The race for the Heisman race is heating up. Many people are getting on bandwagons and watching closely at these players every move. This is when it really counts and Heisman candidates are really going to have to show their best to convince voters that they should be the ones hoisting the Heisman.1. Vince Young, QB, Texas, Jr.
A lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon for giving Reggie Bush the Heisman but I still think, looking past the hype, Vince Young deserves the Heisman. He has emulated leadership, talent, clutch performance and sportsmanship all season long. Last week was not one of his most impressive performances but he was still solid. He passed for 239 yards 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s. He also rushed for 45 yards on 7 carries. I think Vince has shown what it takes to win the Heisman. It takes more than just talent but it takes intangibles that are shown greatly in a select few. Vince is one of those select few. Don’t be too quick to pick Reggie Bush. I think Vince Young deserves it a little bit more.
2. Reggie Bush, RB, USC, Jr.
A lot of people are rushing onto the Reggie Bush bandwagon in recent weeks but I think people need to slow down and look at all the candidates. Last week, Reggie was not too impressive with 8 carries for 51 yards and 2 catches for 18 yards and 2 TD’s. He also had an 84 yard punt return for a touchdown. Reggie is a very electric player but is not consistently running the ball well. He does have to share carries with LenDale White but he needs to do the little things too. In my watch he stays at #2 for that reason and others. I do have to give Reggie credit for keeping USC up with a struggling QB and an anemic defense.
3. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame, Jr.
Brady Quinn moved up in the race this week and deservedly so. Before you USC fans start whining, Brady Quinn had a great game last week and has had a record setting season for Notre Dame. Last week, he passed for 467 yards on 32 completions and 6 TD’s. Quinn has had better stats than Leinart and has been way more consistent. Brady could really impress voters by helping Notre Dame finish strong and getting into a big bowl game. Brady has fit extremely well into Charlie Weis’ system and could be a record setting passer at Notre Dame. Brady Quinn could be moving on up.
4. Matt Leinart, QB, USC, Sr.
Matt Leinart has been moving down on my list and for one main reason; consistency. Some games Leinart will play great, and others he will play pretty bad. Defenses know how to stop him and he’s not been able to handle the rush. Last week, he passed for 201 yards and 4 TD’s which should be expected since they were facing Washington. Lately, he has not even been the best player on his team let alone the best player in the country. Leinart will probably be overshadowed by Reggie Bush’s play which will make it hard for Leinart to move up in the watch. It will be interesting to see if Leinart will continue to be inconsistent and be second to Reggie Bush or improve his play to the status of last season.
5. Maurice Drew, RB, UCLA, Jr.
Maurice took over Laurence Maroney’s spot in this week’s watch because of his versatility and playmaking ability. Drew has done it all for UCLA. Last week, he rushed for 120 yards on 21 carries, caught 3 balls for 67 yards, returned 2 punts for 63 yards and had a total of 3 TD’s. Drew is making himself well known on the national stage and in the highlight reel. With this kind of play, UCLA could be the team that breaks USC unbeaten streak. Drew has been one of the hottest players in the country and is showing up on SportsCenter like it’s going out of style. With the combination of being well known and a great player he could be the sleeper for the Heisman Trophy.
Outside looking in:
Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota, Jr.
Larry Maroney has had a very productive season so far. He is emerging as one of the best pure rushers in all of college football. Last week, Minnesota had a bye which will give Maroney time to rest up Ohio State menacing linebackers. If Maroney can lead his team to victory versus a very good Ohio state team, he could really impress voters.
DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis, Sr.
DeAngelo has flat out run over the C-USA teams this season. He has racked up a total of 1,375 yards this season with 12 TD’s. The 2,000 yard mark is in sight for DeAngelo and possibly the Heisman Trophy
Brett Basanez, QB, Northwestern, Sr.
Brett is doing a lot for this Northwestern team. He is controlling the offense and putting lots of points on the board. He runs and throws which keeps opposing defenses on their toes. Don’t sleep on Brett Basanez!
5 replies on “Heisman Watch 6th Edition”
comment Sorry, I hate to keep saying this every edition, but Reggie Bush is the best player in the country, hands down.
Are you a Texas fan or somethin’? 🙂
Robinson Sr. QB- PSU is on the lookout over the NW QB—even though I think he is an amazing quarterback who could play for any team in the NFL someday.
Robinson If he has a good game this week he’ll probably get mentioned in the watch.
Possible conflict at USC. An interesting point I have not really heard yet is the possibility Matt Leinhart and Reggie Bush could cancel each other out. Historically, Heisman voters tend to vote regionally. Anyone who doubts this needs to refer to the 1997 Heisman race between Charles Woodson, Peyton Manning, and Ryan Leaf. The majority of voters in the West voted Leaf #1, the majority of voters in the South voted Manning #1, and the majority of voters in the Midwest and Northeast voted Woodson #1. With this in mind, I wonder how many votes Bush and Leinhart will take away from each other, given that most voters in the West will vote for a USC player. I think if it was just Bush or just Leinhart, they would stand a much better chance. The same thing happened to Miami with Willis McGahee and Ken Dorsey in 2001.
Split votes Something tells me voters in the West will go with Bush, mostly because they already voted for Leinert last year. Plus, as good as Leinert is, he hasn’t been nearly as important this year as Bush.