news for a Texas defense who’s struggled to contain the run game.

Wide receiver Trevor DavisSenior Trevor Davis is making an impact for the Bears at re-

ceiver and on special teams as kick returner. One of the top kick returners in the country in 2014, he racked up 424 kickoff return yards and two kick return touchdowns, both coming back -to- back in the third quarter of a 60- 59 Cal win over Washington State. Da-vis is already adding to his 1,170 career receiving yards, bringing in a 75- yard touchdown reception from Goff for a career -high 138 -yard game en route to a win over San Diego State last Saturday. The Longhorns will need to stay on their toes to keep Davis from breaking through for explosive returns.

Courtesy of Phillip DowneyThe Daily Californian

Senior running back Daniel Lasco runs past San Diego State last Saturday. He returns to Texas to face the Longhorns.

Name: 4069/Course Hero; Width: 29p6; Depth: 5 in; Color: Process color, 4069/Course Hero; Ad Number: 4069

88 Friday, September 18, 2015

GAMES TO WATCHBy Jacob Martella

@ViewFromTheBox

Alabama will host the game of the week Saturday as the SEC sees its first top- 15 matchup this season. Ole Miss crosses the state line hoping to pull off a repeat of last year’s 23- 17 upset in Oxford, Miss. Completing that feat, however, will be no easy task with quarterback Bo Wallace gone and facing a defense that has only given up just over 200 yards per game. Alabama, on the other hand, is hoping that senior Jake Coker is the real deal at the quarterback spot. Coker has thrown for 427 yards and two touchdowns so far, but this will be his first SEC test. As we saw with this conference last year, anything can happen, which makes this must -watch television.

1. Nick Chubb, Georgia RB2015: 309 yards on 35 carries, 2 TDThis week: vs. South Carolina

Chubb ran all over Vanderbilt last week for 189 yards on 19 carries. Although he didn’t get into the end zone, he was a key factor in Georgia’s 31 points. He’s currently av-eraging 8.8 yards per carry, and as Georgia’s offensive line improves, I believe that number will go up. This weekend against South Carolina, the Bulldogs will look to avenge a loss that possibly cost them a playoff spot in 2014. I expect Chubb to shine and continue rising in the Heisman race.

2. Derrick Henry, Alabama RB2015: 243 yards on 31 carries, 6 TDThis week: vs. Ole Miss

Henry only needed 96 yards to score three touchdowns for the Crimson Tide in thier win over Middle Tennessee. He works perfectly in Alabama’s run -centered system and will continue to rack up the touches and yards. The Tide is also looking to avenge a 2014 loss, and Henry will need to be lights- out if they want to get the victory. He is crazy strong when he runs and has great acceleration, so I think he’ll find his way through Ole Miss’ defense and right to the top of many Heisman lists.

HEISMAN WATCHBy Claire Cruz

Daily Texan Columnist @claireecruz5

3. Trevone Boykin, TCU QB2015: 44 -of- 69, 531 yards, 5 TD, 2 INTThis week: vs. SMU

Boykin showed off his arm against Stephen F. Austin last week, throwing for 285 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. It was good to see him sit in the pocket and con-trol the game without needing to scramble, thanks to a solid performance from his offensive line. As TCU starts to play tougher teams, I think Boykin will continue to improve and lead his team well.

4. Ezekiel Elliott, RB / Cardale Jones, QB – Ohio State2015: 223 yards on 38 carries, 4 TDThis week: vs. Northern Illinois

Ohio State has several possible Heisman candidates, but Elliott is my top Buckeye contender. He ran for 101 yards and three touchdowns in Ohio State’s easy win against Hawaii last week. Elliott is hard to bring down and great at finding holes, and he shows that every game. Cardale Jones is a still a contender, but as long as he con-tinues to swap snaps with J.T. Barrett, he shouldn’t be put over Elliott.

Elisabeth Dillon | Daily Texan file photoTCU quarterback Trevone Boykin has thrown 5 touchdowns in 2015.

LSU goes straight from the frying pan and into the fire in this battle of the Tigers in the SEC. LSU just hung on at the end to walk out of Starkville, Miss., with a 21 -19 win over Mississippi State. Sophomore running back Leonard Fournette has been the entire offense, running for 159 yards and all three touchdowns last week. Meanwhile, Auburn is coming off a surprising scare at home against FCS foe Jacksonville State, where the Tigers needed a late touchdown and a just -in-complete pass to prevail in overtime. With a 2:30 p.m. starting time, this will be a great lead -in to the Ole Miss -Alabama game.

No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 2 AlabamaESPN — 8:15 p.m. — Saturday

No. 18 Auburn at No. 13 LSUCBS — 2:30 p.m. — Saturday

5. Leonard Fournette, LSU RB2015: 159 yards on 28 carries, 3 TDThis week: vs. Auburn

The only reason I left Fournette off last week’s list is because LSU’s game in Week 1 was cancelled due to bad weather. I’m glad he earned his way back on after his 2015 debut. Four-nette put the Tigers on his back in their win over Mississippi State, notching a career -high 159 yards and every LSU score. He’s powerful, fast and awfully tough to bring down. Behind a solid offensive line, Fournette will continue to put up big numbers and work his way up a lot of Heisman lists.