Finally the time for my final pre-Heisman write-up of the 2006 season has arrived and I have three candidates I want to talk about because they are the only three that really matter. Troy Smith, the versatile senior quarterback at Ohio State and the frontrunner, Darren McFadden the sophomore running back at Arkansas and Brady Quinn the senior quarterback at Notre Dame.
Last week I said that Troy Smith was going to win the Heisman Trophy and I stand by that. However, Smith is not the best athlete playing college football or even the best college football player. That person is McFadden but I will get back to him shortly. Smith is a great player and because he is a senior and a quarterback is the best leader. He jumped out to a big lead early in the season and didn’t do anything to lose that lead. He guided his team through a 12-game schedule undefeated and a Big-10 Championship. His team started the season at number one in all the polls and finished the season at number one in all the polls. It was a dream season for the Buckeyes and all that came under Smith’s on-the-field leadership. When Smith wins the Heisman it will be well deserved.
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Brady Quinn would have been a more serious challenger had his team fared better. The early season thrashing Quinn’s Irish took from Michigan seemed to put Quinn on the Heisman back burner for the rest of the season, aside from the fact he put up better numbers than Smith. Quinn has a better NFL up-side than Smith but the Heisman Trophy doesn’t go to the player who has the best pro-potential.
Darren McFadden or D-Dog as he is referred to by fellow Razorbacks is the best football player in college football. He runs, he throws, he catches, and he makes eye-popping kick returns. Is there anything McFadden can’t do? Did you see his performance against LSU on Friday? He tore through the stingy Tiger’s defense for 182 yards on 21 carries and threw a couple of passes going 2 for 2 and 33 yards. Remember that McFadden is a running back. Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN’s Game Day called McFadden a freak after seeing him make a mockery of the Tennessee defense. Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said his Vols didn’t know how to stop him.
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Back in August, a few days prior to reporting for pre-season football camp, McFadden injured his big toe in a 4:00 a.m. altercation at a Little Rock, Arkansas night spot. The toe was injured to the point that it nearly came unattached. Just five weeks later, McFadden is on the field against USC but not anywhere near 100%. He didn’t hit full stride until the fifth game at Auburn where McFadden ran for 143 yards including a 63-yard touchdown run. Had he used better judgment and not put himself into a position where he sustained that injury there is no telling the numbers McFadden would have put up in 2006. You can bet on one thing though. Darren McFadden will be the man to beat for the 2007 Heisman Trophy.
