The Heisman Trophy process and Frankenstein’s monster are alike in at least one respect. “That Heisman thing has a life of its own,” said former Ole Miss and NFL quarterback Archie Manning, who finished in the Heisman’s top five twice. “You’ve got to be pretty doggone fortunate to be in the top three.” Lately, it also helps not to play for an SEC school. The SEC, which touts itself as the biggest, baddest monster in college football, has produced just one Heisman winner in the past 20 years, Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel in 1996. Only two SEC players have ranked among the top five vote getters in the previous seven years. That’s two of a possible 35 spots. So when Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden appears at the award ceremony Saturday, he’ll be carrying the banner of a league that hasn’t sniffed the bronze statue often in his lifetime.
McFadden is one of three players invited to New York, meaning he has finished among the top three in the voting. Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith is expected to win.
Interviews with voters, coaches and former players turned up several theories for why the SEC has gone 1 for 20. They suggested a combination of bad luck and bad timing. Some suggested a bias might exist against the league, while others disagreed.
The most recurring conclusion is that the league is too tough for its own good, specifically that superior defenses make it impossible for the skill positions to accumulate awardwinning statistics.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville said. “I’ve been preaching that all along that the difference in our league and all the others is everybody’s got good football teams, but from top to bottom in our conference the defenses are just unbelievable.” Being largely ignored by Heisman voters hasn’t led to an inferiority complex in the SEC, according to Commissioner Mike Slive, because the league doesn’t stake its identity on its Heisman record. Good thing, too. The league has eight winners in the award’s 71 years.
The SEC routinely leads all conferences in number of players on opening-day NFL rosters and “stands alone” in quality depth for teams, coaches and players, Slive said. Four SEC teams have won national championships over the past 20 years and the league has figured into several other late-season title scenarios.
“The quality of football in our league speaks for itself,” Slive said.
Still, it has to chap the Southern football establishment just a little to be brushed over like this.
Among the major conferences (counting current alignment ), only the Big East has fewer Heisman winners than the SEC in the past 20 years, and even that’s deceiving. Miami, now in the Atlantic Coast Conference, won twice when the school belonged to the Big East.
Put it another way: The SEC claims as many Heismans in the past 20 years as Conference USA, the Mountain West and the major independents. PASSING ON MANNING Seven SEC players have finished second or third in the Heisman voting the past 20 years. None is more noted for the near miss than Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, Archie Manning’s son, in 1997.
Vols fans remain convinced that ESPN hijacked the award from Peyton Manning and steered it to Charles Woodson by fawning over the Michigan cornerback, return specialist and part-time receiver.
Peyton Manning looked like the favorite through much of the season, then the momentum swung late. Woodson remains the only player to win the award whose main position was on defense.
“A lot of people, mostly Southerners, still come up to me and tell me, ‘I don’t even follow the Heisman. I don’t pay any attention to the Heisman since Peyton didn’t win it that year,’” Archie Manning said.
The Mannings know about coming close.
Archie Manning finished fourth in 1969 and third in 1970. Another son, Eli Manning, finished third in 2003 as an Ole Miss quarterback. Peyton and Eli went on to be No. 1 overall NFL draft picks.
When Peyton Manning didn’t win the Heisman, Vols fans bombarded the Downtown Athletic Club with grumpy faxes and phone calls. Then-Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist said of the outcome, “It stinks.” It still does for many.
“You’re getting into a sore subject with me,” Vols Coach Phillip Fulmer said. “It’s still raw with me.” Fulmer and Archie Manning said they believe voters were reluctant to choose a good-kid, Southern quarterback again after Wuerffel won the Heisman in 1996.
Peyton Manning’s winless four seasons against conference nemesis Florida might have hindered his support, too, ESPN. com columnist Pat Forde said.
Forde, who has had a Heisman vote for about 15 years, said he voted for Woodson and still can defend the choice no matter how brilliant Manning has been in the NFL. Woodson took Michigan from good to great, eventually a national championship, Forde said. Peyton Manning couldn’t beat Florida and didn’t play especially well against the Gators, either. NEAR MISSES ARE US Tires on SEC Heisman bandwagons have rolled over all sorts of spike strips in the past 20 years.
Florida quarterbacks racked up some high-flying numbers but might have been perceived as a product of then-Coach Steve Spurrier’s system.
Incredibly, Alabama never has brought a Heisman back to Tuscaloosa despite winning all those national titles. Former Coach Bear Bryant believed so strongly in the team concept that he frowned on individual promotion.
That policy carried over to some degree with Bryant disciple Gene Stallings, who coached the Tide to the 1992 national title. Defense also dominated that team and defenders don’t win the Heisman, Woodson being the exception.
Tennessee won the 1998 title with plenty of future NFL thoroughbreds but not overwhelming star power. LSU won the 2003 BCS title with defense, and Auburn’s undefeated 2004 team had future top-five draft picks in running backs Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams who probably canceled each other out.
Forde wondered if Southern voters don’t vote in a bloc as much as voters in other regions.
The voters are divided into six sections across the country, with 145 media votes per section, to try to promote geographic balance. Throw in the former Heisman winners who also have a vote, and the total number of electors is 923. One more vote comes from the public.
“Are there biases ? Perhaps,” Fulmer said.
Tuberville said, “I don’t think there’s any prejudice.” IN DEFENSE Heisman candidacies take flight in one of three ways: outlandish statistics, leading a team that is part of the national title hunt or being a multidimensional player. It doesn’t hurt to have two of those in your pocket.
SEC players have trouble compiling the obscene numbers that Heisman winners usually need for the same reason that the league’s teams have a difficult time winning more national championships, Tuberville said. The defenses are too good. Several others agreed.
“It’s a defense-minded league all the way,” said Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles, who was an all-conference quarterback at Georgia Tech when the Yellow jackets were still in the SEC. “The running backs have a hard time. The wide receivers and quarterbacks don’t have a chance.” McFadden led the SEC in rushing at 119. 85 yards per game (1, 558 total ) and ranked 10 th nationally to become only the league’s second 1, 500-yard rusher in past 11 years. The other was Rudi Johnson in 2000.
Six conferences have had at least seven 1, 500-yard rushers during that time.
Passing that threshold is significant because the past 15 running backs who won the Heisman rushed for at least 1, 740 yards. The last one who did not meet that mark and still won was Ohio State’s Archie Griffin in 1975 (1, 357 yards ) and 1974 (1, 620 yards ).
For quarterbacks who want to contend for a Heisman, the modern-day standard is throwing for at least 3, 600 yards.
There are exceptions. Four of the past six quarterbacks to win the award topped the 3, 600-yard mark, the trend buckers being Matt Leinart in 2004 when he was on the brink of leading Southern California to a second consecutive national title and Nebraska’s Eric Crouch in 2001.
An SEC quarterback has thrown for at least 3, 600 yards only six times ever, and half of those came from Tim Couch (twice ) and Jared Lorenzen playing on Kentucky teams nowhere near the national title discussion. Wuerffel did it in 1996 and won the Heisman. Peyton Manning and Rex Grossman (2001 ) did it and finished as runners-up.
If Smith wins, his 2, 507 yards would be the lowest passing total for a winning quarterback since Crouch.
Crouch possessed the multithreat selling point, throwing for more than 1, 500 yards and rushing for more than 1, 000 in the same season. Woodson and USC’s Reggie Bush (2005 ) had the same versatility hook.
A lot goes into determining who takes home the trophy.
“Like it or not — and I don’t — it’s just not as simple as the best player in the country,” said Matt Hayes, who covers college football for The Sporting News and has been voting since the mid-1990 s. “If it were, McFadden would be neck and neck with Smith.” Most agree that the SEC’s time will come again. Maybe soon.
“The SEC will probably have somebody win it next year,” Archie Manning said. “It will probably be McFadden if he stays healthy.
“ But it’s hard. To win the Heisman, you don’t get many mulligans. In this conference with these athletes, you’re going against good teams every week.” Winning over the voters has proved even tougher. Heisman finalists capsules TROY SMITH Quarterback, Ohio State CATEGORY YDS TDS Passing 2, 507 30 Rushing 230 1 NOTE Smith completed 67 percent of his passes and had 5 interceptions. BRADY QUINN Quarterback, Notre Dame CATEGORY YDS TDS Passing 3, 278 35 Rushing 65 2 NOTE Quinn completed 63. 4 percent of his passes and had 5 interceptions. DARREN MCFADDEN Running back, Arkansas CATEGORY YDS TDS Receiving 149 1 Rushing 1, 558 14 NOTE McFadden also returned a kick 92 yards for a touchdown and threw three touchdown passes. Statistics are from 2006 season.
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