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The Heisman Trophy is a joke

December 09, 2004 at 07:26 AM

The fact that Cedric Benson is not one of the five finalists for the Heisman Trophy is just astounding. There are several worthy candidates this year, so whether or not he deserves to win is up to debate. His season as well as career statistics, as well as his impact on the number four team in the country make him easily a top candidate for Most Outstanding Player, which the Heisman claims to be awarded to.

Benson runs through the Aggies

Benson carried the entire Texas team on his shoulder for this entire season. With an inexperienced and inconsistent quarterback and receivers, teams constantly stacked nine defenders in the box to defend against the run. For a good chunk of the season, he was the only offensive option on one of the top teams in the country. Meanwhile, you'll notice that four of the players named finalists have teammates also in the top five for the award. Oklahoma's Jason White and Adrian Peterson and USC's Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush are able to spread defenses out and keep the opponent to focus on shutting any one of them down. Having a balanced offense makes everyone's job easier.

If we focus on just the two running backs who made the list and then add in two who didn't (Benson and Cal's J.J. Arrington), you'll see that Benson clearly belongs. Check out their stats for this season:

Rushing Yds/GameReceiving Yds/GameTouchdowns
Arrington167.78.314
Benson160.416.320
Bush69.439.815*
Peterson153.60.515
*Bush's two punt return touchdowns are included in this total.

The two best seasons came from the two players not among the finalists. Arrington rushed for 100 yards in every single game and had the best yards per game of any of the four backs. Benson meanwhile outscored everyone easily. He even score five more touchdowns than either Peterson or Bush, who each played in one more game than Benson did this season.

Reggie Bush

Looking at the numbers, Bush clearly does not belong. The only reason receving stats were even included was because that is supposedly his edge. They claim he is the most dynamic or most versatile player in the country, but even with those stats included he doesn't even average 100 yards per game. The other three backs each easily rushed for 150 yards per game or more. And most importantly, he's not even the leading rusher or receiver on his own team!

Peterson had a great year, but he gets glamour points just for being a freshman. He will be an amazing back very soon, but he did not have the most outstanding season nor was he even his team's MVP.

I know it's not a career award, but if all other things were equal it could be used to separate two players. Plus, if Peterson gets bonus points for being a true freshman, Benson's stellar career numbers deserve consideration. Check out their career statistics:

SeasonsRushing YardsReceiving YardsTouchdowns
Arrington22,45226922
Benson45,50762167
Bush21,35479222
Peterson11,843615

Cedric Benson deserve to be in New York this Saturday. His numbers this season and career records have earned him that honor. He ranks sixth all-time in rushing yards. He is one of only five players to ever rush for 1,000 yards in four seasons. He holds the NCAA record for games with a touchdown with 37.

The Heisman voters should be ashamed.

Update: Matt Leinart won it, it wasn't nearly as close as I thought it would be. At least Alex Smith passed the overrated Reggie Bush and Adrian Peterson didn't win it. Benson finished a distant sixth. Here's the complete story.

Posted in Sports | 7 Comments | Add yours

Comments

1 christina said...

weeeeeeeeeah weaaaaaah wah. you Texas fans are whiney.

Posted on December 09, 2004 at 04:58 PM

2 matt said...

OK

The fault is no one else's but Mack Brown. Unfortunately, the same reason you like Mack Brown (team before individuals) is the reason Cedric did not get it. Mack Brown never once hyped Cedric as an individual. However, USC constantly pushed for Bush. I do not beleive Bush was even a starter? I may be wrong on that, but remember if you are actually a Benson fan, this is the best thing for his NFL career.

Posted on December 09, 2004 at 09:52 PM

3 Brian said...

First off, Cal fans are MUCH whinier. Check out their little site they made: Whiney babies. I love how they freak out because two coaches had them below 6th, while at least three or four had us the same.

As for the topic at hand, it's not so much that USC or Texas hyped their players it was mostly the media. For the past three weeks ESPN ran a commercial for the Heisman presentation and only showed the OU and USC guys. Plus many of the brilliant media members declared Leinart after his good game against Notre Dame. Umm... everyone has a good game against them these days. It's not 1973 anymore.

They need to rename the thing the "Best QB on the highest ranked team award."

Posted on December 13, 2004 at 09:20 AM

4 Matthew said...

Bush will win next year, i guarentee. He is the next gale sayers and will dominate next year. Meanwhile, Benson will have a horrible rookie year and will be a bust.

Posted on December 29, 2005 at 04:26 PM

5 Jorge said...

I think leinart is gay.

Posted on December 29, 2005 at 04:28 PM

6 Brian said...

Um Matthew, there's dates when you comment so everyone can tell you posted 3 weeks after the 2005 Heisman was announced. And Benson actually had a pretty good rookie season before he tore up his knee.

Posted on December 29, 2005 at 05:02 PM

7 Spicoli said...

I think it depends on who wins the highsmen when it was Winkie yes it was a joke he is a Homo who has played college ball too long and is too old for the NFL, but when it was Lionart as much as I hate to say it he deserved it. Ohh yeah and just for the duck Winkie sucks A$$ at QB he can't do $H!T.

Posted on July 08, 2006 at 09:54 PM