THE HEISMAN DEBATE

DR. HEISMAN VERSUS DANIEL MOGOLLON

Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be Mountaineers. Pat White would give his pinky for another shot at Pittsburgh, as the southpaw watched his Heisman dreams and a shot at the national championship get gobbled up by the rival Panthers. We did write last week that we would not be surprised if West Virginia, who was a 29-point favorite, lost, but it was tongue-in-cheek. White did not even get an invite to the Big Apple even though he may be the most valuable player in the country. He missed extensive time in both of WVU’s losses this season.

Meanwhile another Heisman candidate Chase Daniel was folding it up to Oklahoma. Daniel threw for just 219 yards and no touchdowns against a Sooner defense that has shut him down as well as any defense the Tigers have faced. To make matters worse, Daniel’s Tigers were left out of the BCS all together.

The one candidate who shined on Saturday (into Sunday on the east coast) was Colt Brennan who threw for 442 yards and five touchdowns, but while his stellar night likely got him a ticket to the City That Never Sleeps…he remains a long shot to win the award. Brennan’s 4,174 yards, 38 touchdowns and 71.4 completion percentage are great numbers, but he threw for 5,549 yards, 58 touchdowns and completed 72.6 percent of his passes last season. It is too much to overcome playing in a non-BCS conference and playing of his games, as most of the country is asleep. Tell me you didn’t hit the sheets when Washington jumped out to a 21-0 lead on the island?

That leaves us with two possible candidates in Darren McFadden and Tim Tebow.

Dr. Heisman: Tim Tebow is the only candidate all year to show consistency. Week after week Tebow consistently scored touchdowns. The fun in watching Tebow was trying to figure out how he would score. In the end he produced 51 touchdowns, showing that he was a balanced quarterback. This Gator was part quarterback and part running back. He is built like a tank and hard to take down. The sophomore also beat clubs with his rocket arm and accuracy. He was by far the toughest player in the NCAA to prepare for.

Mogollon: Not so fast my friend. Tebow fits perfectly into Urban Meyer’s spread offense, which made Alex Smith the number one pick in the NFL Draft coming out of Utah. In comparison, Arkansas invented the “WildHog” strictly for McFadden. No one can deny Tebow’s touchdown numbers are impressive to say the least, but his touchdown runs average just 4.3 yards per carry. He benefits in the Red Zone from the Gators’ lack of a go-to back. McFadden’s scoring scampers average 17.9 yards per run. RUN DMC’s combination of size and strength with speed make him the most dangerous weapon in college football.

Dr. Heisman: Come on…the numbers are unlike any you or I have ever seen from one person. Tebow was second in the country with a passer rating of 177.9. Tebow ran for over 800 yards and 22 touchdowns, which by the way is five more touchdowns than McFadden. Add his 3,132 passing yards and 29 scoring passes and you have a ridiculous combination of 3,970 yards and 51 touchdowns. In 317 attempts, Tebow has thrown just 6 interceptions and he completed 68.5 percent of his passes.

Mogollon: If it comes down to numbers…why not Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell (5,298 yards, 45 TDs) or UCF’s Kevin Smith (2,448 yards, 29 TDs)? You should know one when you see one when it comes to the Heisman winner. But while we’re at it, McFadden set the SEC record for all-purpose yards with 2,172. That’s more than Hershel Walker and Bo Jackson had in their Heisman seasons.

Dr. Heisman: The case should not be this hard to make, but Tebow is only a sophomore. No sophomore has ever won the Heisman and it is time the award changes with the times and starts rewarding the best athlete no matter what year of eligibility he is. The award symbolizes leadership so therefore voters have given the edge to seniors, but now it is rare for a Heisman candidate to be around for four years. Tebow was not padding his stats against lower level competition, but against the most elite athletes in the SEC and he was the best player in the best conference.

Mogollon: Well not according to the SEC, because McFadden was named the Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year…not Tebow. Also, let’s talk a little more about the competition factor here. McFadden averaged 143.8 yards per game this season, which jumps to 172 yards when Arkansas played against a ranked opponent. Tebow averaged 261 passing yards and 69.8 yards rushing per game, however when he played against ranked opponents those numbers dipped to 237.3 and 47.8. Against LSU, considered the best team in the country, McFadden ran for 206 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Razorbacks to a win over the number one team, while playing much of the game at quarterback in the “WildHog” formation. His 24-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarterback gave Arkansas a 28-21 lead. Tebow completed just 12-of-26 passes versus the Tigers and had just 225 yards of total offense, more than 100 yards below his average.

Dr. Heisman: Ultimately, history shows that a quarterback will be rewarded. Gator quarterbacks are no strangers to the award with Steve Spurrier winning in 1966 and Danny Wuerffel in 1996. Wuerffel threw for 39 touchdowns and had 3,625 yards for the season. He produced no rushing touchdowns and threw 13 interceptions. Last year’s winner Troy Smith only rushed for 332 yards and combined for 20 less touchdowns than Tebow. Tim Tebow should be the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner.

Mogollon: There is a bias towards quarterbacks, but running backs are not too far behind. Moreover there is the “sophomore factor” which you mentioned earlier. Players such as Hershel Walker and Adrian Peterson were snubbed as underclassman because of age discrimination and there are enough old school voters that some, fair or not, will hold that against Tebow. Voters may also consider that McFadden finished second last season and that he was even better this season. While many believe Tebow is the odds on favorite to bring the trophy back to Gainesville, don’t sleep on D-Mac.

Dr. Heisman: I would find it hard to believe if Tim Tebow did not walk out of New York with the Heisman Trophy on Saturday. All week, people have been making a case for McFadden, but look for Tebow to win by a good margin. McFadden had a great year rushing for 1,725 yards and 15 touchdowns, but it is time to give it up alligator clap style for this year’s Heisman winner Tim Tebow.

Mogollon: While I would not be surprised to see Tebow take the hardware, this will be one of the closest votes ever and don’t be shocked to see McFadden pull a Bo Jackson and sneak past Tebow, the way Bo beat out Chuck Long by the slimmest of margins. Put your Gator chomp away and let out a soo-wee for my man D-Mac!

This looks like it's going to be a very close vote!