Sports
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty Building Impressive Heisman Campaign
Barry Sanders put together a Heisman Trophy-winning season in 1988. To this day, it rates on a level largely its own.
Near the midway point of the 2024 season, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is putting up numbers at a pace to challenge the legendary Sanders.
BSU shared a graphic on its social media channels offering a side-by-side comparison of Oklahoma State’s No. 21 and the Broncos’ No. 2. Through five games in 1988, Sanders had 1,002 rushing yards on 130 carries and scored 17 touchdowns; Jeanty has 1,031 yards on 95 carries with 16 touchdowns.
It’s not a one-to-one comparison. Sanders also returned a punt and kickoff for touchdowns through the Cowboys’ first two games. However, the context of Jeanty’s performance makes his start to 2024 uniquely special.
Jeanty’s eye-popping stats are being produced during competitive games. He’s never around when the game is out of reach. He has yet to carry the ball more than 26 times in any of Boise State’s five games and spent much of the third and fourth quarters on the sideline in blowouts against Portland State and Utah State.
Coach Spencer Danielson could choose to manufacture even more impressive statistics for his star running back, but Jeanty’s role for the Broncos is more significant than merely impressing award voters.
“Ashton Jeanty is the best player in the country,” Danielson said following the 62-30 rout of Utah State in the Broncos’ Mountain West Conference opener on October 5. On a day when Jeanty carried just 13 times but accrued 186 yards, Danielson added, “I am proud of all the rest of our guys being able to step up. When [opposing defenses] load the box, [quarterback Maddux Madsen] was able to get the ball to playmakers.”
The result of that balance keeps defenses—including No. 3-ranked Oregon—off balance. Boise State is scoring more than 50 points per game, No. 1 in the country.
Both the collective team output and Jeanty’s contribution are even more impressive considering the Broncos’ offensive line is missing starters and preseason All-MW honorees Mason Randolph and Roger Carreon.
This context adds another layer to Jeanty’s Heisman candidacy. Averaging more than 206 yards per game, Jeanty is on pace to eclipse Rashaad Penny’s Mountain West record of 2,248 yards gained in 2017—and to do so in one fewer game.
With a projected total of 2,475 yards through 12 games based on his current output, Jeanty would achieve regular-season rushing numbers not seen since Marcus Allen in 1981 and Sanders in 1988 (2,342 and 2,628 yards, respectively, each in 11 games).
Like Sanders, who garnered 559 first-place votes to Rodney Peete’s 70 in 1988, Allen was a runaway Heisman winner. He finished with 441 first-place votes to runner-up Herschel Walker’s 152.
Sanders and Allen also won the Heisman in an era that, frankly, showed running backs more respect. It’s been almost a decade since Derrick Henry became the last running back to claim college football’s top individual honor.
Surely, historically significant production gets Jeanty into the conversation. But how does he overcome the dual handicap of playing for a program outside the autonomy conferences and playing a position that is often undervalued at the ballot box?
Well, Week 6 offered a template for at least one necessary step in the blueprint: Jeanty needs would-be frontrunners from the power conferences to suffer high-profile stumbles.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe became an early Heisman favorite with his performance in a win over Georgia, but a loss the following week to Vanderbilt stunted his odds. Colorado two-way sensation Travis Hunter and Miami quarterback Cam Ward head into Week 7 looking like leading contenders.
Hunter’s candidacy relies on his dizzying snap totals from playing on both sides of the ball. The season-long feasibility of him continuing to do so at a high level just isn’t favorable given the natural attrition.
A lot of football remains, so presumably another frontrunner will emerge. However, should the race come down to Ward and Jeanty, there’s another step for the Boise State running back to consider, based on the last time the Heisman race featured a Miami quarterback and a non-power conference running back.
In 1992, Gino Torretta beat out San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk for the prize, thanks in part to the Hurricanes beating the Aztecs head-to-head. The outcome of that game—a 63-17 romp for The U—was less significant than Faulk missing the marquee showdown with a sprained knee.
As basic as it might seem, there’s a line of coach speak that fits Jeanty’s Heisman roadmap: availability is the best ability. Staying healthy and remaining at the forefront of Boise State’s pursuit of a College Football Playoff berth is paramount—and in a way, it makes Danielson’s decision not to pile unnecessary carries on Jeanty’s workload to pad the stat sheet far more valuable to the back’s Heisman case in the long run.
The last and perhaps most obvious step for Jeanty is to keep producing. Continuing on a Sanders-like pace means Jeanty must do even more down the stretch, given Barry had three regular-season games of 312 yards or more in the back half of Oklahoma State’s 1988 season.
That’s a lofty standard to expect Jeanty to match—the loftiest, if you consider Sanders’ ’88 the sport’s gold standard. But so far, No. 2 has stacked up nicely against No. 21’s standard.
Sports
Manchester City look to extend win streak, take on Everton
[Subscription Customers Only] Jun 30, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Manchester City forward Erling Haaland (9) celebrates scoring their second goal with midfielder Rodri (16) during a round of 16 match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lee Smith-Reuters via Imagn Images Manchester City will try to keep pace with Premier League front-runner Arsenal on Monday night when they pay a visit to an Everton side still on the fringes of the European picture.
City (21-5-7, 70 points) will begin the day six points back of Arsenal with two matches in hand after the Gunners dispatched Fulham 3-0 on Saturday. The Cityzens won’t be even on games played until May 13, when they make up a postponed match against Crystal Palace that was delayed because of City’s triumphant League Cup run.
As a result, there continues to be the appearance of a chase, although the teams would finish level on points if they win out.
Manager Pep Guardiola insists it shouldn’t matter.
“It’s normal, so it’s the calendar,” Guardiola said on Friday. “Sometimes you play first. Sometimes behind. It is what it is. So, nothing changes in these stages, and you know exactly what you have to do.”
City have won six in a row in all competitions, the last three by a single goal: A 2-1 home league win over the Gunners on April 19, a 1-0 league victory at Burnley three days later, and a 2-1 FA Cup semifinal triumph over Southampton on April 25.
Erling Haaland scored once in both league fixtures to bring his EPL-leading total to 24. In the FA Cup semifinal, Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez scored inside the final 10 minutes to complete a late rally.
Everton (13-13-8, 47 points) finished Saturday in 11th place, but only four points out of seventh, which currently would earn a berth in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Should City win the FA Cup, it could be the top eight English league finishers who earn a spot in Europe.
And if Everton could return to continental competition for the first time since 2017-18, it would conclude a much-improved first season at their new Hill Dickson Stadium, after bringing the curtain down on historic Goodison Park last May.
“We still believe there could be something out there for us. And we’ll keep pushing,” manager David Moyes said. “Building Everton back up is a process which I think is going to take quite a bit of time, but I think the first year or so here, we’ve certainly put decent foundations down. And hopefully we can continue to build on it.”
The Toffees are looking to avoid a third consecutive league defeat for the first time this season after a 2-1 home loss to derby rivals Liverpool on April 19 and a 2-1 away defeat at West Ham last weekend.
Beto, one of two Everton players with eight goals, departed the former contest late with a head injury and missed the latter fixture working through the league’s concussion protocol. He should be available Monday night, Moyes said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees tee off on Orioles to win third straight in 4-game series
May 3, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a two run home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Jasson Dominguez scored the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning before hitting a two-run homer and an RBI double during a seven-run eighth as the New York Yankees pulled away for an 11-3 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon.
The Yankees won for the 13th time in 15 games and beat the Orioles for the 11th time in the past 12 meetings.
Aaron Judge hit a two-run homer off Baltimore rookie Trey Gibson. Ben Rice hit his 12th home run of the season in the first and doubled ahead of Judge’s 13th homer in the third.
Rice exited after the Yankees batted in the third because of a bruised left hand. The Yankees announced X-rays were negative and the first baseman is day-to-day. Rice appeared to get injured fielding a low pickoff throw from Max Fried and was replaced by Paul Goldschmidt.
Dominguez started the tiebreaking rally with a double to left field against Grant Wolfram (1-1) and advanced to third on a groundout by Austin Wells. Ryan McMahon, facing a drawn-in infield, followed with a single that first baseman Coby Mayo couldn’t handle after diving to stop it.
Dominguez started New York’s big inning with a two-run drive into the right field seats off Andrew Kittredge for a 6-3 lead. After an RBI sacrifice fly by Trent Grisham, Goldschmidt ripped a two-run single after the Yankees executed a double steal.
Following a sacrifice fly by Jazz Chisholm Jr., Dominguez added a double to left field for an 11-3 lead.
The Orioles tied it twice before losing their fourth straight and for the 12th time in 18 games.
Blaze Alexander had an RBI single in the third before getting thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. After Judge’s 413-foot drive bounced into Baltimore’s bullpen in left field, Leody Taveras hit an RBI infield single and Tyler O’Neill scored on a double play grounder by Jeremiah Jackson in the fourth.
Fried allowed three runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. The left-hander struck out six and walked three.
Fernando Cruz (3-0) got the final two outs of the sixth and the first out of the seventh. Brent Headrick ended the eighth by getting a double play grounder against Mayo.
Gibson allowed three runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings during his major league debut.
The four-game series concludes Monday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cam Smith drives in 2 in 10th, Astros edge Red Sox
May 3, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) hits a two run RBI against the Boston Red Sox during the tenth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Cam Smith had three hits, including a two-run single in the top of the 10th inning, to help the visiting Houston Astros earn a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Smith’s two-out single came against Zack Kelly (0-2) and drove in Braden Shewmake and Jose Altuve.
Boston had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 10th, but Bryan Abreu got Ceddanne Rafaela to ground into a double play to end the game.
Jarren Duran hit a solo home run for the Red Sox, who stranded 13 runners and were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Duran’s home run was his third of the season and his second of the series. He hit a three-run homer in Boston’s 3-1 victory Friday night.
Abreu (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one.
Willson Contreras collected three of Boston’s nine hits in the loss.
Christian Walker and Christian Vazquez each had two-hit games for the Astros, who won two games in the three-game set.
Boston starting pitcher Ranger Suarez was pulled after four scoreless innings because of hamstring tightness. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Suarez threw 70 pitches.
Duran’s home run off Houston reliever AJ Blubaugh opened the scoring in the fifth. Houston tied the game in the sixth, when Walker reached on an infield single, took third on Altuve’s double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brice Matthews.
The Red Sox had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. An error on Abreu allowed Contreras to reach second with two outs in the inning, but Roman Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning.
Houston had the bases loaded with no outs in the 10th, but Altuve grounded into a 6-2-5 double play. Following a walk to Matthews, Smith delivered his two-run single.
–Field Level Media
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