Heisman Watch: Tim Tebow
Last year we contended that Troy Smith could not possibly be the best player in collegiate football if he wasn't even the best quarterback. Nonetheless he took the Heisman trophy home with him when all was said and done. This season started out with many question marks surrounding Tim Tebow. He had never started a college game and was used sparingly, mainly as a battering ram, as freshman last year. Though the season is young, Tebow already has some Heisman buzz about him. And with good reason. The Miami Herald's Gator beat writer, Joseph Goodman, asks "If not Tebow then who?" and compares his numbers to the Heisman favorites (the image above was shamelessly lifted from his blog).
Rather than compare Tebow to the other hopefuls, I thought it might be instructive to compare him to last year's winner.
Through 4 games last year Troy Smith's stat line looked like this:
PassingNow Tim Tebow's stat line through 4 games:
103 Attempts
68 Complete
66% Comp. Percentage
884 Yards
8 TDs
2 INTs
8.58 Yds/A
159.9 Rating
Rushing
15 Carries
4 Yards
0.27 Avg.
0 TDs
PassingAs you can easily see, through 4 games Tim Tebow is on a pace to blow away Troy Smith's Heisman campaign in every statistical category. If you're curious Smith's first 4 games last year were against Northern Illinois, at Texas, Cincinnati, and Penn State. Tebow's first four games were against Western Kentucky, Troy, Tennessee and Ole Miss.
95 Attempts
65 Complete
68.4% Comp. Percentage
1096 Yards
10 TDs
1 INT
11.5 Yds/A
198.0 Rating
Rushing
70 Carries
358 Yards
5.1 Avg.
7 TDs
Besides some legit SEC defenses coming up in the Gator's schedule, the one thing that could kill Tebow's run at college football's most prestigious individual award is an injury.
Mentioned in Austin Murphy's book 
12 comments:
I'd love to see Tim Tebow in New York as a Heisman finalist this December if the Gators can keep up the intensity they have right now as well as if Tebow remains healthy, but given the way the Heisman voters have decided over the decades I'd say he his chances of winning are slim to none because he's only a sophomore - as much as Rex Grossman and Herschel Walker deserved the Heisman when they did as underclassmen the voters went with Eric Crouch and George Rogers instead, and I suspect that was in part due to their class affiliation at the time. Walker eventually won it, but not until he was a junior.
JJ,
You are right and you are right. All I can do is a make a case.
I'd like to see the comparison to the current front-runner McFadden to see how they stack up.... I know they are at different positions, but it seems only fair to compare current candidates.
Ken,
Click the link to the Herald beat writer's blog within the post to see that comparison.
Tebow's best shot is probably if Louisville and Arkansas keep losing in bad ways, and if West Virginia takes a bad loss or two. After all, it's become a team award as much as anything.
The Gators' defensive struggles only magnify Tebow's importance. He's got the best shot if it comes down to him and Colt Brennan, because I think voters would be more inclined to give it to the gritty SEC quarterback than the WAC quarterback who (some would argue) only gets his stats because of the system.
Good point you brought up, Year 2, about Louisville - the funk they're in right now isn't helping Brian Brohm's chances of getting to New York as a finalist at all. He was on my own list of potential Heisman finalists this year, but he's likely to fall off mine and those the sports media are keeping right now. What's happening to Brohm right now because of a coaching change (Bobby Petrino left and Steve Kragthorpe's in at The Ville) is the same thing that happened to Rex Grossman with Spurrier leaving and the Zooker coming in, and it worked against Grossman in the end. He went from being the Heisman runner-up in 2001 to a has-been in 2002, and I attribute that in part to Zook and his crappy coaching of the Gators. I might be beating a dead horse here, but I wanted to build on your comment and make a point.
Piling on Zook is always welcome here.
I only wish Rex could have followed his inital instinct and bailed on Zook after SOS left; it could have for him or against him in the pros, but anything was better than the Zooker. Oh well, hindsight is 20-20.
Of course, had Rex left, we would have had a more seasoned QB heading into the Zookers 2nd year. I don't think that it would have made him win any more games... but it might have delayed the rise of a young Chris Leak. With all his issues, he did lead us to a title while helping prepare the baby rino make his way forward... but change things so he doesn't end up thrust into the role so early and all may have ended up different.
Coaching styles account for a huge difference in quarterback stats. Up north you don't run up the score after it's obvious who is going to win. Myers is known for having his quarterbacks throwing bombs in the final seconds of lopsided games, you'd never see Tressel getting away with that and a reason as much as he'd like to you'll never see Myers coaching there either.
Anonymous, You're an ass.
First of all the man's name is Meyer, Urban Meyer NOT Myers.
Second of all you can bet your ass the sweater vest would run up the score if it could help him get into the mythical national championship game. If last season taught us anything it's that style points DO MATTER.
You sound like perhaps you are stil licking your wounds from the can of whoop-ass that got opened on your Buckeyes in the desert last January.
Besides why would Meyer want to leave the best job in college football in the best conference in college football to go back in time to the big 10?
Get over yourself.
Henry, I agree. Right now the "Weak Ten" has nothing to really brag about, and I really don't give a shit WHAT they do "up north". We DO go RUTS when the opportunity presents itself - we play 60 solid minutes of football in the SEC.
Who gives a f**k what Tressel, moRon Zook or any of the Weak Ten coaches do? We play a totally different style in the SEC. And that's right, we unloaded a HUGE can of whoop-ass on the Suckeyes in January when everybody thought they'd "own" us. Florida got the last laugh AND a National Championship!
If he doesn't like the way Meyer coaches, too effin' bad!
As far as this SEC fan is concerned this jerk can kiss my ass.
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