Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Heisman Trophy Hopefuls, Week 7, 2010

Slowly, but surely, the 2010 Heisman Trophy race is becoming more and more defined and select. I think the consensus is that Denard Robinson, Cameron Newton, and LaMichael James are the top 3. Terrell Pryor probably has the number 4 spot nailed down, but number five is still up for grabs. That means the race is still open. All it takes is two big weeks or one bad week to jump to the top, or fall to the bottom.

PLAYERS WHO STOOD OUT: Kellen Moore is playing out of this world. He had his third consecutive game with a 200+ pass efficiency rating (250). Sure, San Jose State isn’t the University of Texas, but Moore’s numbers against the Spartans were better than Alabama’s Greg McElroy in every category.

Cameron Newton is showing us he learned a thing or two from Tim Tebow while he was at Florida. Newton had another 188 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on the ground this week. He has seven touchdowns and 386 yards rushing the last two weeks. He is now the fourth leading rusher in the nation, and tied for first (with two other quarterbacks) in rushing touchdowns.

Matt Barkley guided USC to a blowout win over Cal. He posted his second straight 300 yard passing game. He also threw five touchdowns, bringing his 2010 total to 20. Only Bryant Moniz (Hawaii) has more (21). Barkley is seventh in the nation in passing yards, and eighth in pass efficiency.

PLAYERS DROPPED: Daniel Thomas had his third straight game with less than 100 yards rushing. That is not what Heisman hopefuls do.

Ryan Mallett suffered a concussion early in his game against Auburn. Very bad timing. Mallett needed a good game and a win to keep his Heisman hopes alive. He should have a good year and a long career in the pros, but he won’t have a trip to New York this December.

PLAYERS TOEING THE LINE: Taylor Martinez was benched. Not the sign of a Heisman hopeful. You should be on the field when your team is trying to make a comeback. Martinez showed us that he is a much less competent passer than Denard Robinson and Cameron Newton, and that is severely hurting his chances, at this point.

Denard Robinson is severely hurting, literally. Robinson is toeing the line for two reasons. First, he sprained his right shoulder Saturday. If he misses any more game time, it might be too much to overcome. Even with his spectacular start to the season. Second, he needs to win games. Michigan is fading fast, just like last year. I know the defense is horrid, but Heisman hopefuls have been able to score enough points to get their teams bowl eligible. If Michigan has to fight tooth and nail just to get to a bowl game, then the Heisman is not for Robinson.

PLAYERS ADDED: Ricky Stanzi (QB, Iowa) has joined Brandon Weedon (QB, Oklahoma State) as a player very, very close to being added. Stanzi will play Wisconsin and Michigan State the next two weeks, which will determine whether he should or should not be a hopeful.

LaMichael James, Oregon
2009: 230 rushes, 1546 yards, 14 TD
2010: 114 rushes, 848 yards, 9 TD
Last: Bye

Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State
2009: 89 rushes, 382 yards, 1 TD
2010: 135 rushes, 830 yards, 10 TD
Last: 25 rushes, 130 yards, 1 TD

Terrell Pryor, Ohio State
2009: 167-295 (56.6%), 2094 yards, 18 TD, 11 Int / 162 rushes, 779 yards, 7 TD
2010: 118-181 (65.2%), 1805 yards, 15 TD, 4 INT / 75 rushes, 410 yards, 3 TD
Last: 14-28 (50.0%), 156 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT / 18 rushes, 56 yards

Denard Robinson, Michigan
2009: 14-31 (45.4%), 188 yards, 2 TD, 4 Int
2010: 97-143 (67.8%), 1319 yards, 9 TD, 5 Int / 137 rushes, 1096 yards, 9 TD
Last: 13-18 (72.2%), 96 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int / 18 rushes, 105 yards, 0 TD

Taylor Martinez, Nebraska
2009: N/A
2010: 43-76 (56.6%), 723 yards, 3 TD, 3 Int / 81 rushes, 758 yards, 12 TD
Last: 4-12 (33.3%), 63 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int / 13 rushes, 21 yards, 0 TD

Matt Barkley, USC
2009: 211-352 (59.9%), 2,735 yards, 15 TD, 14 INT
2010: 138-211 (65.4%), 1869 yards, 20 TD, 4 Int
Last: 25-37 (67.6%), 352 yards, 5 TD, 0 Int

Andrew Luck, Stanford
2009: 162-288 (56.3%), 2575 yards, 13 TD, 4 Int
2010: 113-172 (65.7%), 1538 yards, 16 TD, 4 Int
Last: Bye

Kellen Moore, Boise State
2009: 277-431 (64.3%), 3,536 yards, 39 TD, 3 INT
2010: 105-151 (69.5%), 1567 yards, 16 TD, 1 Int
Last: 14-16 (87.5%), 231 yards, 2 TD, 0 Int

Cameron Newton, Auburn
2009: Redshirted
2010: 80-122 (65.6%), 1278 yards, 13 TD, 5 Int / 129 rushes, 860 yards, 12 TD
Last: 10-14 (71.4%), 140 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int / 25 rush, 188 yards, 3 TD

ON THE RADAR: Ricky Stanzi, Iowa; Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State; Vai Taua, Nevada.

Other recent posts on COLLEGE FOOTBALL HAVEN:
Monday Musings: 10 Thoughts About Week 7, 2010
Poll Results: Is Denard Robinson still the Heisman Trophy front runner
College Football Haven Top 25, Week 7, 2010
Game Predictions, Week 7, 2010
Weekly Trivia: Michigan State National Championships

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