FSU QB Jameis Winston can hurt defenses with his arm or legs. (Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports)
There has only been one two-time Heisman Trophy winner.
There has only been one freshman Heisman Trophy winner.
There has never been a Heisman Trophy winner from the Mountain West Conference.
One of those things should change when the Heisman Trophy winner is named in New York on Saturday, December 14.
Don’t know if one of them will change, but one of them should.
In a year with no Heisman frontrunner, there are an abundance of players worth considering.
Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, despite being hampered by a knee injury, has thrown for 2,819 yards and run for 477 yards and nine scores. He has 25 touchdown passes … zero interceptions … and a gaudy 93.9 quarterback rating.
Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty is the leader of the ridiculous. His personal numbers are overwhelming – 2,992 yards passing with 24 touchdowns and just one interception, to go along with 10 rushing touchdowns. The undefeated Bears have scored 59 points or more seven times, including four games with at least 70 points.
Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron doesn’t have the individual stats – 21 touchdown passes, five interceptions, no rushing touchdowns – but it’s hard to argue with two national championship rings and working on a possible third.
While it looks like this will be a Year of the Quarterback in Heisman voting, there are several running backs that have numbers worth considering – Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey (12 touchdowns, over 3,700 career rushing yards), Baylor’s Lache Seastrunk (11 touchdowns, 8.7-yard average), Auburn’s Tre Mason (17 touchdowns, SEC rushing leader) – to name a few.
But from my perspective (I don’t have a Heisman vote) there are three candidates that stand out above the rest – a previous winner, a freshman, and a senior from the Mountain West.
Johnny Manziel, the 2012 winner from Texas A&M, was the first freshman to take home the game’s most coveted individual award. He wasn’t even the Aggies starter after spring practice, but he took the college football world by storm, weaving his way through defenses, throwing over them, and making them look silly.
But, Johnny Football fell out of favor when his antics, on- and off-the-field, looked silly … or worse. Voters, like most fans around the country, don’t look favorably on actions that come across as arrogant or self-promoting. It didn’t help when rumors surfaced about things that could cause NCAA problems. Those feelings were understandable.
But, overlooking what Manziel has done on the field this season is not understandable. And, holding rumors against him without proof is indefensible.
A year ago, he threw for 3,706 yards for 26 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He ran for 21 more scores, averaging over 10 yards every time he carried the ball. This year, with two regular season games remaining, he has already thrown for 3,313 yards and 31 scores, adding eight more touchdowns on the ground. Unless something unexpected happens, he will do at least as well, if not better, than during his trophy-winning campaign.
What about the fact that the Aggies have lost two games? Well, it’s not exactly like they lost to chopped liver. The losses were to Alabama and Auburn – No. 1 and No. 6 in this week’s BCS poll, with a combined 20-1 record. How did Manziel perform against those two national championship contenders combined? He completed 72.7 percent of his passes for 918 yard and nine touchdowns. He ran for another 146 yards and a score. He was responsible for 86.5 percent of A&M’s yards in those games.
What’s not to like about that?
In Tallahassee, fans have been swept away by another freshman, Jameis Winston from Alabama (his bio says he’s from Bessemer, but he’ was a Hueytown Golden Gopher as a prep). He has been dynamic from Day One, befuddling Florida State opponents in destructive fashion. Six times the Seminoles have scored over 50 points. They haven’t scored fewer than 41 points and only one team has stayed within 27 points. (Boston College lost by 14.) Nationally-ranked Clemson, playing at home, lost by 37.
With two regular season games remaining for the undefeated ‘Noles, Winston has passed for 2,938 yards and 38 touchdowns with three scores on the ground. This comes with him on the sidelines for the second half of several games due to runaway scores.
The statuesque Winston has moves, arm strength and field awareness, much like another multi-dimensional Heisman winner from a few seasons ago. But, similar to that predecessor and Manziel, he has been hurt by off-the-field rumors and allegations which, even though unproven, could do more damage than any opposing defense.
Forget that this guy is just a freshman. And, remember that allegations are just that. Those two factors shouldn’t determine whether he gets Heisman support. His game play should make that statement.
That statement has been made loud and clear.
One of the all-time best quarterbacks in college football history is completing his career at Fresno State. Derek Carr has made headlines on the field for four seasons, and off-the-field rumors about this guy aren’t likely to become headlines. The senior’s character and humility is equaled by his leadership and play.
With two games remaining in his senior regular season, Carr has completed 956 career passes for 11,181 yards and 95 touchdowns. This season, he has thrown for 34 touchdowns with just four interceptions, throwing for 3,421 yards, and adding two rushing scores. This is despite having the game with Colorado, and its porous defense, cancelled due to flooding around Boulder in September.
Carr has led the Bulldogs to a 9-0 record, one of only six remaining undefeated teams, with the inside track to the inaugural Mountain West Championship Game and a first-ever BCS bowl bid, if the Bulldogs win the league title.
Simply put, if Carr played for a more prominent team in an automatic BCS bid conference, he might be the Heisman Trophy leader right now.
It’s still four Saturdays until we know the 2013 winner. But, voters could do a lot worse than picking a previous winner, a freshman or a senior from the Mountain West.
