CJ Stroud reiterates desire to win before looking at accolades while reviewing performance
Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud entered the 2022 season as a betting favorite to win the Heisman trophy, among other accolades. Through four games, Stroud has done nothing to remove himself from the conversation and he should stay comfortably in the race barring an unexpected slate of fallow games.
The redshirt sophomore quarterback now has 16 passing touchdowns to the one interception and 1222 yards while completing passes at a 70.5 percent clip after torching Wisconsin on Saturday evening. Speaking after the game, Stroud said he doesn’t really care where he stands in the running for various awards. He just wants to win.
“I think something that we do great at Ohio State, we don’t look back,” Stroud said. “After our Sunday practice, it’s like ‘It is what it is.’ So, whoever I’m playing, we’re winning, I don’t really care. Like I said early on in the season, as long we win, I’m cool.”
While the main focus is winning, Stroud does want to put up strong numbers and surely would love win any number of individual awards, especially the Heisman. He’s currently tied for the national lead in passing touchdowns and ranks second in passing efficiency with a 207.5 rating.
Stroud is not naive, either, and knows he’s comfortably in the running for the coveted honor. But he pointed out that, much like getting to 4-0, so much is dependent on more than just Stroud and his game.
“And I think the numbers prove for themselves — but it’s not just me,” Stroud said. “It’s a combination of my linemen, my tight ends, my running backs, my receivers, our special teams, our defense. A little bit of everything. Just the hard work kind of paying off. If people think I’m playing good, cool. If they don’t, cool, they hate anyways. So I’m blessed from God to be in this position.”