Nov 03 2009
2009 Heisman Race
Anyone who seriously follows college football could tell you that this year’s Heisman race has been a bit of an enigma. Coming into the 2009 season, everybody thought it would be a three horse race. After all, in an unprecedented twist, we had two former winners and last year’s runner-up all shunning the pros in order to return for another year.
Little did we know that quarterback Sam Bradford, last year’s winner, would suffer a shoulder injury in the very first game of his season that would ultimately end his year. OK, many voters probably thought, with Bradford out of the picture that should make it a dead heat between quarterbacks Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman winner, and Colt McCoy, last year’s runner-up, right?
Well, in all honesty, neither player is putting up career-best numbers. Tebow is currently 37 touchdowns behind his Heisman-winning mark, and he’s also on pace to have fewer passing yards, more interceptions, a lower passer rating, and a lower completion percentage. Similarly, if you compare McCoy’s statistics to last year, you’ll see that he’s literally down in every category.
| NAME | YEAR | P-YDS | TD | INT | C% | QB RTG | R-YDS | TD |
| Tim Tebow | 2009 | 1323 | 10 | 4 | 64.7 | 153.7 | 551 | 8 |
| Tim Tebow | 2007 | 3286 | 32 | 6 | 66.9 | 172.5 | 895 | 23 |
| Colt McCoy | 2009 | 1977 | 15 | 8 | 72.0 | 144.6 | 138 | 1 |
| Colt McCoy | 2008 | 3859 | 34 | 8 | 76.7 | 173.7 | 561 | 11 |
The problem here is that Heisman voters like to be spoon fed. A lot of them don’t want to go through the hassle of crunching numbers—they just vote for the biggest name in the biggest game. Did you know that the last six Heisman winners have all played in the national championship? The last player to buck that trend was Carson Palmer. Speaking of which, did you realize that eight of the last nine Heisman winners have been quarterbacks? Reggie Bush was the lone exception—although, to be fair, his quarterback, Matt Leinart, had already won the trophy in the previous year.
So, where does this current situation leave voters? If the profile of a Heisman winner over the last decade has been a star quarterback playing in the national title game, does that mean Tebow, McCoy or Greg McElroy from Alabama has to be the choice? The answer obviously should be a resounding “no”—it’s simply time for Heisman voters to break out of their comfort zone and just honor the most deserving player. Period.
#10 Daryll Clark (Penn State)
Last week: 274 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, 71.0% completion, 155.9 rating; 16 rushing yards, 1 touchdown.
Season: 2158 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 63.1% completion, 149.3 rating; 148 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns.
#9 Mardy Gilyard (Cincinnati)
Last week: 62 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns; 55 punt return yards, 27.5 punt return average, 0 touchdowns.
Season: 736 receiving yards, 8 touchdowns; 159 punt return yards, 17.67 punt return average, 1 touchdown.
#8 Tim Tebow (Florida)
Last week: 164 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 71.4% completion, 168.5 rating; 85 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns.
Season: 1323 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 64.7% completion, 153.7 rating; 551 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns.
#7 Kellen Moore (Boise State)
Last week: 278 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 63.6% completion, 164.4 rating; 2 rushing yards, 1 touchdown.
Season: 1905 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 67.1% completion, 170.3 rating; -13 rushing yards, 1 touchdown.
#6 Jordan Shipley (Texas)
Last week: 64 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns; 0 punt returns.
Season: 777 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns; 261 punt return yards, 15.35 punt return average, 2 touchdowns.
#5 Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame)
Last week: 268 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 81.5% completion, 189.3 rating; -9 rushing yards, 0 touchdowns.
Season: 2318 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 66.9% completion, 164.2 rating; -57 rushing yards, 1 touchdown.
#4 Case Keenum (Houston)
Last week: 559 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception, 81.5% completion, 195.3 rating; 10 rushing yards, 0 touchdowns.
Season: 3256 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 71.4% completion, 159.0 rating; 74 rushing yards, 3 touchdowns.
#3 LaMichael James (Oregon)
Last week: 183 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 7.63 yards-per-carry; 8 receiving yards,0 touchdowns.
Season: 918 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns, 7.01 yards-per-carry; 39 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns.
#2 Dion Lewis (Pittsburgh)
Last week: Bye
Season: 1029 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns, 5.56 yards-per-carry; 92 receiving yards, 1 touchdown.
#1 Mark Ingram (Alabama)
Last week: Bye
Season: 1004 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns, 6.56 yards-per-carry; 186 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns.
Take a look at CJ Spiller from Clemson. He is the most explosive player in college football and he has the numbers to prove it. He is ranked top 5 in a lot of Heisman watches after two 300+ all purpose games. I don’t see him in your top 10 and i think you should consider reevaluating your Heisman list.
Thanks for the comment, Paul. I believe you were looking at last week’s Heisman article because this week’s had Spiller at #6. Really the only thing holding him back is his team’s record. Anyway, thanks for reading.
Hey man, I really appreciate someone finally giving Clark from Penn State the recognition he deserves. Everyone always looks past him when determining the votes. His numbers are great and always have been. I think he only has 3 or 4 losses for his entire career. And thanks for throwing Spiller in the mix. He’s an incredible player with explosive stats. Like you said, it’s his team record that brings him down in the polls. Again, thanks.
Thanks for the comment, Richard. You’re right, Clark probably didn’t get the love he deserved during the past two seasons. He definitely would have lasted longer in my Heisman conversation if he could have willed his team past Iowa.