Back in the 70s the Heisman Trophy was a running back's award, with every award from 1973 to 1983 going to a rusher. The tide started to turn in the late 80s and in the 90s it was even, with 4 running backs and 4 quarterbacks taking the award (with one WR and one CB, both of whom returned kicks). The quarterback era started in 2000, and since then 11 QBs and just 2 RBs have won the Heisman (just one RB if you don't count Reggie Bush's returned award).
And lately, it's not even enough to be a great passing quarterback—dual-threat QBs have won the last three awards.
This year's consideration list is replete with dual-threat quarterbacks, and last week we didn't even have a running back on the list, so it was time we added one. First, though, let's take it from the top:Johnny Manziel holds on at #1. His TD:int ratio was just 1:1 last Saturday but he ran for two touchdowns. Again, the award is his until someone takes it away, and no one seems all that eager. #2 Tajh Boyd of Clemson had a decent outing against NC State in a 26-14 win with three TD passes, but he has half of Manziel's passing yards and 1/3 of his rushing yards. His TD/TO ratio is 9:0, however.
Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois is still high on our list at #3. Once again he had to pull out all the stops against an inferior opponent (FCS Eastern Illinois), resulting in 189 rushing yards and 235 passing yards. He had just 1 TD against 2 interceptions but he was ultimately the reason for their win. Offsetting that is the fact that he faced an FCS opponent. Where do you strike the balance between heroics and strength of schedule? NIU's soft schedule will be taken into account as the year goes on, and any losses by the team will reflect harshly on Lynch. It may be an uphill battle to hold his position here or for the rest of the nation to take his candidacy seriously this season unless the numbers are other-worldly.
Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville also faced some easy competition (FIU) but he breezed through it with four TD passes; he has a 14:1 ratio this year so far. He moves up to #4, leaping over Marqise Lee who has been a disappointment thus far. His numbers are fairly pedestrian for a superstar receiver and he keeps losing ground—but weakness among the candidates helps him hold at #5. He better make a big move, fast, as he can't live off potential much longer.
2013 Heisman Race, week 4:
- Johnny Manziel, QB Texas A&M (3-1; beat SMU 42-13)
LW: 14-21 66.7% 244yd 1TD 1int 12rsh 102yd 8.5av 2TD 0fmb
TOT: 77-110 70.0% 1228yd 12TD 4int 39rsh 255yd 6.5av 3TD 0fmb - Tajh Boyd, QB Clemson (3-0; beat NC State 26-14)
LW: 24-37 64.9% 244yd 3TD 0int 13rsh 38yd 2.9av 0TD 0fmb
TOT: 56-90 62.2% 683yd 6TD 0int 32rsh 90yd 2.8av 3TD 0fmb - Jordan Lynch, QB N. Illinois (3-0; beat E. Illinois 43-39)
LW: 21-30 70.0% 235yd 1TD 2int 23rsh 189yd 8.2av 0TD 0fmb
TOT: 63-100 63.0% 662yd 7TD 2int 68rsh 404yd 5.9av 2TD 1fmb - [up 2] Teddy Bridgewater, QB Louisville (4-0; beat FIU 72-0)
LW: 17-22 77.3% 212yd 4TD 0int 3rsh 1yd 0.3av 0TD 0fmb
TOT: 79-110 71.8% 1214yd 14TD 1int 12rsh 36yd 3.0av 0TD 0fmb - Marqise Lee, WR USC (3-1; beat Utah State 17-14)
LW: 6rec 72yd 0TD 0fmb 1rsh 8yd 8av 0fmb 34retYd 0TD 0fmb
TOT: 23rec 293yd 1TD 0fmb 5rsh 1yd 0.2av 0fmb 76retYd 0TD 1fmb - [dn 2] Braxton Miller, QB Ohio State (4-0; beat FL A&M 76-0)
LW: did not play; injury
TOT: 17-24 70.8% 208yd 2TD 1int 18rsh 82yd 4.6av 0TD 0fmb - Marcus Mariota, QB Oregon (3-0; no game last week)
LW: no game
TOT: 49-82 59.8% 889yd 7TD 0int 15rsh 262yd 17+av 4TD 0fmb - [new] Melvin Gordon, RB Wisconsin (3-1; beat Purdue 41-10)
LW: 16rsh 147yd 9.2av 3TD 0fmb; 0rec 0yd 0TD; 0retYds
TOT: 53rsh 624yd 11.8av 7TD 0fmb; 0rec 0yd 0TD; 0retYds - [dn 1] Jadeveon Clowney, DE South Carolina (2-1; no game last week)
LW: no game
TOT: 10 tackles 2 sack 3 tfl 0 pbu 0 int 1 ffmb 0 kBlock
Speaking of "better make a big move, fast," Braxton Miller is going to be out of the race if he doesn't get back on the field. Already backup Kenny Guiton is putting up Heisman-worthy numbers himself, albeit against poor competition. This week the Buckeyes face Wisconsin and if Miller misses a "big" game he's dead in the water. He's almost become an afterthought around the nation as it is. A big comeback game could reignite his hopes but a lot of damage has been done to his potential stats line.
Marcus Mariota didn't play this week and holds at #7; he's the leader on many boards, but we're giving it some time. Oregon always scores bazillions of points early on—it's the big games Mariota has to win to prove he's Heisman-worthy and not just another QB cog in the Oregon/Nike football machine. He thus far lacks the highlight reel plays of Manziel, the big wins of Boyd, and the game-saving performances of Lynch, but he will soon be right up there with Bridgewater if Oregon keeps dominating.
Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin is our token running back this week. As we noted our under-representation of RBs, we looked and saw that only one player is averaging over 150 yards per game, and Gordon has topped 100 yards for four games so far, one of those being a game against a top 25 team and one against a conference foe. Though the Badgers lost to Arizona State it wasn't Gordon's fault as he rushed for a season-high 193 yards. Most impressive of all? He's averaging 11.8 yards per carry. He debuts at #8, pushing past Jadeveon Clowney who was idle. Clowney may yet see his Heisman candidacy "reignite" as for a defensive player all it takes is a few good games and highlight reel hits, but for now he's been largely forgotten.
This week's key Heisman games:
- Wisconsin at Ohio State: Can Braxton Miller reignite his candidacy, or will Kenny Guiton establish his own? Can Melvin Gordon take the big leap forward and put a running back among the top candidates?
- Texas A&M at Arkansas: Johnny Football, 'nuff said.
- Wake Forest at Clemson: A good chance for Tajh Boyd to shine against a weak foe.
- Cal at Oregon: Could be another easy Oregon win; what will Marcus Mariota's numbers look like?
- Northern Illinois at Purdue: Can Jordan Lynch make it 2-0 vs. the Big Ten this season?
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