Boise State RB attempting to do something for first time since 2015

If the Broncos running back can continue his record pace and win the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season, he would become the first running back to win the award since Alabama’s Derrick Henry in 2015.

Jeanty and Boise State kicked off the 2024 season back on Aug. 31 with a 56-45 win over Georgia Southern. The Broncos running back had a dominating performance in the victory as he rushed for 267 yards and six (yes, six) touchdowns.

Jeanty’s 267 yards on the ground broke a single-game school record that was set in 1978 by former Boise State running back Cedric Minter. His six rushing touchdowns in the contest were also the most by a Broncos running back in school history.

In Boise State’s second game of the season against No. 9 Oregon last Saturday, Jeanty followed up his record-breaking performance by rushing for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. Unfortunately, his spectacular effort wasn’t enough to help lead the Broncos to a win in Week 2, as the school suffered a heartbreaking 37-34 loss to the Ducks.

Up next for Jeanty and Boise State is a game that has the potential to result in another amazing performance from the junior running back as it’ll be hosting Portland State, an 0-2 FCS school that has lost both of its games this season by a combined 67 points.

For Jeanty to have a legitimate shot at winning the 2024 Heisman Trophy, he’s not only going to have to continue to play at a very high level, but the Broncos will probably need to win the majority of the games left on their schedule.

The last four non-quarterbacks to win the award (Henry, DeVonta Smith, Mark Ingram II and Reggie Bush) all played for a team that either won a national championship or finished with an AP Top 25 ranking of No. 2 or higher.

For that to happen, Boise State would likely have to win each of the school’s final 10 games on its 2024 schedule, hope it did enough to qualify for this season’s 12-team College Football Playoff and then make a run to the final or semifinal round of the College Football Playoff.

Anything is possible, especially with the way that Jeanty has begun the season, but the chances currently seem low that a scenario like this would happen.

This doesn’t mean the Broncos running back won’t have a successful 2024 campaign. It’s just that the bar for a running back to clear to win the Heisman Trophy is much higher than it is for a quarterback, and that’s something that even a magnificent 2024 season from Jeanty likely won’t be able to overcome.