Lamar Jackson delivers Heisman-kind-of-moment in saving No. 5 Louisville at Virginia
Well, that's one way to make the most of a lackluster schedule.
No. 5 Louisville went into this weekend with the possibility of playing seven straight in ranked opponents, a detriment to the Heisman Trophy campaign of quarterback Lamar Jackson, who would need something magical to keep voters' attention while other contenders played more meaningful games.
The stage -- on the road against sub-.500 Virginia -- may not have been drawn up to deliver that magic, but Jackson supplied it, hitting Jaylen Smith for a 29-yard touchdown with 13 seconds remaining as the Cardinals survived 32-25 Saturday afternoon.
"I just stayed calm," Jackson told reporters. "Me being the leader of the offense, just kept a level head."
It was a matter of survival for Louisville's slim College Football Playoff aspirations, and how it's viewed in the minds of the selection committee will be of high interest when the first rankings are released Tuesday.
As far as the Heisman chances of this race's very clear leader, this may have been a gift.
Later Saturday, fellow ACC contender Deshaun Watson and No. 3 Clemson get No. 12 Florida State, a game that could allow Watson -- third in voting a year ago -- to inch that much closer to Jackson. Jake Browning threw for two scores on a similar stage as No. 4 Washington's beat 17th-ranked Utah 31-24, and No. 2 Michigan's Jabrill Peppers had seven tackles and score his fourth TD of the season in a 32-23 win over rival Michigan State.
But when the weekend is done, Jackson made certain that everyone will be talking -- for elements both good and bad -- about his game-winning drive in Charlottesville.
The bad will come because it was against a team that isn't likely to go bowling in Bronco Mendenhall's first season ... but you know what the moment was? It was Heisman, that's what.
Florida's Tim Tebow was the last player to go through the last month of the season without facing a Top-25 opponent and still win the trophy. The last ranked team that Louisville faced was Clemson on Oct. 1, and with a remaining schedule of Boston College, Wake Forest, Houston and Kentucky, that's not likely to change.
The key for Jackson is keeping voters attention. It can come with mind-boggling numbers (and to be fair, the sophomore supplied those with 451 total yards and four TD passes) or it can be from stepping up in the clutch.
Look, it didn't provide any style points for the Cardinals' CFP resume and it's not an ideal scenario if Petrino and Co. going forward if they have any hopes of getting in.
But for Jackson, this one checked all the boxes.
Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney and Facebook. His book, 'Tales from the Atlanta Braves Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Braves Stories Ever Told,' is out now, and 'The Heisman Trophy: The Story of an American Icon and Its Winners' will be released Nov. 22, 2016.
Who said #Louisville's schedule didn't include #Heisman moment games for Lamar Jackson? Oh, that's right. I did. pic.twitter.com/MWu6CHWlnm
— Cory McCartney (@coryjmccartney) October 29, 2016
