Matt Tamanini
Guest
You’re Nuts: Which non-invitee most deserved to be a Heisman finalist?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: Which non-invitee most deserved to be a Heisman finalist?
Jami’s Take: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
While it seems like a pretty done deal that Caleb Williams will win the Heisman Saturday night (which I predicted back in October to laughter and doubt, thank you very much. I will accept apologies in the form of cash, check, or Venmo from my haters), there were a few noticeable names missing from the list of Heisman finalists.
No omission was more egregious than that of Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.
The veteran captain of the Volunteers shattered program records throughout the season, guided his team to a New Year Six bowl game (they’ll be facing Clemson in the Orange Bowl), and at one point, was at the helm of a ship that held the No. 1 ranking in college football.
He did all this while putting up spectacular numbers despite playing in fewer games, thanks to a season-ending injury in the Vols’ loss to South Carolina. In fact, until Tennessee fell to Georgia in November, Hooker was the Heisman favorite.
And yet, it won’t be Hendon Heisman this year (not to mention that while leaving him off the list, the committee decided to go the inexplicable route of including Stetson Bennett among the finalists).
Somewhere in recent years, the Heisman took a turn toward really only recognizing quarterbacks, which I take issue with. I would love to see more position players recognized as they were in days gone by, so I acknowledge that simply replacing one quarterback with another goes against my principles. To that end, I respect Matt’s choice to go with a running back.
But what Hooker accomplished this season was worthy of Heisman recognition, whether or not I am contributing to a larger problem.
Hooker’s passer rating was second in the nation (he led the SEC), and he ranked in the top-10 nationally in completion percentage and total offense. He had the best numbers nationally in yards per attempt, bringing his season-end stats to 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions in 10.5 games. He put up an average of 9.53 yards per attempt, leading the FBS. Hooker’s final quarterback rating at the end of the season – 89.4 – put him ahead of all four of the Heisman finalists.
Under his lead, the Volunteer offense led the entire FBS in yards per game (538.1), yards per play (7.3), and scoring (with a whopping 47.3 points per game on average).
Thanks to these impressive numbers, Hooker was named the SEC Player of the Year. Yes, player of the year in what was indisputably the strongest conference this season. He is the first quarterback to receive that honor and then not be named a Heisman finalist while another SEC QB heads to New York instead.
Bennett, for his part, was not even named the second-team All-SEC quarterback (that would be last year’s Heisman winner Bryce Young of Alabama). In fact, Bennett is not even the best player on his own team! That would be Bulldog tight end Brock Bowers, in my opinion (see also: Nominate position players, you cowards).
Bennett is an above-average quarterback with an NFL-caliber team behind him making him look better. Hooker, on the other hand, made his team better, rather than the other way around. Putting up historic numbers in a season with a brutal schedule and missing a single game due to injury, while still leading the nation in several statistical categories? If that doesn’t justify a trip to New York, I truly don’t know what does. Simply throwing the ball for the No. 1 team in the country at the end of the year? That’s not the point of the Heisman!
Rarely do I feel so strongly about an omission by the Heisman that I feel it actually lessens the award’s legitimacy. This is one of those oversights.
Of the four finalists, my heart says C.J. Stroud, my head says Caleb Williams, my indifference says Max Duggan, and my body says ride at dawn to avenge Hendon Hooker’s honor if Stetson Bennett wins.
Matt’s Take: Blake Corum, Michigan
I know some people aren’t going to like this, but to me, it’s kind of ridiculous that Blake Corum got beat out for an invitation by Stetson Bennett. Now, I know that we are all still upset about Ohio State losing to its rival for the second straight year, but if you watched Corum at all this year before his injury, there was no doubt that he was an electric playmaker that should (and did) strike fear into the heart of every Buckeye.
The Wolverine running back averaged 121.92 yards per game, which was 10th nationally, by far the most of anybody on a team of note. So clearly he was a very deserving candidate, but more importantly, I am comfortable championing him because of the repeated ridiculousness of The Heisman Trophy Trust.
What has always annoyed me is how fickle and short-sighted the Heisman voters are. Corum was injured at the end of the first half in the penultimate game of the season. Until that happened, not only was he a contender to be a Heisman finalist, but he was also a legitimate contender to win the award. Now obviously, he only had one snap in the second half against Illinois and only had two carries against the Buckeyes, but that is no reason to erase the rest of his body of work. If he was in legitimate consideration to win the Heisman in the middle of his Week 12 game, he should still be a finalist at this point.
That is especially true considering that he is the most deserving candidate at any position other than quarterback. To have a group of Heisman finalists comprised completely of QBs — including one who comparitvely doesn’t deserve to be there and another who wasn’t getting legitimate Heisman buzz until conference championship weekend — is a major disservice to all of the non-signal callers in the sport.
Yes, I understand that quarterback is the most important player in the sport, but the Heisman is not the college football MVP award, it is supposed to be given to the most outstanding player who demonstrates diligence, perseverance, and hard work. On the merits of the latter criteria, I suppose I could understand an argument for the Georgia QB, but the MOP? No chance.
I will obviously be pulling for C.J. Stroud to win on Saturday (although, I imagine he’ll finish third at best), but we all know that he’s not even really the most outstanding player on Ohio State’s offense. Sure, you can argue diligence, perseverance, and hard work, because those are ultimately subjective traits, but Marvin Harrison Jr. is clearly the most outstanding player on OSU’s entire roster.
So, the Heisman’s insistence on focusing so heavily on quarterbacks has pushed many of the best players in the country so far away from the conversation, that they never even really factor in. Corum did, and were it not for an injury against Illinois, chances are that he would have been in New York this weekend; better yet, had he been a quarterback, chances are he would win.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: Which non-invitee most deserved to be a Heisman finalist?
Jami’s Take: Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
While it seems like a pretty done deal that Caleb Williams will win the Heisman Saturday night (which I predicted back in October to laughter and doubt, thank you very much. I will accept apologies in the form of cash, check, or Venmo from my haters), there were a few noticeable names missing from the list of Heisman finalists.
No omission was more egregious than that of Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.
The veteran captain of the Volunteers shattered program records throughout the season, guided his team to a New Year Six bowl game (they’ll be facing Clemson in the Orange Bowl), and at one point, was at the helm of a ship that held the No. 1 ranking in college football.
He did all this while putting up spectacular numbers despite playing in fewer games, thanks to a season-ending injury in the Vols’ loss to South Carolina. In fact, until Tennessee fell to Georgia in November, Hooker was the Heisman favorite.
And yet, it won’t be Hendon Heisman this year (not to mention that while leaving him off the list, the committee decided to go the inexplicable route of including Stetson Bennett among the finalists).
Somewhere in recent years, the Heisman took a turn toward really only recognizing quarterbacks, which I take issue with. I would love to see more position players recognized as they were in days gone by, so I acknowledge that simply replacing one quarterback with another goes against my principles. To that end, I respect Matt’s choice to go with a running back.
But what Hooker accomplished this season was worthy of Heisman recognition, whether or not I am contributing to a larger problem.
Hooker’s passer rating was second in the nation (he led the SEC), and he ranked in the top-10 nationally in completion percentage and total offense. He had the best numbers nationally in yards per attempt, bringing his season-end stats to 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions in 10.5 games. He put up an average of 9.53 yards per attempt, leading the FBS. Hooker’s final quarterback rating at the end of the season – 89.4 – put him ahead of all four of the Heisman finalists.
Under his lead, the Volunteer offense led the entire FBS in yards per game (538.1), yards per play (7.3), and scoring (with a whopping 47.3 points per game on average).
Thanks to these impressive numbers, Hooker was named the SEC Player of the Year. Yes, player of the year in what was indisputably the strongest conference this season. He is the first quarterback to receive that honor and then not be named a Heisman finalist while another SEC QB heads to New York instead.
Bennett, for his part, was not even named the second-team All-SEC quarterback (that would be last year’s Heisman winner Bryce Young of Alabama). In fact, Bennett is not even the best player on his own team! That would be Bulldog tight end Brock Bowers, in my opinion (see also: Nominate position players, you cowards).
Bennett is an above-average quarterback with an NFL-caliber team behind him making him look better. Hooker, on the other hand, made his team better, rather than the other way around. Putting up historic numbers in a season with a brutal schedule and missing a single game due to injury, while still leading the nation in several statistical categories? If that doesn’t justify a trip to New York, I truly don’t know what does. Simply throwing the ball for the No. 1 team in the country at the end of the year? That’s not the point of the Heisman!
Rarely do I feel so strongly about an omission by the Heisman that I feel it actually lessens the award’s legitimacy. This is one of those oversights.
Of the four finalists, my heart says C.J. Stroud, my head says Caleb Williams, my indifference says Max Duggan, and my body says ride at dawn to avenge Hendon Hooker’s honor if Stetson Bennett wins.
Matt’s Take: Blake Corum, Michigan
I know some people aren’t going to like this, but to me, it’s kind of ridiculous that Blake Corum got beat out for an invitation by Stetson Bennett. Now, I know that we are all still upset about Ohio State losing to its rival for the second straight year, but if you watched Corum at all this year before his injury, there was no doubt that he was an electric playmaker that should (and did) strike fear into the heart of every Buckeye.
The Wolverine running back averaged 121.92 yards per game, which was 10th nationally, by far the most of anybody on a team of note. So clearly he was a very deserving candidate, but more importantly, I am comfortable championing him because of the repeated ridiculousness of The Heisman Trophy Trust.
What has always annoyed me is how fickle and short-sighted the Heisman voters are. Corum was injured at the end of the first half in the penultimate game of the season. Until that happened, not only was he a contender to be a Heisman finalist, but he was also a legitimate contender to win the award. Now obviously, he only had one snap in the second half against Illinois and only had two carries against the Buckeyes, but that is no reason to erase the rest of his body of work. If he was in legitimate consideration to win the Heisman in the middle of his Week 12 game, he should still be a finalist at this point.
That is especially true considering that he is the most deserving candidate at any position other than quarterback. To have a group of Heisman finalists comprised completely of QBs — including one who comparitvely doesn’t deserve to be there and another who wasn’t getting legitimate Heisman buzz until conference championship weekend — is a major disservice to all of the non-signal callers in the sport.
Yes, I understand that quarterback is the most important player in the sport, but the Heisman is not the college football MVP award, it is supposed to be given to the most outstanding player who demonstrates diligence, perseverance, and hard work. On the merits of the latter criteria, I suppose I could understand an argument for the Georgia QB, but the MOP? No chance.
I will obviously be pulling for C.J. Stroud to win on Saturday (although, I imagine he’ll finish third at best), but we all know that he’s not even really the most outstanding player on Ohio State’s offense. Sure, you can argue diligence, perseverance, and hard work, because those are ultimately subjective traits, but Marvin Harrison Jr. is clearly the most outstanding player on OSU’s entire roster.
So, the Heisman’s insistence on focusing so heavily on quarterbacks has pushed many of the best players in the country so far away from the conversation, that they never even really factor in. Corum did, and were it not for an injury against Illinois, chances are that he would have been in New York this weekend; better yet, had he been a quarterback, chances are he would win.
Continue reading...