Tyrann Mathieu was named as one of the five finalists who received invitations to New York for the 2011 Heisman Trophy presentation ceremony. The others were Montee Ball of Wisconsin, Robert Griffin III of Baylor, Andrew Luck of Stanford and Trent Richardson of Alabama.

Some of the storylines surrounding the Heisman finalists include the fact that Griffin represents Baylor's first Heisman Trophy finalist and the possibility of Richardson bringing Alabama its second Heisman in three years.

There is also the fact that Luck no longer appears to be the clear front-runner for the award. Oh, and all Montee Ball has done is record 38 total touchdowns this season; he has a chance to tie or break Barry Sanders' record of 39 in the Rose Bowl against Oregon.

That's all nice and all, but what I'm really intrigued with is the presence of Tyann Matthieu—the Honey Badger. Mathieu is the first defensive back to be invited to New York since Michigan's Charles Woodson won the Heisman back in 1997.

So, how does Mathieu's 2011 season compare with Woodson's Heisman-winning campaign? Let's take a look.

 

Defense

Woodson was the defensive cog for Michigan's undefeated AP National Championship team. He played 12 games in 1997 in which he recorded 44 tackles, eight interceptions, nine pass break-ups and a sack.

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Mathieu is a major reason why the LSU Tigers are slated to play Alabama for the BCS National Championship. He was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Championship Game MVP.  Mathieu played in 12 games, missing one due to suspension. He recorded 71 tackles, five forced fumbles, two interceptions and 1.5 sacks.

 

In the same number of games, Mathieu recorded 27 more tackles, five more forced fumbles and had an extra half sack. Woodson, however, intercepted six more passes and recorded nine more pass deflections. I think Mathieu might be more physical, but Woodson was more of a shutdown corner.

 

Special Teams

Woodson returned 36 punts in 1997 for an average of 8.4 yards. He returned one punt for a touchdown that season.

Mathieu has returned 33 punts for an average of 12.7 yards including two returns for touchdowns.

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The punt return opportunities for the two players are similar, but Mathieu holds a clear advantage in both yardage and he's scored two times compared to Woodson's one. He's definitely more of a threat on special times.

 

 

Offense

The clear advantage that Woodson holds over Mathieu is the fact that Woodson played sparingly on offense for Michigan. Woodson had just 12 catches in 1997, but he averaged 19.8 yards per catch and scored two receiving touchdowns.

 

Conclusion

Taking nothing away from Tyrann Mathieu, Charles Woodson won his Heisman Trophy based on the fact that he contributed in all three phases of the game—offense, defense and special teams.

While Mathieu has had a phenomenal season, he's a purely defensive player who doesn't play on offense. That will be the thing that costs him this season and prevents him from joining Woodson as the only (primarily) defensive players to win college football's most prestigious award.