Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty helped punch the Broncos’ spot in the College Football Playoff on Friday night, as his 32-carry, 209-yard, 1-touchdown evening powered the team to a 21-7 win over UNLV in the Mountain West title game.
The performance caps off Jeanty’s Heisman Trophy-worth season. His year-long numbers, not including the upcoming CFP games, are 344 carries, 2,497 rushing yards, 7.3 yards per carry and 29 touchdowns.
The award appears to be a two-person race between him and Colorado star WR/CB Travis Hunter. Many took to social media on Friday to support Jeanty’s candidacy, comparing his season to the best by a running back in college football history.
Wisconsin fans know the answer to the latter. That’s Melvin Gordon’s 2014 campaign — one that should have won him the Heisman. Instead, it was awarded to Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Montee Ball expressed the feelings of many last week, saying the award ‘lost its legitimacy when Melvin Gordon lost.’
Gordon’s close call in 2014 set the precedent for Jeanty to lose the award despite his all-time rushing performance. The two seasons are nearly identical. For more, here is an in-depth look at how Jeanty’s 2024 campaign compares to Gordon’s 2014 season:
Carries
Nov 15, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon (25) during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 59-24. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Gordon: 343 (in 14 games)
Jeanty: 344 (in 13 games)
Gordon played in one more game than Jeanty has to date, though that total will be evened during Boise State’s CFP game. But since the two took nearly equal carry totals, the stats can be compared directly.
There is the obvious asterisk that Gordon achieved his dominance in a tough Big Ten landscape while Jeanty plays in the Mountain West. That shouldn’t take anything away from Jeanty’s Heisman candidacy. But it should make Gordon’s 2014 season that much more impressive.
Rushing Yards
Nov 15, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon (25) rushes with the football during the third quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 59-24. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Gordon: 2,587 rushing yards
Jeanty: 2,497 rushing yards
Gordon’s 2014 season is second on the all-time single-season rushing yards list behind Barry Sanders’ 1988 year (2,628 yards). Jeanty is now up to fourth, surpassing USC great Marcus Allen. The CFP game will almost definitely push him past Gordon and possibly into the No. 1 overall spot.
But their seasons are nearly equal in this regard. Gordon gets a slight edge due to his production coming on one fewer carry.
Yards Per Carry
Nov 29, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon (25) during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Gordon: 7.5
Jeanty: 7.3
Gordon’s 90 more yards on one fewer carry gives him a slight edge in this category. This exercise shouldn’t show that Gordon’s season was that much better than Jeanty’s. Instead, it should highlight the absurdity of him not winning the Heisman.
Touchdowns
Nov 22, 2014; Iowa City, IA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon (25) flips the football to the official after scoring against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
Gordon: 29 (plus three receiving)
Jeanty: 29 (plus one receiving)
Again, two absolute dominant outputs. Jeanty’s 32-carry, 209-yard, 1-touchdown performance on Friday was the perfect outing. It matched most of Gordon’s 2014 totals, making the comparison an easy one.
Overall
Dec 13, 2014; New York, NY, USA; (left to right) Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Amari Cooper and Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon and Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota pose with the Heisman Trophy during the pre-announcement Heisman finalists press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
While Jeanty will assuredly surpass Gordon’s totals in Boise State’s CFP game, there’s still an argument that the Badger great had a better, or at least more efficient, season. This history also looks a bit different if Gordon played the fourth quarter of his 408-yard day against Nebraska and if the 12-team playoff existed.
Still, Gordon’s 2014 and Jeanty’s 2024 seasons are neck-and-neck. Both should be Heisman-worthy campaigns. Unfortunately, given what happened 10 years ago, it’s reasonable to predict that Jeanty won’t hoist the trophy.
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