West Virginia Football: Geno Smith Ignites Heisman Hopes with RGIII-Like Game

The 2012 season may be in its infancy, but West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith is making sure that every Heisman voter remembers him.

With Smith’s performance Saturday against Marshall, voters cannot overlook comparisons to last year’s Heisman trophy winner: Baylor Bears quarterback Robert Griffin III. 

The similarities are there, as both quarterbacks can hit their receivers with pinpoint accuracy and elude pass-rushers if their offensive line breaks down.

Smith went 33-of-37 with 340 yards and four touchdowns. He also had 65 rushing yards with one touchdown.

Last year, RGIII threw for more than 400 yards four times against defenses in the Big 12.

The comparisons of Smith to RGIII have been coming from some of college football’s best minds. CBS Sports' Bryan Fischer posted a tweet from his fellow CBS Sports writer Chris Huston on Smith’s stat line, saying: 

Those stats from Huston’s tweet were at halftime.

Bruce Feldman of CBS Sports tweeted about Smith’s last six quarters, going back to Smith’s Orange Bowl dominance of Clemson when he threw for 407 yards and six touchdowns. 

Smith’s performance today grabbed the attention of Houston Chronicle writer John McClain. He brought up Smith playing against those same Big 12 passing defenses that were decimated by RGIII last year, saying:

And finally, Mike Berman of Your News Now in Austin, Texas, tweeted out a warning to the Big 12 defenses of Smith’s abilities, saying:

If Smith is able to keep up this torrid pace and shred through the same defenses that RGIII did last year, there is nothing stopping Smith from become the second straight Heisman trophy winner from the Big 12. 

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