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Heisman Watch - Week 9
October 31, 2006 | By Benjamin Miraski
Another week has gone by, and with two of my leading candidates for the award having the week off, you are going to see something that looks very familiar. In fact, so familiar that everything looks the same from last week. For the first week in a while, there has been no change at the top of the Heisman Watch.
This is partially because all of the leading contenders for the award either won, and won well, or they had the week to rest for some big games which are on the horizon.
Let's say this much. If you don't believe that Troy Smith is the best player in college football at this point, you might have missed the boat as we were going along. Smith has not only transformed himself this year into a great passer, he has also molded his game as the season went along to take full advantage of the opportunities presented him.
What do I mean by this?
Going the season, Smith was known as the mobile quarterback from Ohio State. Last year, Smith ran for 611 yards and 11 touchdowns. Everyone looked at him as "Michael Vick-lite". It isn't a bad comparison, but the downside was that people overlooked his strong passing statistics for the 2005 season as a result.
Therefore, the first instinct for defenses this season was to make sure that Smith couldn't run. That would be fine, if Smith hadn't been able to throw the ball as well as he did. He began the year standing in the pocket and tearing up defenses designed to keep him still by hitting every receiver on his team. Through the first three games, Smith had 770 yards passing, and seven touchdowns, with no interceptions, and that includes a game against the strong defensive backs of Texas.
Once teams remembered that Smith could pass the ball, their focus shifted and they had to account for all the passing in the Ohio State offense. That left open the running game for the Buckeyes and gave Smith a chance to once again use his legs. With the short season left for Ohio State before what they are hoping is a trip to the National Championship game, Smith may not have a chance to match last year's stats on the ground. But recently, Smith has been a great complement to Antonio Pittman as a running threat, averaging seven yards per carry and also reaching the end zone on the ground for the first time this season.
Smith has worked at improving the quarterback half of the mobile quarterback title. That is the primary reason that this season, he is the leader to take home the statue. With two weeks still remaining before Michigan, we will have to wait to see what he does against one of the best front lines and overall defenses in the nation. Until then, we get the pleasure of watching him compete against Illinois and Northwestern, and seeing him have two more chances to remind us just how much better Smith has been this year than every other player in the game.
After watching all the top performers for the week, here is how I would rank the contenders coming out of Week 9:
- Troy Smith (QB Ohio State): 14/21, 183 yds, 1 TD, 6 att., 43 yds rush, 1 TD vs. Minnesota - Troy Smith took a little time off at the end of this week's blowout against Minnesota, which was well deserved. Despite this weekend being one of his worst in terms of passing efficiency, Smith added a great deal to the running attack against the Gophers. Smith continues to expand his lead on this award and if my glowing review of the transformation of his game wasn't enough, consider that his 174.31 passer rating is 5th best in the nation. Not bad for the quarterback who everyone forgot could also throw the ball.
- Steve Slaton (RB West Va.): BYE, Season Stats: 1059 yds, 7.0 ypc, 9 TD - A bye. That is what I am giving Slaton this week, because it could have been very easy to move Brady Quinn into the second spot this week given his performance against Navy. But Slaton's bye comes with a caveat. He has to show something huge against Louisville. And he can't be outshined by Pat White, or Slaton will be dropping quickly down this list. Good luck Steve. You are going to need it against Louisville's 75 rushing yards per game defense.
- Brady Quinn (QB ND): 18/25, 295 yds, 3 TD, 4 att., 28 yds rush, 1 TD vs. Navy - Ok, one down, three to go. Quinn didn't falter against Navy, which was my requirement for him to stay near the top. Now he just has to keep it going against the next three "hurdles" prior to USC. He almost moved to #2 this week, and if Slaton isn't strong on Thursday, then look for Quinn to possibly take over the contender spot in this watch.
- Ian Johnson (RB Boise State): BYE, Season Stats: 1181 yds, 7.0 ypc, 18 TD - Here is where my debate began. When a team has a week off, I have a chance to once again review the player's entire season in retrospect. Mr. Johnson gets a bye himself this week. The primary reason? Oregon State beating USC. While I didn't think that this year's USC team was as good as the last two seasons, they were still winning. And had they beaten Oregon State, it would have been nothing special. However, with the loss, Johnson's huge game against the Beavers just looks that much better. And it helps Boise State's image overall in the polls. Johnson gets Fresno State on Wednesday. No room for him to slip against the Bulldogs who haven't been able to stop anyone this season.
- Erik Ainge (QB Tennessee): 21/29, 254 yds, 2 TD vs. South Carolina - Ainge took a drop last week after the tough game against Alabama. This week's win against South Carolina was enough to keep him in my Top 5, but not enough to give him back his high standing overall. He still leads Quinn in most statistics, but Ainge hasn't had to lead his team back as often from behind, which is giving Quinn the "leadership" quality. I think Ainge might be just as polished as Quinn right now, given the superior coaching he has received this season. Now, it remains to be seen if Ainge can someone squeeze the Vols into the top spot in the Eastern half of the SEC.
- Michael Hart (RB Michigan): 20 att., 95 yds, 1 TD, 2 rec., 23 yds vs. Northwestern - Mike Hart gave Michigan just what it needed on Saturday. He was able to add a measure of ball control on a day that was less than ideal for playing football. In slippery and windy conditions, Hart was able to hold the ball on the ground for the Wolverines, and also was able to grab two passes at key times to give Michigan the win. Hart's stats might not pop out at you, especially his yards per carry, but there is no denying that he is the man that Michigan looks to when times are tough.
Others receiving consideration: Marshawn Lynch (RB Cal), Chad Henne (QB Michigan), JaMarcus Russell (QB LSU), Calvin Johnson (WR Georgia Tech), Ray Rice (RB Rutgers), Garrett Wolfe (RB Northern Illinois), Adrian Peterson (RB Oklahoma)
Heisman-like Performance
This week's player: Kellen Lewis - QB, Indiana
Line: 15/26, 261 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT, 14 att. 75 yds, 1 TD vs. Michigan State
While as a rule, I was trying to find great performances of players in smaller conferences for this spot, it is late enough in the season, that we might see some freshman in the bigger conferences start to mature and show their talents. While talents like PJ Hill, who have been good all season, it doesn't mean others haven't made their mark. Some have done so in a big way like Kellen Lewis. Lewis is one of the main reasons why Indiana is one win away from a trip to a bowl game, something that hasn't been done in 13 years. The young quarterback was last impressive against Iowa, picking up Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors, but had a let down against Ohio State. This week, facing the Michigan State Spartans, Lewis decided it was time for him to really come alive. He threw for five touchdowns, including four to James Hardy. Lewis was also strong on the ground, scoring another time, and gaining 75 yards. Six scores, and involvement in the plays that led to all but 5 of the Hoosier points on the day - Not bad for a freshman. With Hardy only a sophomore, and Lewis a freshman, there is hope that if Indiana can get to six wins, they could make bowl appearances commonplace in Bloomington. The Hoosiers haven't been to three straight bowls since the 1986-8 seasons, and Lewis sure gives them that opportunity. Now they just have to beat Minnesota, Michigan, or Purdue to begin that quest.
Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com
Posted October 31, 2006 1:30 PM
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