The Curious Heisman of Mark Ingram

I’d like to start this by saying I respect Mark Ingram. I think he is an excellent football player and a quality person. His Heisman acceptance speech was excellent.

I just don’t understand why he won it.

Before the vote I noted he was probably the least deserving of the candidates, a crop of which this year was less than stellar. As of late the Heisman has seemed to go mostly to the quarterback position, and there were really no deserving nominees in that position this year (there were, perhaps, deserving quarterbacks, but they weren’t finalists).

When there is no deserving quarterback the default option historically seems to go to running backs, and this year was no different. But why Ingram? Let’s look at the top running backs of the past 5 years by yards gained (1500 or more yards per season)–

1 2007 Kevin Smith, RB UCF 2567
2 2007 Matt Forte, RB TULN 2127
3 2008 Donald Brown, RB CONN 2083
4 2007 Ray Rice, RB RUTG 2012
5 2005 DeAngelo Williams, RB MEM 1964
6 2006 Garrett Wolfe, RB NIU 1928
7 2005 Jerome Harrison, RB WSU 1900
8 2008 Shonn Greene, RB IOWA 1850
9 2007 Darren McFadden, RB ARK 1830
10 2006 Ray Rice, RB RUTG 1794
11 2006 Steve Slaton, RB WVU 1744
12 2005 Reggie Bush, RB USC 1740
13 2009 Toby Gerhart, RB STAN 1736
14 2008 MiQuale Lewis, RB BALL 1736
15 2007 Jonathan Stewart, RB ORE 1722
16 2006 Ian Johnson, RB BSU 1714
17 2007 Rashard Mendenhall, RB ILL 1681
18 2007 Eugene Jarvis, RB KENT 1669
19 2009 Ryan Mathews, RB FRES 1664
20 2006 Darren McFadden, RB ARK 1647
21 2009 Dion Lewis, RB PITT 1640
22 2008 Javon Ringer, RB MSU 1637
23 2005 Brian Calhoun, RB WIS 1636
24 2007 Jamaal Charles, RB TEX 1619
25 2007 Chris Wells, RB OSU 1609
26 2007 Anthony Alridge, RB HOU 1597
27 2009 Donald Buckram, RB UTEP 1594
28 2007 Damion Fletcher, RB USM 1586
29 2008 Jahvid Best, RB CAL 1580
30 2005 Garrett Wolfe, RB NIU 1580
31 2006 PJ Hill, FB WIS 1569
32 2006 Mike Hart, RB MICH 1562
33 2008 Kendall Hunter, RB OKST 1555
34 2007 Justin Forsett, RB CAL 1546
35 2009 Mark Ingram, RB ALA 1542
36 2009 Ryan Williams, RB VT 1538
37 2008 Tarrion Adams, RB TLSA 1523
38 2006 Ahmad Bradshaw, RB MRSH 1523
39 2008 Vai Taua, RB NEV 1521
40 2007 Jalen Parmele, RB TOL 1511

Of the 40 individuals that have rushed for more than 1500 yards since 2005, Ingram ranks 35th.

When we look at the same group by yards-per-carry, Ingram fares a little better (the top 20 only) –

1 2005 Reggie Bush, RB USC 8.7
2 2008 Jahvid Best, RB CAL 8.1
3 2006 Steve Slaton, RB WVU 7
4 2009 Ryan Mathews, RB FRES 6.8
5 2005 Garrett Wolfe, RB NIU 6.5
5 2008 Kendall Hunter, RB OKST 6.5
7 2007 Rashard Mendenhall, RB ILL 6.4
7 2008 Vai Taua, RB NEV 6.4
9 2005 DeAngelo Williams, RB MEM 6.3
9 2007 Jamaal Charles, RB TEX 6.3
11 2006 Garrett Wolfe, RB NIU 6.2
11 2005 Jerome Harrison, RB WSU 6.2
11 2007 Jonathan Stewart, RB ORE 6.2
11 2006 Ian Johnson, RB BSU 6.2
11 2007 Anthony Alridge, RB HOU 6.2
11 2009 Donald Buckram, RB UTEP 6.2
11 2009 Mark Ingram, RB ALA 6.2
11 2008 Tarrion Adams, RB TLSA 6.2
19 2006 Ahmad Bradshaw, RB MRSH 6.1
20 2008 Shonn Greene, RB IOWA 6

Among his immediate peers of the past 5 years, Ingram is the 35th best for total yards rushed, and tied for 11th with several others in yards-per-carry. None of that says “Heisman winner”.

Now Heisman consideration is more complicated then just comparing statistics, and there are other positions (or at least one other, QB) that go into every calculation. But how did some of the other standouts on these lists above fare?

2009

Toby Gerhart – Gerhart came in 2nd. Gerhart was the 13th best rusher by yards in the past 5 years, or 22 spots ahead of Ingram. He was the top rusher this year, and Ingram was 5th.

2008

Shonn Green – Green came in a distant 6th in Heisman voting although he was the 8th best rusher of the past 5 seasons, and 2nd in 2008.

2007

Darren McFadden – The 2nd best rusher of his year, and the 9th best of the 5 year span, McFadden came in second. (Now McFadden is obviously a special case as a QB who ran).

2006

Darren McFadden – The Razorback was also 2nd in ’06, a year that was the 20th best in the past 5.

Steve Slaton – Slaton was 4th overall in a year that the 11th best in the past 5, and the 3rd best by yards per carry in the same period. He was the 3rd best rusher that year.

Ray Rice – Rice, the 2nd best rusher in 2006, had the 10th best effort of the past half decade that year.

2005

Reggie Bush, the top yards-per-rush guy of the past 5 years, won. His was the 12th best rushing yards effort of the past 5 years.

All of these players – even McFadden the quarterback, had better rushing statistics than this year’s winner, but only Bush actually won.

But what about these players who didn’t show up in the Heisman voting?

2008

Donald Brown, UCONN – 2088 yards rushing, the 3rd best in the past 5 years.

Javid Best, CAL – 29th best effort in total rushing the past 5 years, 2nd best in yards per carry.

2007

Kevin Smith, UCF – Smith rushed for a mind boggling 2567 yards, best of the past 5 years, and 1023 yards BETTER THAN INGRAM. All he got was 8th in Heisman voting.

Matt Forte,TULN – Forte was 2nd best in the past 5 years with 2127.

Ray Rice, RUTG – Rice actually had a better year than the year before when he appeared in the Heisman voting with 2012 yards rushing.

2006

Garrett Wolfe, NIU – Wolfe had 1928 yards as the best of that year, the 5th best in the past 5, and had 7 yards per carry for 5th best in the half decade.

Once again, every one of these players was far-and-away statistically superior to Ingram. But teams like UCF, Connecticut and, goodness forbid Northern Illinois, don’t get Heisman consideration.

What Happened

It doesn’t make much sense, but get used to it. Heisman voters only follow the top teams every year, and seem to make their picks based on who is perceived to be the best player on the top teams.

But this year was a little different.

Ingram won the Heisman for the SEC Championship game, pure and simple. Starting this year voters for the Heisman can vote electronically (rather than the paper ballots that had to be mailed in the past), and the overwhelming majority (80% plus) voted after the Championship games. So Ingram’s performance was fresh in their minds, despite his pitiful 30 yard effort against Auburn the week before.

Against a weakened Florida defense a pretty decent argument can be made Ingram wasn’t even the best running back on his team in the SEC Championship. He just got the most carries. Ingram went 113 yards on 28 carries for a 4.0 average, while Trent Richardson went 80 yards on 11 carries (7.3 average) and Roy Upchurch went 57 yards on 7 carries (8.1 average).

Is this to be the way in the new age of electronic Heisman voting? Are winners destined to be players of largely unremarkable statistical achievement coming from an exclusve, and narrow, group of teams? Will enhanced (and unproportional) emphasis be given to those that play in Championship games (SEC, ACC, Big 12)?

You might note that 4 of the top 5 finalists this year played in such a game.

At least under this new format we can dispense with all the nonsense about the “Race for the Heisman” that we are subjected to all year long.

No, I didn’t believe that either.