Heisman Trophy telecast report
Posted on Sunday, December 9, 2007
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/210110/
ESPN tilts broadcast to Tebow
FAYETTEVILLE — ESPN’s Chris Fowler called the Heisman Trophy race a “dead heat” between Arkansas’ Darren McFadden and Florida’s Tim Tebow during the network’s televised presentation Saturday.
But ESPN’s broadcast hinted that Tebow was the winner from the start, beginning its show with a feature on Tebow the football player and saving a profile on Tebow for moments before the announcement.
Tebow, Florida’s sophomore quarterback, won the 73 rd annual Heisman by 254 points over McFadden, who finished second for the second consecutive year.
The show began with features on Tebow and Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, who finished third. Analyst Kirk Herbstreit then spoke at length about Tebow’s season, pointing out that his 22 rushing touchdowns were a SEC record.
Herbstreit noted that Tebow ran for more touchdowns than SEC players such as Georgia’s Herschel Walker and Auburn’s Bo Jackson, both of whom won Heismans. Herbstreit said he thought Tebow’s most impressive statistic was averaging 16 carries a game.
“Think about playing in the SEC, the pounding that you take,” Herbstreit said.
McFadden’s feature ran third, and the Little Rock product received a strong introduction from Fowler. Fowler pointed out McFadden gained more yards this season than he did as the Heisman runner-up in 2006 and had the most all-purpose yardage in SEC history.
“He’s a workhorse that brings the ‘wow’ factor,” said Fowler, who praised McFadden’s combination of speed and power. “McFadden flaunts both in abundance: elusive and electric. In a sprinter’s body beats a linebacker’s heart.”
Herbstreit said McFadden improved on his sophomore year despite opponents crowding the line of scrimmage with as many as nine defenders. He didn’t point out that McFadden averaged 25 carries a game in the same SEC as Tebow and played several games with bruised ribs.
After the football features ran, personal features were shown on each player. Tebow’s was shown last, just before the announcement of his victory.
McFadden’s personal feature highlighted his relationship with Leecie Henson, his former junior high school teacher. Henson said McFadden sent her a text message when he was in New York for the 2006 Heisman, a nice reflection of McFadden’s well-known humility.
“When America looks at Darren, they see a man; I see this little kid,” Henson said on the show.
McFadden and Tebow did get solo interviews with Herbstreit, a clear reflection that ESPN figured one would be the winner. Brennan and Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel were interviewed together after their features.
McFadden’s personal feature was shown next-tolast and when ESPN’s Lee Corso interviewed Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt to talk about his former tailback at Arkansas, Nutt had to share time with Florida Coach Urban Meyer. Meyer spoke of Tebow before a commercial break, and ESPN showed Tebow’s personal feature when it returned.
Nutt did reveal an interesting anecdote about McFadden’s competitive nature when he told how McFadden, then in high school, would find out who was the fastest at an Arkansas camp and then race and beat him. The cameras showed McFadden listening, looking sheepishly at the ground.