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Wisconsin Football: Heisman hopeful Jonathan Taylor continues strong start

By Brian Hines

MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 08: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers rushes for a touchdown during the first half against the New Mexico Lobos at Camp Randall Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 08: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers rushes for a touchdown during the first half against the New Mexico Lobos at Camp Randall Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin football running back Jonathan Taylor continued to add onto his 2018 Heisman trophy resume with a strong perforce in Wisconsin’s 45-14 victory over New Mexico on Saturday.

In a game where the Badgers gameplan was to run the ball, the sophomore set a new career-high with 253 rushing yards on 33 carries. He added three touchdowns to go with it. Taylor’s previous career high was 249 yards, coming last season against Nebraska.

The only knock on Taylor was a second-quarter fumble in the red zone which ended Wisconsin’s drive. Taylor lost six fumbles as a freshman last year and now has two in two games this season.

After two games, Taylor has rushed for 398 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 7.8 yards-per-carry. His name remains near, or at, the top of the list for Heisman favorites.

Other candidates

West Virginia’s Will Grier and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa kept pace atop the list of Heisman favorites. Grier completed 80.8 percent of his passes and tossed four touchdowns in a 52-17 victory over Youngstown State. Tagovailoa went 13-for-19 for 225 yards in Alabama’s 57–7 win over Arkansas State, scoring on three of his first four series.

Baker Mayfield’s successor, Kyle Murray, is making a case to follow in Mayfield’s Heisman’s footsteps. Murray dazzled for five total touchdowns and over 350 total yards in a big win over UCLA.

Ohio State’s quarterback Dwayne Haskins also entered his name into the early season discussion as he completed 20 of 23 passes for four touchdowns in a blowout over Rutgers. Haskins has now completed 79.2 percent of his passes for 546 yards and nine touchdowns to start the season.

Stanford’s Bryce Love bounced back from his poor week one performance, helping the Cardinals to a 17-3 win over USC. Love carried the ball 22 times for 136 yards and a touchdown.

The lone defensive player to be making a case for the Heisman is Houston’s Ed Oliver. In two dominant victories for Houston, Oliver has been a force in the middle of their defensive line, piling up 18 tackles and a pass deflection.

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Jonathan Taylor will look to build on his first two performances and continue to climb the Heisman rankings when the Badgers take on BYU on Saturday.

All stats courtesy ESPN.com.