PHILADELPHIA – The charity for troubled youths started by Jerry Sandusky more than three decades ago – and through which the retired Penn State assistant football coach met the boys he is charged withThe Journal Gazette’s Tony Krausz and LaMond Pope submitted their ballots for this season’s Heisman Trophy winner. Here is how the two college beat writers (Krausz – Notre Dame; Pope – Purdue/Indiana) came to their decisions on this year’s most outstanding college football player:
Better good than lucky
Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck entered the season as the Heisman frontrunner, and for this voter, he did everything he needed to be named the most outstanding college football player.
The expectations for the senior were so ridiculously high that if he didn’t go 28-for-30 passing for 350 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions that Luck’s performance would be considered disappointing.
Luck didn’t reach those heights, but his numbers were similar to those of last season as he threw for 3,170 yards with 35 touchdowns and nine interceptions after throwing for 3,338 yards with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2010.
Luck is more than just numbers. It was the subtleties of his game that caught my attention. Luck’s ability to freeze defenders with a fake and find an open target, keep defenses honest with his ability to run and catch – remember his one-handed grab against UCLA on Oct. 1 – and take three of four suggested play options and make the right call at the line put him above everybody else for me.
As for the rest of my ballot, LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu was No. 2 because of his ability to change games with his defensive play and on kick returns, and Alabama running back Trent Richardson was No. 3 because his 1,583 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns carried the Crimson Tide’s offense.
Big moments add up to Baylor’s Griffin
A quarterback should win the Heisman.
Just not the expected No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
Baylor’s Robert Griffin III tops my ballot. The junior was, simply, the most outstanding player this college football season.
He has passed for 3,998 yards and 36 touchdowns while throwing just six interceptions. He has completed 72.4 percent of his passes (267 of 369). He also rushed for nine touchdowns.
Need big-time moments? Griffin opened the season by throwing five touchdowns in an upset victory against then-No. 14 TCU.
He threw for 479 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winner with 8 seconds left, to knock off No. 5 Oklahoma.
Last week, he passed for 320 yards and two touchdowns.
He also rushed for two more scores in a 48-22 victory against Texas. The Longhorns entered the game with the ninth-ranked defense in the country.
Even in Baylor’s three losses, he accounted for 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.
There is a long list of worthy candidates. Stanford’s Andrew Luck, the likely top pick in the draft, excelled in the face of ridiculous expectations. Running back Trent Richardson was the workhorse for Alabama. LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, Wisconsin running back Montee Ball and quarterbacks Matt Barkley of Southern Cal and Case Keenum of Houston all deserve consideration.
But none made more of an impact than Griffin.
