October 17^th, 2011 – Heisman Update

Here we are, about midway through the season, and it appears to still be an open race... some early contenders have been knocked out due to injury (LaMichael James and Marcus Lattimore), which always sucks to see given the opportunity in front of them, while others have faded (Robert Griffin III) because their team isn’t winning.

Let’s start with the front-runners...

Andrew Luck had another impressive performance in a blowout win over Washington State, but can he get the votes from the Eastern voters?  How about this – he has improved in nearly every statistical category from last year – 1,719 yards, 18 TD’s, 3 INT’s and 71.3% completion rate.  The guy is already a pro.

Russell Wilson was sent packing from NC State to Wisconsin because he couldn’t make up his mind between Pro Baseball and College Football – uhhhhhhhh, how dumb does Tom O’Brien look, and how psyched is Bret Bielema to have a guy like this land in his lap?  Holy smokes... if Luck doesn’t go bonkers in the 2^nd half of the season, this guy is a legit contender.  1,557 yards, 14 TD’s, 1 INT and a completion percentage of 74%... and the highest QB rating of any of the front-runners at a ridiculous 211.  Oh yeah, his team is ranked in the Top 5.  But like Luck, his conference sucks, unlike...

Trent Richardson out of Alabama.  Man, can this kid run downhill and over people.  Wow.  His stats are impressive for sure through the halfway point - 912 yards rushing with 15 TD’s, and 179 receiving yards with 1 TD... but the impressive thing?  He breaks damn near every first tackle.  He literally runs over people.  We watched him dominate Ole Miss like they were a freshmen high school team.  If he has a big game against LSU, he may walk away with the trophy.

Kellen Moore... well, this list can’t be complete without the four year starter at Boise State, but there’s no way he’ll win.  Right?  To quote Lee Corso... not so fast my friend.  1,729 yards, 21 TD’s and only 4 picks – plus he is on target to break Colt McCoy’s mark for most wins by a QB in college football history.  This kid can flat out light it up. 

Landry Jones of Oklahoma has more passing yards than all of these guys, with 16 TD’s and a huge win over arch-rival Texas, but he has more INT’s (6) and a lower completion percentage (68% - which is still pretty damn good!) than any of them.  If Alabama stumbles and OU can win out, including what may turn out to be the biggest game in Bedlam history, then Jones has a shot.

It's nearly October, and that means the Heisman race is going to start to heat up. 

As of now, there's no clear front runner, but there are quite a few names in the ring.  Stanford's Andrew Luck is everybody's front-runner, but Robert Griffin III is making quite a name for himself in Waco.  With a huge win over TCU to begin the season, and backing it up with insane stats through four games (962 yards and 13 TD's - in 3 games!!), he is solidifying his spot in the race.

LaMichael James went berserk on Arizona this past weekend, rushing for nearly 300 yards (288) and multiple scores for what is now an Oregon school record for yards, while Trent Richardson, the Alabama back who plays on one of the nation's best teams, and in the best conference, is steady with 441 yards and 9 TD's through the first four games of the season.

Oklahoma's Landry Jones is hanging around, with over 1,000 passing yards to date, and let's not forget about another QB, only in the Big 10... yes, I said the Big 10 - Denard Robinson out of Michigan.  He has accounted for nearly 1,200 yards thus far, with 11 TD's through the air and on the ground, including the heroics at home in the first night game in Big House history against Notre Dame.  Talk about being on a stage!

We can't leave out the runner-up from 2011, Kellen Moore, who is at the 1,000 mark with 12 TD's - in 3 games... but he does play for Boise State, so that means he would have to break all kinds of records in order to be considered, right?  Oh wait, he is due to break nearly ALL of them this year... don't count him out.

South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore (611 yards, 9 TD's), V-Tech's David Wilson (519 yards through 3 games), and Wisconsin QB Russell WIlson (1,136 yards and 11 TD's, with only 1 INT) round out what is a wide open race to hoisting the 25 pound piece of bronze in September.

Stay tuned as this race to lift the most prestigious award in all of college football heats up.