Lamar Jackson answered any questions about whether his spectacular start to the season could be sustained against a tough opponent, and at the same time, placed himself in the center of the Heisman Trophy discussion in leading the Cardinals to a 63-20 thrashing of No. 2-ranked Florida State Saturday.
Jackson and the Louisville zone-read rushing attack slashed through the Seminoles' defense, as Jackson rushed for 146 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries. He threw for 216 yards and another score on 13-of-20 passing before sitting out most of the fourth quarter. Jackson's most impressive touchdown came on his last, a zone-read keeper for 47 yards, which gave Louisville a 55-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.
"He's pretty amazing. He's a great competitor," Louisville coach Bob Petrino told ABC. "He did a great job throwing the ball, and he knows how to run it a little bit too. (I'm) really proud of how he prepared for the game, how he came here nice and relaxed, and just went out and played."
As a true sophomore, Jackson won't be eligible for next year's NFL draft, but he had to have made an impression on scouts representing 11 NFL clubs at the Cardinals home win. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein suggested former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kordell Stewart as a possible comparison for Jackson.
Jackson will get another chance to impress Heisman voters against a top team in two weeks when the Cardinals play at Clemson.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *@ChaseGoodbread*.