Leonard Fournette sets Twitter alight and announces his Heisman Trophy credentials during LSU's victory over Auburn

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Fournette rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries as LSU thrashed Auburn 45-21
His first touchdown came after a dazzling 40-yard run which shredded Auburn's defense
By half-time he posted career-high figures of 169 yards from 15 carries
His second touchdown came after a 29-yard run during which he shook off a high tackle from Auburn safety Tray Matthews

Published: 19:30 EST, 19 September 2015 | Updated: 19:30 EST, 19 September 2015

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He only played for three quarters, but Leonard Fournette announced himself as a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy after the second game of his sophomore season.

The LSU running back shredded Auburn's defense, rushing for a career-high 228 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries as Tigers racked up an emphatic 45-21 victory.

Fournette, the most powerful tailback in college football, served notice of his intent with with a 71-yard run on the Tigers' first play from scrimmage.

Leonard Fournette has been widely touted as a Heisman candidate and rushed for career-high figures

The LSU running back was the top trending topic on Twitter after his dazzling exploits against Auburn

I laughed. Ridiculous. He’ll be a good pro #genius #scouting RT @SEConCBS: Leonard Fournette can NOT. BE. STOPPED. http://t.co/Sn5oWEZZL6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 19, 2015

In the second quarter, he dodged five defenders on his way to a 40-yard touchdown run, among them cornerback Blake Countess, who was trampled by the running back

A 29-yard run saw safety Tray Matthews attempt a high tackle on the 6ft 1in, 224-pound Fournette. He was duly brushed aside and sent crashing to earth.

By half time he had rushed for a career-high 169 yards from 15 carries.

His previous best was 159 yards, posted last week in the 21-19 win against Mississippi State.

Fournette, who is not eligible for the 2016 NFL draft, was pulled from play as a precaution after suffering a bruised knee scoring his third touchdown.

Fournette rushed for a career-high 228 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries

Fournette has already earned comparisons with Adrian Peterson but is not eligible for the NFL draft until 2017

Asked about how to stop Fournette before the game, Auburn's Johnathan 'Rudy' Ford said: 'It shouldn't be that difficult of a challenge.'

But that didn't reckon on Fournette's antics, which were the No 1 trending topic on Twitter in the USA.

After rushing for more than 5,000 yards in his high school career at St Augustine High School in New Orleans, Fournette was one of the most coveted running backs.

In his freshman year he rushed for 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns during the Tigers' 8-5 campaign. Now over a third of the way to that tally in less than two games, he has been compared to Adrian Peterson, and the speculation will only mount following this dominant display.