Louisville QB Lamar Jackson wins Heisman Trophy

As expected, Lamar Jackson took home the 82nd annual Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, becoming the first winner of the prestigious award in Louisville history.

With 2,144 points, the dynamic dual-threat quarterback easily outdistanced runner-up Deshaun Watson of Clemson (1,524 points), while Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma finished third (361 points). Fellow finalists Dede Westbrook (209 points) and Jabrill Peppers (208 points) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Louisville had never even had a Heisman finalist, and only one Cardinal previously had finished in the Top 10 of the voting – defensive end Elvis Dumervil was 10th in 2005.

Jackson became the runaway Heisman favorite in the early weeks of the season, compiling 25 total touchdowns in the month of September alone. Jackson finished with 51 total TDs, 30 passing and 21 rushing, and accounted for 4,928 yards of total offense in 12 games. The sophomore from Boynton Beach, Fla., led the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense and No. 2 total offense at 45.3 points and 559 yards per game, respectively.

[Related: The 5 best games of Lamar Jackson’s Heisman-winning season]

He also created a compendium of Heisman Moment-type plays: leaping a Syracuse defender on a touchdown run; a flowing, spinning, 47-yard touchdown run in a rout of Florida State; and a game-winning touchdown pass at Virginia with just 13 seconds remaining in the game. Some even considered an incomplete pass at Clemson, after somehow eluding multiple rushers, a Heisman-worthy play.

Not even a season-ending two-game losing streak could significantly loosen Jackson’s hold on the Heisman. The Cardinals were upset by Houston and Kentucky and Jackson committed four turnovers against the Wildcats, but the lack of consensus on an alternative candidate kept Jackson in command.

Thirteenth-ranked Louisville is 9-3 heading into the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl against LSU on Dec. 31. Against the Tigers, Jackson will have a chance to go after another statistical milestone: he is two touchdowns away from the FBS single-season Top 10.

Jackson is just the fourth sophomore to win the award, following Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford and Alabama running back Mark Ingram. As a true sophomore, he is not yet eligible for the NFL draft and will have a chance to come back and attempt back-to-back Heisman-winning seasons.

However, that’s far easier said than done – Ohio State’s Archie Griffin remains the only player to accomplish the feat, in 1974 and ’75.