Hardware Horse Race: Dante Pettis and Darius Phillips Emerge as Names to Beat for the Hornung Award

Here's a hot take from Thursday night's game. Ohio State fans will remember Parris Campbell's drops, but most award selectors probably won't. As it stands, Campbell's six receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown stand out nicely from that game. He added 50 yards on two kickoff returns as well.

Still, Campbell seems like a longshot for the Hornung Award on which he appeared as a watch list player. This award goes to the most "versatile" player in the country in the spirit of its namesake, Paul Hornung. Instead, Washington's Dante Pettis may have emerged at the top of the pack for this honor.

Pettis, also on the preseason watch list, had a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown against Rutgers on Friday night. It was the sixth punt return for a touchdown of his career. 

This proved a definitive, momentum-shifting play for a Washington team that got a stiffer challenge from Rutgers than it expected. It was the difference between a halftime deficit for the No. 8 Huskies and a halftime lead from which it ultimately never looked back. 

Pettis' performance on offense, three receptions for 85 yards with a long of a 51-yarder, will also look good to the Hornung selectors if he keeps on that pace.

He was certainly the special teams star of the contest notwithstanding the hype for Janarion Grant's return to the field. Grant had just 30 receiving yards and 69 kick return yards for the Scarlet Knights on Friday.

Elsewhere, Western Michigan's Darius Phillips shined as the Broncos took USC to the limit in the Coliseum. Phillips had 168 kick return yards on four attempts. More accurately, 100 of those came on a fourth-quarter kick return for a touchdown to tie the game at 28 in the fourth quarter. Phillips added an interception to his stat sheet as well.

Phillips might position himself well for this award down the stretch. If he lights up the MAC with numbers like those, his stat sheet will ultimately outshine other competitors for the Hornung Award.

Memphis' Tony Pollard had a stellar weekend on special teams as well. The sophomore running back had two kickoff returns for 144 yards and a touchdown. However, he would need more production at running back to compete for this award. He finished with just eight yards on two carries.

Minkah Fitzpatrick remains a name to keep in mind for this award down the stretch. Fitzpatrick shined in the second half shutout of the Seminoles in Atlanta and blocked a would-be game-tying field goal before intermission. He'll get more opportunities in the return game against some of the weaker competition Alabama will see going forward.

However, watch lists are not definitive and the award could go to someone who did not appear on the radar of the Louisville Sports Commission. Keep Raymond Calais (UL Lafayette) and Keion Davis (Marshall) in mind for this award going forward. Both had two kickoff returns for touchdowns this past weekend. However, both running backs put forward no meaningful production on offense in their respective games.

Penn State's DeAndre Thompkins shined on special teams as well with a punt return for a touchdown. He'll need more production on offense though.

Parris Campbell is still a longshot for the Hornung Award for a few reasons. His wide receiver production and yield as a kickoff returner may be fine, if unspectacular. He's still in the hunt for the Hornung Award even if he'll clearly need to house a kickoff return or two to be more competitive for the award in December. However, clear favorites emerged after the first weekend, prominently Dante Pettis at Washington. Campbell still has a long route to this award.