Ashton Jeanty will get another opportunity to add to his superlative stats when No. 17 Boise State visits Hawaii on Saturday night in Mountain West play at Honolulu.
Jeanty leads the nation in rushing yardage (1,031), rushing touchdowns (16) and average yards per carry (10.9) in a top-notch, five-game run that has made him the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
Broncos coach Spencer Danielson feels it’s a one-player derby for the prestigious award.
“Ashton Jeanty is the best player in the country — next question,” Danielson said. “I believe he’s going to be in New York for the Heisman. I believe that.”
Only two Heisman Trophy winners rushed for more yards through the first five games of a season than Jeanty — Southern California’s Marcus Allen (1,136 in 1981) and Texas’ Ricky Williams (1,086 in 1998).
The Broncos (4-1, 1-0) lead the nation in scoring at 50.6 points per game and rank third in total offense at 537.6 yards per contest behind their dominant big-play machine.
Jeanty has seven scoring runs of 59 or more yards and has a non-scoring run of 68 yards. He had touchdown runs of 63 and 75 yards in last Saturday’s 62-30 rout of visiting Utah State.
That contest marked the second time Jeanty sat out the second half. He had 186 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries against the Aggies before calling it a night with Boise State leading 49-17 at the break. He also sat out the second half against Portland State on Sept. 21.
“It’s all about the team,” Danielson said. “And Ashton is the same way. We protect him, and we’re going to be smart with him because of how vital he is to our team. And we need to make sure we get other guys reps.
“At that point I didn’t know what his rush yards were, but we know he had enough.”
Boise State, which won its third straight game, also received strong play from quarterback Maddux Madsen, who was 21-of-25 passing for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
The Broncos have won the past nine meetings with Hawaii and have scored 40 or more points seven times during the stretch. Overall, Boise State is 15-3 overall in the series.
The Rainbow Warriors (2-3, 0-1) are trying to rebound from a 27-24 road loss against San Diego State.
Hawaii scored two consecutive touchdowns to hold a four-point lead in the fourth quarter before the Aztecs drove 87 yards on eight plays for the winning points.
“For sure, it’s tough,” Rainbow Warriors coach Timmy Chang said. “But we have to keep going, we have to keep running. We have good players. And if we play well, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”
Quarterback Brayden Schager passed for 272 yards and three touchdowns against the Aztecs. He has thrown for 1,328 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions this season.
“He’s a great leader,” Hawaii receiver Nick Cenacle said of Schager. “He rallies the offense. He’s always trying to pick us up. He’s able to take the lead. When nothing’s open, he’s able to scramble, and that’s huge for us.”
Schager is just 167 yards away from becoming the fifth Hawaii quarterback to reach 8,000 career passing yards. The person atop the list is Chang, who ranks second in NCAA history with 17,072 career yards.
Schager’s top target is Pofele Ashlock, who has 40 receptions for 428 yards and four touchdowns.
The Rainbow Warriors figure to put the ball in the air a lot as they lack a solid rushing attack (120th nationally at 93.6 yards per game), and Boise State ranks 123rd nationally in passing defense at 278.8 yards allowed per game.
