LSU's Joe Burrow Named One Of Four Finalists For Heisman Trophy

LSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

For Immediate Release - December 9, 2019

LSU’S BURROW NAMED ONE OF FOUR FINALISTS FOR HEISMAN TROPHY

BATON ROUGE – LSU’s record-setting quarterback Joe Burrow has been named one of four finalists for the most prestigious award in college sports – the Heisman Trophy – the Heisman Trophy Trust announced on Monday.

Burrow is joined on the list of finalists by Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and Ohio State defensive end Chase Young.

The winner of the 85th Heisman Memorial Trophy will be announced on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. Burrow, along with the other finalists, will travel to New York City later this week where the winner will be announced during a ceremony from the PlayStation Theater in Times Square.

Burrow, a senior from Athens, Ohio, is looking to become LSU’s second winner of the coveted Heisman Trophy. The late Billy Cannon is LSU’s only other Heisman Trophy winner, claiming the trophy in 1959. Cannon finished third in the Heisman balloting in 1958. Outside of Cannon, former halfback Jerry Stovall is LSU’s other highest Heisman Trophy finisher, placing second for the award in 1962.

Bert Jones’ fourth place finish in 1972 ranks as the highest an LSU quarterback has ever finished in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

Burrow becomes LSU’s second “Heisman finalist” since the organization began recognizing finalists for the award in 1982. Prior to 1982, only the winner of the Heisman Trophy was invited to New York for the award ceremony. LSU’s last Heisman Trophy finalist was defensive back Tyrann Mathieu in 2011.

Burrow, who was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year on Monday by the Associated Press, has re-written the LSU record books in 2019, establishing school marks for passing yards (4,715), passing TDs (48), passing yards per game (362.7), completions (342), total offense (5,004) and total offense per game (384.9).

Burrow also broke the SEC record for passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season in 2019 and he’s the only player in league history to throw for over 4,000 yards and 40 or more touchdowns in a single-season.

He’s also on pace to set the NCAA single-season record for completion percentage. Burrow has completed 77.9 percent of his passes, ahead of the current mark of Colt McCoy’s mark of 76.7 set in 2008.

In 13 games, Burrow has directed an LSU offense that scored a school-record 621 points as the Tigers averaged 47.8 points a contest. The Tigers also scored 50 or more points a school-record six times in 2019 and LSU scored 40 points or more a record 10 times.

Burrow and the Tigers are currently ranked No. 1 in every major poll, including the top spot in the College Football Playoff Rankings. LSU, winners of 14 straight games, will bring its 13-0 record into the CFP National Semifinal contest against No. 4 Oklahoma in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 28.

Burrow set the LSU single-game mark for passing touchdowns with six in the 66-38 win over Vanderbilt on Sept. 21. He’s also thrown five touchdowns in a game three times in 2019 – vs. Georgia Southern, vs. Utah State and vs. Ole Miss.

Burrow holds the second and third highest passing yards games in LSU history, tossing for 471 yards and four TDs in a win over Texas during the second week of the season and 489 yards and five scores in the 58-37 win over Ole Miss in November.

Burrow has thrown for 300-yards or more in a school-record seven straight games heading into the Oklahoma contest and he holds the school-record for 300-yard passing games in a season with 11.

Dating back to last year, Burrow has completed at least 20 passes in 16 consecutive games, also the longest streak of its kind in LSU history.

For his career, the two-year starter has guided the Tigers to a 23-3 mark with nine of his wins coming against Top 10 opponents. The nine Top 10 wins for Burrow are the most by any quarterback in school history.

LSU’s Highest Heisman Trophy Finishes (Top 10 Only)
1st - 1959 Billy Cannon, halfback (1,929 points)
2nd - 1962 Jerry Stovall, halfback (618 points) - lost by 79 points
3rd - 1958 Billy Cannon, halfback (975 points)
4th - 1972 Bert Jones, quarterback (351 points)
5th - 2011 Tyrann Mathieu, safety (327 points)
5th - 1978 Charles Alexander, running back (282 points)
6th - 2015 Leonard Fournette, running Back (110 points)
9th - 2007 Glenn Dorsey, defensive tackle (30 points)
9th - 1977 Charles Alexander, running back (54 points)