Wisconsin Football: Five reasons why Jonathan Taylor can win the Heisman

1. Big Numbers

Running backs haven’t necessarily been common when it came to Heisman winners.  Actually, since Ron Dayne won it in 1999, only two other running backs have won.  Those two were Mark Ingram in 2009 and Derrick Henry in 2015, not counting Reggie Bush’s vacated trophy.

So what does it seem to take for a running back to win the Heisman?  Let’s take a look at the past three winners and see what their stats were like.

Ron Dayne, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, rushed 337 times for 2,034 yards and 20 touchdowns when he won.

Mark Ingram rushed for 1,542 yards and 15 touchdowns and also caught 30 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns.

Derrick Henry rushed 339 times for 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns.

So what does this all mean?  Well, Taylor rushed 299 times for 1,977 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2017.  In all reality, Taylor gained just as many yards on fewer attempts than the past three winners.  The biggest issue was that he scored fewer touchdowns.

That is something that could change for Taylor.  He should easily be able to match his yardage, and if he adds to his touchdown total, he should be highly considered for the Heisman.