2006 Heisman Discussion (merged all)

[OregonBuckeye]

It pisses me off when people say Troy has been "solid" all year long. Fuck that, he's been amazing! He's put up videogame type stats in very limited amount of time. On the road at night against Texas he tore them up. Same with Iowa. If Ohio St. plays in mostly close games and Troy gets 30-35 attempts a game instead of his usual 20-23 he'd have over 2,000 yards passing, 25-30 td's, and only a few int's so far. He hasn't been the leading Heisman candidate because he's been solid on a great team. He's been the leading Heisman candidate because he's been spectacular on a great team.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

To some, Troy gets points subtracted for degree of difficulty. But those are the ones who don't realize that Troy's knowledge, preparation, vision, decision making and quick release make it LOOK easy. Or maybe they're just grousing because they'd like to see a guy like Troy feast on Mountain West defenses.

Most people obviously get it though. In every poll, media or otherwise, Troy is way out in front.

 

[BB73]

PTI had a question today:

Who you got for the Heisman: Troy Smith or Brady Quinn?

Both TK and MW said Troy, but the fact that ESPN is asking the question like it's a close 2-man race at this point is pathetic.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Michigan, Mountaineer backs high in rankings

1. Troy Smith - Ohio State Buckeyes - Up

Smith received huge contributions from four different wide receivers in Ohio State's (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) 44-3 win over Indiana last weekend. Smith hit four different receivers in the first half, resulting in four touchdowns for Smith. Smith finished the game completing 15-of-23 passes for 220 yards.


2. Steve Slaton - West Virginia Mountaineers - Even

It was a collective effort once again for the Mountaineers, as they pounded on Connecticut in a 37-11 win for West Virginia. Quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton teamed up to help the Mountaineers (7-0, 2-0 Big East) stay unbeaten this season. Slaton rushed for 128 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.


3. Mike Hart - Michigan Wolverines - Up

Hart, and the rest of the Wolverines (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten), helped knock Iowa out of any BCS contention, as Hart rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns in Michigan's 20-6 win over the Hawkeyes.


4. Brady Quinn - Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Up

Quinn, with the help of receiver Jeff Samardzija, has helped keep Notre Dame's chances at a BCS bowl game alive, especially after their 45-yard hook-up to give the Irish a 20-17 come-from-behind win over UCLA on Saturday. Quinn completed 27-of-45 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns in the game.


5. Ray Rice - Rutgers Scarlet Knights - Up

While other teams know Rice is getting the ball, they still haven't come up with a way to stop him. Rice carried the ball 39 times for 225 yards to nearly outgain Pittsburgh by himself in Rutgers' 20-10 win. The Scarlet Knights (7-0, 2-0 Big East) hasn't been unbeaten so deep in to a season since 1976, in large part because of Rice's running abilities.

- Cody Hale

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Is Irish QB just an also-ran?

HEISMAN WATCH

By Wendell Barnhouse

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
TROY SMITH

Star-Telegram college football writer Wendell Barnhouse assesses the top candidates for the Heisman Trophy:
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State: The senior quarterback is methodically rolling toward the award. He has thrown for 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
2. Brady Quinn, above, Notre Dame: Engineering a dramatic comeback on national television provided a significant boost. How-ever, he ranks just 34th in passing efficiency.
3. Mike Hart, Michigan: Hart's legitimacy as a
candidate will be validated when the Wolverines face Ohio State. If he has a big game and Michigan wins, he could make a move.
Waiting list: RB Steve Slaton, West Virginia

 

[osugrad21]

Link

JAY HEATER: COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Smith, Slaton head Heisman race

It took a crazy cart ride around Memorial Stadium to get Cal tailback Marshawn Lynch some national publicity.
Will that publicity be too little, too late in the Heisman Trophy chase?
Probably so. Lynch has an uphill climb for a couple reasons.
One, he hasn't been completely healthy, sitting out at times due to sprained ankles.
Two, seven of Cal's eight games have been blowouts (six wins, one ugly loss to Tennessee) so Lynch hasn't been needed in the fourth quarters of those games.
Lynch leads the Pac-10 in rushing with 113.4 yards per game, but he ranks only 12th nationally.
Cal coach Jeff Tedford said he can't be concerned about national awards. "He has been dinged up," Tedford said of Lynch. "To put him in there to gain 200 or 300 yards (in a game that has been basically decided) is not worth it. I'm not going to put him at risk if he isn't healthy."
So does Tedford believe that Lynch will be considered for the Heisman? "It's hard for me to believe that there are football players around the country much better than him."
About the only saving grace for Lynch is that it remains a wide-open Heisman Trophy race. Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton are front-runners on the strength of their own ability and their teams' success. But a loss could hurt either player's chance of snagging the Heisman.
Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn gets all the hype, but he hasn't even matched Smith, and the Irish could very well lose again before the regular season is over.
The nation's top running backs, Northern Illinois' Garrett Wolfe (176.6 yards per game) and Rutgers' Raymell Rice (160.6 yards per game), are producing a lot of yards, but their opposition will be questioned.
No wide receiver appears to be in position to win the award. USC's Dwayne Jarrett hurt his shoulder and that has hurt his numbers, while Michigan's Mario Manningham was thrust to the front of the list with a tremendous early-season run but then suffered a knee injury that required surgery.
An injury also wiped out Heisman hopeful Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma. He was making a solid run until he broke his collarbone on Oct. 14. Peterson was averaging 155.8 yards per game.
No defensive player has the exposure.
Here is a look at my Heisman Trophy front-runners.
Troy Smith, Ohio State: He has thrown for 1,750 yards and 21 touchdowns and he is rated fourth in the nation in efficiency. If the Buckeyes beat Michigan and go to the national title game, he probably will win the award. Heisman voters love quarterbacks who lead great teams. It won't matter that he can't match other quarterbacks in pure numbers of touchdowns and passing yards. He is the favorite.
Steve Slaton, West Virginia: The slick running back has gained 1,059 yards already and is averaging 151.3 yards a game. It will help him that he's leading an undefeated team that could land a spot in the national title game. If West Virginia beats Louisville on Nov. 2 and Slaton has a huge game, he will move to the top of the list. If that happens, and Ohio State loses to Michigan, he most likely will beat out Smith.
Brady Quinn, Notre Dame: If the Irish can run the table, this guy will be in the top three due to the hype. He is the 34th-ranked quarterback in terms of efficiency and has thrown for 1,938 yards and 18 touchdowns. If the Irish lose at USC on Nov. 25, his chance of winning is dead.
Mike Hart, Michigan: This guy's chance at winning the Heisman will be connected to the Wolverines' game against Ohio State. If he comes up big and Michigan goes to the national title game, then he puts himself in position to win the award. He is averaging 129 yards per game, but his average of 4.8 yards per rush shows he doesn't rank in the same class with Slaton or Lynch. If Michigan goes to the national title game, he figures to finish third or fourth in the voting.
Marshawn Lynch, Cal: While Lynch is somewhat of a long shot at this point, Cal has been getting a lot of national attention as perhaps the best one-loss team in the nation. The Nov. 18 matchup with USC will garner huge attention, and a monster Lynch performance in that game could land him a spot among the Heisman finalists. Besides rushing for 907 yards so far, he also has gained 216 yards in receiving and has scored 11 touchdowns. Finishing with a rush is huge in the Heisman voting.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

ND?s QB inches back in Heisman race

Quinn is a leader who makes the winning play in the clutch.

By Pete DiPrimio

[email protected]

SOUTH BEND ? So here?s the deal about Brady Quinn and that Heisman Trophy race. You remember that, don?t you, when senior quarterback Quinn was the favorite, back when the Notre Dame offense seemed unstoppable, before that bad day against Michigan, before Troy Smith began an unbroken string of excellence?
Well, don?t look now, but Quinn might be inching back into contention.
Granted, it?s still Smith?s trophy to lose (we?ll explain why in a moment), but you can?t ignore Quinn?s numbers and leadership despite an offensive line that has, and we?re being polite here, struggled.
Notre Dame ranks No. 99 out of 119 Division I-A teams in sacks allowed. Quinn gets hit almost as much as tailback Darius Walker. He?s getting more heat than Michigan State coach John L. Smith and still produces.
If you like numbers, consider that Quinn has thrown for 1,938 yards and 18 touchdowns ? against four interceptions ? while completing 63 percent of his passes.
Then there are the two remarkable comebacks he engineered against Michigan State and UCLA. Of course, the Spartans? amazing ability to choke (we?ll see if their record-breaking rally against Northwestern turns that around) figured in the Michigan State win. Yes, Quinn?s heroics against UCLA (3-for-3 for 80 yards and the game-winning touchdown pass in the final 62 seconds) got a big boost from receiver Jeff Samardzija.
But let?s be honest: Without Quinn, that doesn?t happen.
?Yeah, I think so,? said safety Tom Zbikowski when asked if the winning UCLA drive was Heisman-worthy. ?Great players make great throws like that.?
Quinn deflects such talk. There are too many games remaining, too much work ahead, too many great teammates to smooth his path. Samardzija, for instance.
?Jeff makes things happen,? Quinn says. ?He?s a competitor, but we?re all competitors. You don?t make plays like that if you?re not.?
So we get a hint of Quinn?s toughness behind the movie star-handsome looks. He burns like all competitors. He sets the tone, and you bet his teammates feel it.
?What was Brady like during that last drive?? offensive lineman Bob Morton said after the UCLA game. ?What?s Brady like on every last drive?
?Stanford last year. Michigan State this year. He?s the same every single time. He?s composed. He?s a leader. And leaders lead. Whatever he says, I want to do because I have that much trust in him.?
Trust was earned over time and through performance. Quinn owns nearly every Irish passing record.
?Brady does this all the time,? Walker said. ?We expect it. We see it in his eyes that the play is going to work. It?s like, he?s cool with it, so I?m cool with it.
?And no matter what happens with that play, he?s focused on the next one.?
The lone glitch is a loss to Michigan, when Quinn threw three interceptions, completed only 50 percent of his passes and rushed for minus-18 yards against a fierce rush.
No matter. No one believes in Quinn more than coach Charlie Weis.
?I?ve been on teams where they didn?t have as much faith in the quarterback as they do with this guy,? he said. ?Our team believes if you give Quinn a chance, he?ll make the play to win the game.?
Ohio State has that same belief in Smith. He?s thrown for 1,715 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has only two interceptions. His mobility makes him virtually sack-proof (see the Indiana game), and he has rushed for 126 yards.
Plus, the unbeaten and top-ranked Buckeyes haven?t been challenged all season. Their closest game was a 24-7 rout of then-No. 2 Texas.
Sure, you can mention Heisman contenders such as West Virginia quarterback Pat White and tailback Steve Slayton, California tailback Marshawn Lynch, Northern Illinois tailback Garrett Wolfe and anybody else you want, but this figures to end up a two-horse race.
Even if Smith doesn?t stumble, Quinn has a shot, in part because he plays for one of the nation?s most visible programs, in part because he has games like Saturday?s contest against Navy to boost his statistics (Notre Dame?s last five opponents struggle to sack the quarterback), in part because he has a championship-caliber showdown against USC to impress Heisman voters.
Will he impress?
Don?t count him out.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Link

ND?s QB inches back in Heisman race

Quinn is a leader who makes the winning play in the clutch.

By Pete DiPrimio

[email protected]

SOUTH BEND ? So here?s the deal about Brady Quinn and that Heisman Trophy race. You remember that, don?t you, when senior quarterback Quinn was the favorite, back when the Notre Dame offense seemed unstoppable, before that bad day against Michigan, before Troy Smith began an unbroken string of excellence?
Well, don?t look now, but Quinn might be inching back into contention.
Granted, it?s still Smith?s trophy to lose (we?ll explain why in a moment), but you can?t ignore Quinn?s numbers and leadership despite an offensive line that has, and we?re being polite here, struggled.
Notre Dame ranks No. 99 out of 119 Division I-A teams in sacks allowed. Quinn gets hit almost as much as tailback Darius Walker. He?s getting more heat than Michigan State coach John L. Smith and still produces.
If you like numbers, consider that Quinn has thrown for 1,938 yards and 18 touchdowns ? against four interceptions ? while completing 63 percent of his passes.
Then there are the two remarkable comebacks he engineered against Michigan State and UCLA. Of course, the Spartans? amazing ability to choke (we?ll see if their record-breaking rally against Northwestern turns that around) figured in the Michigan State win. Yes, Quinn?s heroics against UCLA (3-for-3 for 80 yards and the game-winning touchdown pass in the final 62 seconds) got a big boost from receiver Jeff Samardzija.
But let?s be honest: Without Quinn, that doesn?t happen.
?Yeah, I think so,? said safety Tom Zbikowski when asked if the winning UCLA drive was Heisman-worthy. ?Great players make great throws like that.?
Quinn deflects such talk. There are too many games remaining, too much work ahead, too many great teammates to smooth his path. Samardzija, for instance.
?Jeff makes things happen,? Quinn says. ?He?s a competitor, but we?re all competitors. You don?t make plays like that if you?re not.?
So we get a hint of Quinn?s toughness behind the movie star-handsome looks. He burns like all competitors. He sets the tone, and you bet his teammates feel it.
?What was Brady like during that last drive?? offensive lineman Bob Morton said after the UCLA game. ?What?s Brady like on every last drive?
?Stanford last year. Michigan State this year. He?s the same every single time. He?s composed. He?s a leader. And leaders lead. Whatever he says, I want to do because I have that much trust in him.?
Trust was earned over time and through performance. Quinn owns nearly every Irish passing record.
?Brady does this all the time,? Walker said. ?We expect it. We see it in his eyes that the play is going to work. It?s like, he?s cool with it, so I?m cool with it.
?And no matter what happens with that play, he?s focused on the next one.?
The lone glitch is a loss to Michigan, when Quinn threw three interceptions, completed only 50 percent of his passes and rushed for minus-18 yards against a fierce rush.
No matter. No one believes in Quinn more than coach Charlie Weis.
?I?ve been on teams where they didn?t have as much faith in the quarterback as they do with this guy,? he said. ?Our team believes if you give Quinn a chance, he?ll make the play to win the game.?
Ohio State has that same belief in Smith. He?s thrown for 1,715 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has only two interceptions. His mobility makes him virtually sack-proof (see the Indiana game), and he has rushed for 126 yards.
Plus, the unbeaten and top-ranked Buckeyes haven?t been challenged all season. Their closest game was a 24-7 rout of then-No. 2 Texas.
Sure, you can mention Heisman contenders such as West Virginia quarterback Pat White and tailback Steve Slayton, California tailback Marshawn Lynch, Northern Illinois tailback Garrett Wolfe and anybody else you want, but this figures to end up a two-horse race.
Even if Smith doesn?t stumble, Quinn has a shot, in part because he plays for one of the nation?s most visible programs, in part because he has games like Saturday?s contest against Navy to boost his statistics (Notre Dame?s last five opponents struggle to sack the quarterback), in part because he has a championship-caliber showdown against USC to impress Heisman voters.
Will he impress?
Don?t count him out.

He can't be counted out, but he needs yards not inches.

 

[jlb1705]

It's a joke how sportswriters are saying that if Troy Smith wins it, it will be because he was on a better team and is more important to his team as a leader.

NEWSFLASH! That stuff is true, but he also just happens to have not just adequate, but SUPERIOR numbers to other "leading" QBs. They've already been posted several times in this thread, so I won't do it again, but the point seems to bear repeating. Quinn is not losing this race despite superior production - because he does not have superior production to Troy Smith. Somehow, it's been lost on a lot of people (not everybody) that a quarterback that makes plays with his feet has tranformed himself into the nation's premier passer.

 

[Best Buckeye]

It's a joke how sportswriters are saying that if Troy Smith wins it, it will be because he was on a better team and is more important to his team as a leader.

NEWSFLASH! That stuff is true, but he also just happens to have not just adequate, but SUPERIOR numbers to other "leading" QBs. They've already been posted several times in this thread, so I won't do it again, but the point seems to bear repeating. Quinn is not losing this race despite superior production - because he does not have superior production to Troy Smith. Somehow, it's been lost on a lot of people (not everybody) that a quarterback that makes plays with his feet has tranformed himself into the nation's premier passer.

The voters know that he makes the team better. The writers are just trying to make money.

 

[bucknut11]

Link

JAY HEATER: COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Smith, Slaton head Heisman race

Here is a look at my Heisman Trophy front-runners.
Troy Smith, Ohio State: He has thrown for 1,750 yards and 21 touchdowns and he is rated fourth in the nation in efficiency. If the Buckeyes beat Michigan and go to the national title game, he probably will win the award. Heisman voters love quarterbacks who lead great teams. It won't matter that he can't match other quarterbacks in pure numbers of touchdowns and passing yards. He is the favorite.

Am I missing something? Stoopid stereotypes from the media. Maybe if they'd actually look at the numbers...

Smith: 1750 yards, 68% completions, 21 TD, 2 INT, 4th in efficiency
Quinn: 1938 yards, 63% completions, 18 TD, 4 INT, 34th in efficiency

So King Brady has under 200 yards more than Troy, but he's thrown 45+ passes in 2 games already. If Troy got that many passing attempts in a game, the NCAA would probably drop sanctions on us.

 

[NFBuck]

Am I missing something? Stoopid stereotypes from the media. Maybe if they'd actually look at the numbers...

Smith: 1750 yards, 68% completions, 21 TD, 2 INT, 4th in efficiency
Quinn: 1938 yards, 63% completions, 18 TD, 4 INT, 34th in efficiency

So King Brady has under 200 yards more than Troy, but he's thrown 45+ passes in 2 games already. If Troy got that many passing attempts in a game, the NCAA would probably drop sanctions on us.

Most sports "journalists" are blind idiots who rarely see the forest for the trees. If somebody isn't throwing for 300 yards and 3 TD's each week they assume his numbers don't stack up.

2. Brady Quinn, above, Notre Dame: Engineering a dramatic comeback on national television provided a significant boost.

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

Some of these articles are so pathetic, especially the one from South Bend trying to pimp Quinn. But, what do you expect from hack journalists, right?

 

[HoldenesqueAlex]

I think that it will take a miracle at this point for Troy to not win the Heisman. For all the talk about Brady Quinn being a product of hype, the OSU hype machine is nothing to sneeze at. We do, after all, have the largest alumni base in the country. Not that I think Smith is undeserving, I do think he is the most valuable player in college football.

All Troy needs to do is keep having solid if not spectacular games, and make a few more of those ridiculous highlight plays that he's made so many of already. Even with a loss to Michigan, I'd say he's the frontrunner.

 

[808 Buck]

Plus, the unbeaten and top-ranked Buckeyes haven?t been challenged all season.

Every week is a challenge. This team has come out focused and prepared, for the most part, week in and week out. They are a reflection of their quarterback. Words like consistent, solid, and driven mean more to me than dramatic, movie-star, and visible. The leadership that Troy has demonstrated has enabled the Bucks to make it look "easy" (even though in reality, it never is). Unfortunately, there is no stat to measure heart and determination. Guess we'll have to settle for quality performance when it counts the most.