2011 Heisman Trophy: Who Ya Got?
by Gamecock Man on Dec 8, 2011 12:19 AM EST
in South Carolina Gamecocks Football
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PrintThis year's Heisman finalists are in, and I'll have to admit, I'm fairly impressed by this group of players. All too often, I end feeling like too many half-rate players got invites to New York, but this year, these guys are all worthy, and a few excellent players didn't get invites due to the crowded field. The only thing to be disappointed about is that our guy--Marcus Lattimore--got hurt and couldn't make it. At any rate, here are my thoughts on the field. Let me know what you think, too.
Robert Griffin III. This is the guy who deserves it, IMO. When I think Heisman, I think the player who's so good he that he single-handedly changes the complexion of a game. That's why I never liked Mark Ingram for Heisman; he was a great back, but he wasn't the kind of guy who did it all by himself. RGIII does. What is Baylor without him? A 4-8 team, maybe? The guy is a magical player who takes games in his hands and makes plays. I loved that he played best in the biggest games at the end of the year. That finish against Oklahoma was simply breathtaking.
Montee Ball. I love this guy. Great running back with mind-blowing stats, and does it in a conference with good defensive lines. I'd have him above Richardson or Luck, but he'll probably finish fourth.
Trent Richardson. Better than Ingram, IMO, but you can't give him the award because RGIII is so good. Still, Richardson would be a deserving player most years. That run against Ole Miss was great.
Andrew Luck. He'll be a great pro, but not sold on this guy as a Heisman candidate. It's not just that he lost to Oregon; it's also that he played his worst game of the season in that game, when his team most needed him to take over and win the game for them. He'll finish no lower than third due to reputation, but he should probably be fourth. Frankly, I thought Matt Barkley might have been the best P12 QB by year's end.
Honey Badger. I'll have to admit, I'm not quite sold on this guy. He's a great player, obviously, but does he have a bigger influence on a game than, say, Barkley? Claiborne is a better cover corner than he is, although I guess you have to give him lots of credit for those punt returns.
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Yeah, it has to be RGIII.
I’m quite pleased that (most of) the Heisman voters apparently have kept an open mind until the end. It didn’t seem like he had much of a shot going into championship weekend.
For the record I believe the winner should be RG3. His stats are better than Luck in every passing category.
But I want to play devil’s advocate and support LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu. I always love defense and thus have a soft spot for guys on the defensive side of the ball that play well enough to get into the Heisman discussion. While I’m not sure the Honey Badger has the stats to wow somebody, I believe he has the moments. It’s those little plays that can break a game open for you.
I have enjoyed watching LSU for the last five years and have often envied the way they had success, even if it hurt us. It’s defense and special teams that wear you down and an offense that, IMO, seems to be just good enough at exploiting you when your tired because LSU’s defense just kicks your offense right off the field. The Honey Badger really seems to be a game changer. From 4 of LSU’s wins, the play that stands out most to me involves this one player.
Oregon: the fumble where he was in the right place at the right time and strolled into the endzone.
Alabama: With the Tide driving and looking for the end zone, they throw a deep ball, looks like it will be a completion, but Mathieu goes up and steals the football. You can talk about missed Field Goals, but this play is the one that lost the game for Bama.
Arkansas: With Arkansas up 14 to start, LSU had just scored to make it 14-7, they then sent their defense out to contain the potent Hogs offense, when they forced a punt Mathieu returned the kick for a TD and you know that the momentum changed and the game was going to be different from then on.
Georgia: Again, with UGA up 10-0, LSU got its jump start by Mathieu’s punt return for TD. He got the Tigers on the board and broke the game open. He also had another good return later, but that first one made the difference.
Those are probably the biggest plays in LSU’s biggest game. Oregon, Alabama and Arkansas were all top 10 teams, I can’t remember if UGA was a top 10 team or not last week, but they were still a top 15 if not.
- FOW
Hard to argue with Andrew's analysis here
If I had a vote, I’d still probably throw it to Richardson, but Matthieu (even with his suspension) was an amazing defensive/special teams force.
I was looking up reasons why I think RGIII isn’t the choice (though I think he’ll make a great pro), and then I see Baylor played six ranked teams, going 4-2. Impressive. The Bears absolutely crushed the Sooners, Red Raiders and Longhorns at the end of the season.
Here's a health, Carolina, forever to thee! UNIVERSITAS CAROLIN MERID. 1801 Emollit mores nec sinit esse feros (Ovid)
He also had another strip/fumble recovery/return in the Arkansas game.
And had a great pass-deflection and interception returned to the one yard line vs WVU. The play vs Oregon, I didn’t describe correctly. He was the first guy there on the Punt Coverage, and wrapped up the Oregon return man, stripped the ball, picked it up on the 3 and walked in the end zone.
The obvious choice is RG3, but the Honey Badger makes a fun discussion.
- FOW
by skandrewj62j on Dec 8, 2011 10:27 AM EST up reply actions
Actually in the Alabama game it was Eric Reid that had the interception.
I was wrong. Oh well, still a fun discussion. I would vote like this:
1. RG3
2. Montee Ball
3. Tyrann Mathieu
4. Andrew Luck
5. Trent Richardson
- FOW
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