Is Jadan Baugh still a Heisman contender? Here's what SI thinks

Florida running back Jadan Baugh’s Heisman Trophy campaign appears to be over almost as quickly as it began, at least according to Sports Illustrated.

Staff writer Dan Lyons recently labeled Baugh a “pretender, and basically eliminated” in his midseason Heisman check-in after Florida’s Week 6 loss to South Carolina. Baugh ran for just 59 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against the Gamecocks, one week after Missouri held him to 13 yards on 12 attempts.

Back-to-back lackluster performances have dramatically changed the conversation around a player who looked like one of the nation’s hottest Heisman candidates just a few weeks ago — even if the offensive line is partially to blame.

He has 672 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 110 carries. Baugh opened the season with four straight 100-yard rushing games and had 600 yards and 11 touchdowns through Week 4, including 142 yards and three scores against Ole Miss. Now, he has 672 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 110 carries, plus 46 yards on seven receptions.

Lyons’ reasoning is straightforward: “A running back needs to produce almost every week to stay in serious Heisman contention, and Baugh’s last two outings have likely done too much damage to his case.” Sports Illustrated still called his start to the season “special” and described him as one of Florida’s best recent players, but recent struggles have all but erased his path to New York.

Baugh still has plenty to play for individually. Still, the focus is now shifting away from the Heisman race and toward whether he can rediscover the form that made him one of the country’s most productive backs through September.

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