McCOY SHOULD BRING HEISMAN BACK TO TEXAS
By mark rogers
November 29, 2009
Since the Heisman Trophy was first given out in 1935, there has been one player from the state of Texas each decade (except the 60s) to win the award.
And in each decade, the award has come to the Lone Star State in the final three years of the decade.
1938: Davey O'Brien, TCU
1947: Doak Walker, SMU
1957: John David Crow, A&M
1977: Earl Campbell, Texas
1989: Andre Ware, Houston
1998: Ricky Williams, Texas
You see? Only years ending in 7, 8 or 9. Weird.
It's actually the reason I predicted Vince Young wouldn't win in 2005 since it didn't fit the trend.
Speaking of VY, let's talk about him.
He absolutely should have won the Heisman in 2005. At the time he was the only player in NCAA history to throw for 3,000 and rush for 1,000 in the same season. Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour did it in 2007 and Nevada's Colin Kaepernick came close last year (2,800 passing and 1,000+ rushing).
So why didn't VY win?
Because of his performance on the road against Texas A&M on November 25.
He had his worst game by far: 13-24, 162 yds passing, 1 TD, 1 INT. 11 rushes for 19 yards and no TDs.
Texas won 40-29 but was outplayed as A&M racked up more first downs, total yards and TOP minutes than Texas.
USC was off that week, but the last time anyone had seen Reggie Bush in action was a 23 carry, 294 yard, 2 TD, come-from-behind performance at home against an 8-1 Fresno State team.
The next time USC hit the field, Bush carried 24 times for 260 yards and two more scores in a route against cross-town rival and nationall ranked UCLA (9-1) in the Pac-10s version of a conference championship.
That week VY orchestrated a 70-3 victory over a terrible Colorado team in the Big 12 Championship game. The Buffs came in with 4 losses on the year. Nobody gave a hoot about that one.
Reggie Bush won the Heisman then preceded to lose to VY and the Longhorns in the Rose Bowl.
(And just a side note, VY led the Titans on an 18-play, 99 yard drive and threw a TD pass as time expired to beat Matt Leinart and the Cards today...ha. Leinart can't get away.)
All that being said...Colt McCoy's Heisman chances were on the line on Thursday night, and I think we all know what happened.
He beat an inspired Texas A&M team in College Station on a short week with a beat up secondary that gave up a lot of points, threw 4 TD passes while piling up 300+ yards, ran for a career-high 175 and a 65 yard TD straight up the gut that could very well be the highlight we all remember when looking back on Colt's Heisman year.
Colt's "Reggie Bush" this year is Mark Ingram, Alabama's RB who's rushed for 1,429 yards and 12 TDs while saving his best performances for the most critical moments against the best teams Bama has played...that's a Heisman recipe, and he was leading the pack before Saturday.
He laid an egg against in-state rival Auburn this weekend. 30 yards on the ground. No TDs and Bama could have very easily lost that game. They trailed in the fourth.
In the 2005 scenario, Colt is Reggie and Ingram is VY.
Unless Colt throws for 120 yards and 3 pick-sixes and fumbles four times in a Texas loss to Nebraska this weekend, the trophy should be his.
And I know the award is supposed to go to the best player in 2009, but much attention has been given to Colt passing the all-time wins record for a starting college QB.
How about this? A Texas QB has gone over 3,000 total yards six times in the history of the program.
Colt has done it THREE times. Nobody else did it more than once.
VY left Texas as, arguably, the best college football player of all-time.
But if Colt wins a National Championship and takes home the Heisman this year?
What's to say that the argument shouldn't be made for Tuscola-grown Colt McCoy, too?
I know there's been a lot of buzz around Stanford RB Toby Gerhart. I LOVE the guy and mentioned him in my "Players to Look out For" article before the season began, but Stanford won't even win it's conference and has lost four times.
The last time a player from a non-contender won the Heisman?
1989 Houston Cougars - and they only lost two games. 20 years ago, so I don't think it's going to happen this year.
The last time a 4-loss team had a Heisman Trophy winner was 1985...Auburn...Bo Jackson. Point is...Gerhart's great, but he won't win the Heisman. He don't know Bo.
Colt wrapped it up in College Station and continued the trend of a player from the state of Texas winning the award in one of the final three years of the decade.
Thanks, Colt, for holding together the equilibrium of my brain.
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