ny — Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson entered this season as a relative unknown, with a couple of hurdle to clear. He’ll exit it with the Heisman Trophy.
Jackson capped his outstanding upward push with the primary Heisman Trophy in school history, having wowed enough voters — regardless of losses in his last two games — with fifty one whole touchdowns and four,928 total yards.
What Jackson complete in 2016 goes down as the best season ever at Louisville — a school where hall of Famer Johnny Unitas starred in the 1950s.
“so as to rise up here with all the former winners, i am extraordinarily proud to signify this category and Louisville as their first Heisman Trophy winner,” mentioned Jackson, who wore a Louisville-red velvet blazer with vivid black lapels. “For my teammates, it can be an award for every person. i will’t wait to cherish it with all of you.”
Jackson gained with 2,one hundred forty four points; Deshaun Watson finished second with 1,524. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (361 points), Sooners operating back Dede Westbrook (209) and Michigan all-around star Jabrill Peppers (208) positioned third thru fifth, respectively. Jackson acquired 79.5 percent of imaginable points obtained, the fifth-perfect whole in the ultimate 50 seasons of Heisman balloting, whereas the gap between Watson and Mayfield used to be the most important prior to now 70 years.
Jackson became the youngest player to win the Heisman at 19 years, 337 days — just 5 days youthful than 2013 winner Jameis Winston — and just the fourth sophomore to take home the trophy. He joins Johnny Manziel (2012) as the one Heisman winners to throw for three,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Quarterbacks have gained the Heisman Trophy in 14 of the previous 16 years.
When he heard his name known as, Jackson stated his heart began racing.
“Man, I nearly cried,” he stated. “to hear my name called with all those nice avid gamers, I was once overwhelmed.”
Jackson had a speech prepared but he stopped at quite a lot of factors to say, “this is crazy.” He obtained throughout the written parts whereas also improvising, saying his speech “began coming from the guts.”
“To be the primary person from Louisville to win it, it can be an honor. i’m humbled.”
His coach, Bobby Petrino, mentioned after that ceremony that he used to be “very nervous” for his quarterback.
“I had no concept how the vote was going to return out,” Petrino mentioned. “i would like you to understand how proud i’m of Lamar. he’s a younger man that ready extremely onerous, went out on the sphere and played as arduous as he probably could and did a super job being a leader for this football team.”
Jackson credited his mother, Felicia Jones, and said the trophy will go anywhere she decides to place it. Jones raised Jackson as a single mother and would placed on football pads to assist her son work on his game when he was a kid.
“everything I do is for my mother,” Jackson said Saturday.
Jackson used to be the best offensive player in school soccer this season. amongst quarterbacks, he rushed for an FBS-easiest 1,538 yards, rushed for 21 touchdowns (2d in FBS), had 4,928 yards of total offense (2d), and a total QBR of 86.6 (0.33).
he’s the primary Heisman winner to play on a team that misplaced its ultimate two video games of the regular season because Tim Brown of Notre Dame in 1987. he’s the primary to enter the postseason without a chance to win the nationwide title for the reason that Manziel of Texas A&M in 2012. Brown, Manziel and previous Heisman recipients attended the ceremony Saturday night.
For Clemson’s Watson, his season commenced with favorable Heisman odds on his aspect. He also was once the overwhelming preseason media option to repeat as ACC participant of the yr.
but opinions quickly modified after Jackson accounted for eight touchdowns in three quarters towards overmatched Charlotte within the season opener. Then he totaled over 600 whole yards and 5 extra touchdowns in a sixty two-28 win over Syracuse, including the “Lamar jump” over a defender on the way to without end be a part of his spotlight reel.
these two games were against overmatched opponents, although. Then-No. 2 Florida State got here next, and Jackson dismantled the Seminoles with no trouble. He recorded 362 yards and five total touchdowns in three quarters in a 63-20 victory that sent a transparent message: Jackson needed to be thought to be the Heisman favourite.
How might he no longer be after producing 18 touchdowns in three weeks? The yards and touchdowns stored piling up, together with a whopping efficiency against then-No. 5 Clemson; Jackson compiled 457 yards and three touchdowns in a final-second, 42-36 loss.
Jackson’s stat line in opposition to the two hardest groups on his schedule: 511 yards passing, 308 yards speeding, eight touchdowns and two interceptions.
His season didn’t finish as prolifically as it started out, with consecutive losses to Houston and Kentucky that some thought might curtail his Heisman possibilities. nonetheless, Jackson gained ACC participant of the 12 months honors from the media and coaches, and he took dwelling the Walter Camp participant of the 12 months and Maxwell Award.
Jackson is the 0.33 player in FBS history — becoming a member of Cam Newton and Tim Tebow — with 30 passing touchdowns and 20 dashing touchdowns in a season. He set ACC and college data for touchdowns responsible (fifty one) in a season and yards in a single sport (610, versus Syracuse), plus school data for most single-season dashing yards (1,538) and most touchdowns in a single game (eight), and he changed into the primary quarterback in class historical past with a 1,000-yard speeding season.
After finishing third within the balloting in 2015, Watson, meanwhile, changed into the eleventh participant with a couple of high-three finishes with out a Heisman win and the primary to take action for the reason that Andrew success during the 2010-11 seasons.
it’s only the seventh time in Heisman history — and first due to the fact 2008 (Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Texas’ Colt McCoy) — that the winner and runner-up hailed from the same conference.
before the ceremony started out, Jackson was requested whether or not he ever dreamed about profitable the Heisman.
“I thought of it lots growing up, playing the NCAA video video games,” Jackson stated. “I was like, ‘Man, it will be nice to go to college and win that award.’ So just to be sitting here presently and having my title mentioned, it can be loopy.”
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