SI
Not just numbers
Stats don't tell whole story about Heisman hopefuls
Posted: Monday October 30, 2006 12:28PM; Updated: Monday October 30, 2006 12:42PM
Every week the most popular question to come through my mailbox is: "Why do you have so-and-so ahead of so-and-so when so-and-so has more yards, more touchdowns, more yadda yadda yadda?" Or something like that with a bit more colorful language thrown in. To answer the question, stats alone do not crown a Heisman winner, at least not on my Watch. Production, ability, importance to your team, performance in big games, whom you've helped your team beat are just some of the criteria. If numbers alone determined the winner of the stiff-armed statuette, Hawaii's
Colt Brennan would be the run-away winner.
1. Troy Smith, Ohio State, QB, Sr.
Last week: 14-of-21 passing, 183 yards, 1 TD; 6 rushes, 43 yards, 1 TD in a 44-0 victory over Minnesota
Season: 145-of-214 passing, 1,898 yards, 22 TDs, 2 INTs; 42 rushes, 169 yards, 1 TD
Heisman-o-meter: Ohio State rode a stout defense and running game for a never-in-doubt victory over the Gophers so Smith wasn't needed to perform his usual Heisman-caliber heroics. He still had a nifty 21-yard touchdown run, his first of the season, which shows he can still be a running threat when he needs to.
Up next: Saturday at Illinois
2. Steve Slaton, West Virginia, RB, Soph.
Last week: Idle
Season: 151 rushes, 1,059 yards, 9 TDs
Heisman-o-meter: If Slaton hopes to have any chance of winning the Heisman, he'll need a huge finish to the season with a flourish, beginning with a big effort against the Cardinals. It won't be easy; Louisville's rushing defense is seventh in the country (74.9 yards per game). But last year Slaton shredded the Cardinals for 188 yards and five touchdowns.
Up next: Thursday at No. 5 Louisville
3. Mike Hart, Michigan, RB, Jr.
Last week: 20 rushes, 95 yards, 1 TD; 2 receptions, 23 yards in a 17-3 victory over Northwestern
Season: 234 rushes, 1,127 yards, 9 TDs; 11 receptions, 114 yards
Heisman-o-meter: Heisman voters may look at the 95 rushing yards and consider this a subpar performance. Hart however hurt his back in the first half after landing on a sideline marker, which forced him to sit out all but one series in the second half. What did he do on that one series? He ran the ball on all six of Michigan's plays, for a total of 36 yards, and scored on a three-yard touchdown.
Up next: Saturday vs. Ball State
4. Brady Quinn, Notre Dame, QB, Sr.
Last week: 18-of-25 passing, 295 yards, 3 TDs; 4 rushes, 28 yards, 1 TD in a 38-14 victory over Navy
Season: 193-of-303 passing, 2,233 yards, 21 TDs, 4 INTs
Heisman-o-meter: He was the only leading contender to have a statistically impressive day, going off against a Navy defense that ranked 92nd against the pass. He hasn't thrown an interception in 169 attempts, and the pass protection showed signs Saturday of finally coming around. But many things have to fall his way by the end of the season in order for the Watchman to move him to the top of this list.
Up next: Saturday vs. North Carolina
5. Marshawn Lynch, Cal, RB, Jr.
Last week: Idle
Season: 132 rushes, 907 yards, 8 TDs; 19 receptions, 216 yards, 3 TDs
Heisman-o-meter: He's been playing with two sprained ankles so the off week could not have come at a better time for the
most popular man in the Michael Silver household. When healthy, Lynch is the most dangerous running, pass-catching threat in the nation.
Up next: Saturday vs. UCLA
6. P.J. Hill, Wisconsin, RB, Fr.
Last week: 12 rushes, 50 yards in a 30-24 victory over Illinois
Season: 214 rushes, 1,222 yards, 13 TDs; 15 receptions, 172 yards, 1 TD
Heisman-o-meter: Hill was on his way to a big day, running the ball on Wisconsin's first six plays from scrimmage for 35 yards, before a neck stinger shortened his afternoon way too soon for fans of this bowling ball of a runner. Luckily for him the Watchman is lenient on injured players. Not to mention, almost everyone below him from last week's list had terrible days.
Up next: Saturday vs. Penn State
7. Ray Rice, Rutgers, RB, Soph.
Last week: 22 rushes, 79 yards, 1 TD in a 24-13 victory over Connecticut
Season: 223 rushes, 1,203 yards, 13 TDs
Heisman-o-meter: The Huskies of all teams (Connecticut entered the game ranked 110th against the run) snuffed out Rice the whole night, allowing him to get loose just once -- a 28-yard gain in the second quarter. He still has marquee matchups against Louisville and West Virginia to impress voters, but will big games against those be enough to get him to New York?
Up next: Nov. 9 vs. Louisville
8. James Davis, Clemson, RB, Soph.
Last week: 12 rushes, 30 yards, 1 TD in a 24-7 loss at Virginia Tech
Season: 151 rushes, 991 yards, 17 TDs
Heisman-o-meter:
Bud Foster's defense bottled up not only Davis but also the rest of the highest scoring offense in the land. To be fair, Davis didn't get much assistance from Tigers quarterback
Will Proctor, who completed just 11 of 28 passes. And splitting carries with fabulous freshman
C.J. Spiller isn't helping Davis's case either.
Up next: Saturday vs. Maryland
9. Colt McCoy, Texas, QB, Fr.
Last week: 21-of-31 passing, 256 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT; 9 rushes, 68 yards in a 35-31 victory at Texas Tech
Season: 147-of-217 passing, 1,705 yards, 24 TDs, 4 INTs; 55 rushes, 174 yards, 1 TD
Heisman-o-meter: One of the most surprising stories of the season, McCoy has gone from a Texas-sized question mark to a poised and cold blooded playmaker. Beyond his stats, which arguably are better than Quinn's, he has rallied the Longhorns to victories in their last four games, including wins the last two weeks at Lincoln and Lubbock that required clutch plays as the clock was winding down. It's hard to believe he's just a redshirt freshman.
Up next: Saturday vs. Oklahoma State
10. Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois, RB, Sr.
Last week: 22 rushes, 66 yards, 1 TD; 3 receptions, 28 yards in a 24-14 loss at Iowa
Season: 213 rushes, 1,479 yards, 14 TDs; 21 receptions, 221 yards, 1 TD
Heisman-o-meter: People can make a strong case for Wolfe to be excluded from this list (he's rushed for a total of 136 yards in his last three games), and the Watchman was this close to doing that before deciding to keep the nation's leading rusher on for at least one more week. The big questions are: What happened to him? Is he hurt? Coach
Joe Novak denied that last week. Has Wolfe been impacted by the stress fracture in left tackle
Doug Free's right foot? Free's been playing with that all year so, while possible, that's unlikely. Maybe defenses have just finally caught up to him.
Up next: Nov. 7 vs. Toledo