After Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker's historic outing versus Alabama on Saturday, he catapulted himself to the forefront of the Heisman conversation. At this juncture, he and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud seem to be the head of the pack in the 2022 Heisman race, as running back Blake Corum of *ichigan can only hope that he reaches that peak.
So, who should be the front-runner of the two? Let's dive into stats and analytics to formulate a conclusion. We will first evaluate statistics through seven weeks of college football thus far.
Hooker (6 games):
Stats - 119/170 (70.0%) 1,817 yards (10.7 AVG), 15 TD, 1 INT; 59 rushes, 287 yards (4.9 AVG) 3 TD
Total yards/TD per game - 350.7 yards, 3 TD
QBR - 187.7
Stroud (6 games):
Stats - 113/160 (70.6%) 1,737 yards (10.9 AVG) 24 TD, 3 INT; 10 rushes, 4 yards (0.4 AVG) 0 TD
Total yards/TD per game - 290.2 yards, 4.0 TD
QBR - 207.6
While Hooker has had more total yards per game, Stroud has had more total touchdowns per game and more overall touchdowns. However, Hooker has faced tougher competition. Stroud has been taken out of all but one game early due to Ohio State blowing teams out, so his numbers would be more inflated if games were a bit closer.
Both quarterbacks have their teams undefeated, and both are the motor behind high-octane offenses that literally rank No. 1 and No. 2 in college football terms of total yards gained per game.
Now let's look at the final piece of the puzzle. Who has had more iconic or Heisman moments?
Well, while Stroud has had six-touchdown tosses in three different games thus far, Hooker put up 441 total yards and five touchdowns versus No. 3 ranked Alabama, including two clutch passes of 18 and 27 yards with 15 seconds on the clock to set up a game-winning, walk-off field goal.
As of now, Hooker has the upper hand with a chance to close the case if Tennessee wins out, which will mean that he will have beaten Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, won the SEC championship game and led his team to the CFB playoff.
If he fails to do so, that will open the door for Stroud, who could have a Heisman moment of his own versus a *ichigan team that may be 11-0 when he faces them.
Is it too early to say that the Heisman is Hooker's to lose? What if neither of them takes their team to the playoff? Could Bryce Young, Blake Corum *cough*, or someone else hoist up the most prestigious individual award in college football?
It will be fun to find out! But again, as of right now, Hooker and Stroud are the top-two candidates, with a slight edge going to Hooker.
