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Heisman Watch 2010: Week 2, or A Look at System Players
September 14, 2010 | By Benjamin Miraski
What would a Heisman campaign be without a good debate. After his 500-plus yard performance against Notre Dame, Denard Robinson is all anyone can talk about.
But does this one performance put him in line to continue the sophomore streak?
It is a definite maybe at this point because here is where we will insert all of the standard drivel about system players.
Whether it is a June Jones/Mike Leach quarterback or a Rich Rod everything back, system players have been the bane of Heisman voters. No one wants to believe they were the best because they put up stats primarily because the system is designed for them to put up stats.
With the quarterbacks, it is easy to dismiss them. The most recent incarnations of Hawaii and Texas Tech teams haven’t had much of a running game to complement their passing efficiency. Short screens and other techniques helped the passers avoid being road kill for opposing defenses.
Yet Rich Rod’s backs, be it quarter or running varieties, have managed to escape the system tag and be part of the Heisman talk.
Before he left West Virginia, it was Pat White or Steve Slaton, or even Noel Devine, who is now trapped in his new offense and looks much less impressive than he did with the Go Blue traitor in charge.
And Devine is the main reason the Heisman voters should reserve judgment on Robinson. We have a clear example of what happens when you take that same explosive player and remove him from the system.
If Robinson were at another school without the same scheme, would we have just another average mobile quarterback?
It is only one spectacular game — albeit a widely televised one — and Robinson has not locked up anything, in much the same way that Kellen Moore didn’t seal Heisman hopes with his win over Virginia Tech (now tarnished) or Oregon’s Kenjon Barner (now relegated to special teams duty) with his performance against New Mexico..
There is a lot of season, and many better defenses for Robinson to face before he even approaches the top spot in this year’s Heisman Watch.
Where the contenders stand:
- Terrelle Pryor (QB, Ohio State) - 233 yards passing and 113 rushing against Miami (2 TDs). Pryor takes the lead by shredding the Miami defense with his arm and legs. He was helped by a strong defensive effort that game him great field position, but still impressive enough to move to the top. Should have another huge game this week against Ohio.
- Ryan Mallett (QB, Arkansas) - 400 yards passing, three touchdowns, ran for another score. Mallett isn’t going to fool anyone he has the legs to do what Pryor does just by scampering in from one yard out. No worries because his arm more than makes up for it. It took him a half to get his offense moving against Louisiana-Monroe, who were playing in their first game of the season. That could leave some question marks going into the Georgia game. Mallett will have his first chance to show what he can do on television for a wider audience.
- Denard Robinson (QB, Michigan) - 502 yards of offense, three touchdowns against Notre Dame. No one said he couldn’t make the list. With UMass next, another big game may be in store.
- Landry Jones (QB, Oklahoma) - Somewhat pedestrian first game but explodes for big numbers against Florida State. Only time will tell if that was more Florida State’s doing that Jones. Knocks his running back out of the top five.
- Kellen Moore (QB, Boise State) - Drops a little because his heroics now came against defense that couldn’t stop James Madison. Plus with the bye week it is tough to tell how he handles the scrutiny after the big win. On the road against Wyoming doesn’t pose much of a challenge.
Others: Alabama’s Trent Richardson (Mark Ingram’s return turns him into the Barner of the South), Washington’s Jake Locker (Bounces back against Syracuse. BYU’s loss hurts to a lesser degree than VaTech’s loss hurts Moore), USC’s Matt Barkley (Solid, not stellar against Virginia), Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray (A 50 yard performance is going to really stick out at the end of the season.)
Small Time Performance: Bryce Beall, Houston - Beall ran for 195 yards on just 19 carries against UTEP and scored three touchdowns in a 54-24 win for the Cougars. Impressive stats considering that Houston is supposed to be known for their passing offense, which also gained over 300 yards on the day. Beall wins out over a number of top performers from non-automatic qualifiers this week, including Colin Karpernick at Nevada and Ryan Aplin from Arkansas State.
Posted September 14, 2010 2:30 PM