Heisman watch officially on as Smith, Toney already producing Heisman-caliber performances

Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Miami's Malachi Toney have wasted no time launching their respective Heisman Trophy campaigns. Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone as No. 1 Ohio State opened its season with a 56-3 blowout of Ball State on Saturday. Smith celebrated his second touchdown by doing a Heisman pose. One night earlier, Toney performed a similar celebration during his three-touchdown performance in the seventh-ranked Hurricanes' 45-6 victory at Stanford. Toney set a school single-game record with 234 yards receiving. Smith was a first-team selection and Toney was a second-team pick on last year's Associated Press All-America team. The AP's preseason All-America team this summer had both as first-team receivers along with Texas' Cam Coleman. Now they're showing they're among the top players in the land, regardless of position. They faced off in last year's College Football Playoff. Smith had better numbers that night — catching seven passes for 157 yards and a touchdown — but Toney's Hurricanes advanced with a 24-14 Cotton Bowl quarterfinal victory over the Buckeyes. There could be another matchup in this season's playoff, given how dominant both Ohio State and Miami looked in their respective openers. But the star receivers could be meeting in New York for the Heisman ceremony well before then. Hoosiers open title defenseNo. 6 Indiana's new faces helped the defending national champions roll to a 52-16 victory over North Texas in their opener. Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover went 13-of-16 for 231 yards with four touchdowns in his first game stepping in for Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard scored twice and Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh got the Hoosiers' first touchdown with a one-handed grab. One sign of concern for Indiana is that a defense that allowed the second-fewest points per game of any FBS team last year struggled to slow down North Texas, which had to overhaul its roster after former Mean Green coach Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State and took most of his weapons with him. Heisman Trophy watchSmith, Toney and Hoover weren't the only notable players delivering noteworthy performances this weekend. Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season, went 21-of-25 for 320 yards with three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown. Miami QB Darian Mensah, who led Duke to an Atlantic Coast Conference title last year, threw five touchdown passes in his first game with his new team. South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers was 19-of-23 for 270 yards with three touchdowns in a 57-0 victory over Kent State. Southern California QB Jayden Maiava, the reigning AP national player of the week, went 25-of-29 for 286 yards with two touchdown passes in a 39-0 win over Fresno State on Friday night. Maiava has thrown five touchdown passes and six incompletions through No. 14 USC's first two games of the season. Maybe it's too soon to put Pitt QB Mason Heintschel on this list, but he set an Atlantic Coast Conference single-game record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a 59-14 rout of Miami (Ohio). He went 31-of-41 for 459 yards. Get to know these guysThese freshmen made major impacts in their college debuts. Nebraska's Jamal Rule rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and caught two passes for 47 yards and another score in the Cornhuskers' 49-21 win over Ohio. Syracuse's Shavane Anderson Jr. ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns in a 66-3 blowout of New Hampshire. That game also featured a notable comeback by Syracuse QB Steve Angeli, who threw three touchdown passes in his first appearance since tearing his Achilles tendon in a victory over Clemson last year. Wait, there's more!Today's lineup includes a weirdly early Apple Cup between No. 17 Washington and Washington State before prime-time showdowns: No. 4 Notre Dame against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and No. 9 Mississippi against No. 24 Louisville in Nashville, Tennessee. The Labor Day capper sees Mike Norvell and Florida State hosting No. 19 SMU and dynamic quarterback Kevin Jennings.