Heisman Hype: How Firmly in Control Is Michigan's Denard Robinson?

The short answer: He's in the driver's seat.

Yes, it's early in the season, but the numbers are getting ridiculous: 1,008 passing yards and 905 rushing yards, who else has even come close? 

His rushing numbers are simply mind-boggling, and while you fruitlessly attempt to fathom exactly what he's done on the ground, you may have missed that Denard Robinson has slipped into the third most efficient passer in the nation. 

In fact, Denard Robinson is averaging just over 9.2 yards per carry: almost a first down every time he touches the ball.

Last week against Indiana, he was 10 of 16 for 277 yards (a season high) with 3 TDs.  Oh, he also tore up the Indiana defense for an additional 217 yards on the ground. 

That makes 494 yards of total offense, good for 2nd biggest QB performance in Michigan QB history. 

In fact, Denard Robinson is only 2nd to himself (he missed his 502-yard performance against Notre Dame by only eight yards).

Robinson now owns the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 8th best QB performances in Michigan history.  Did I mention that he's only played five games? 

And in those 5 games, Denard Robinson has dazzled, picking up Big Ten Offensive Player of the week 3 of 5 tries and becoming the first player to earn the Walter Camp Offensive Player of the week twice in row for his efforts against Connecticut and Notre Dame.

Consider even something else: Robinson played fewer than nine minutes against Bowling Green, and in almost 1/8th of the game, Robinson accumulated nearly 200 yards (129 rushing on 5 attempts and 60 yards going 4 for 4 through the air).

And if it's not just stats that make the Heisman, than what about Robinson's late-game heroics?  Robinson has engineered two game-winning drives to seal victories for Michigan ...first against Notre Dame, and most recently against Indiana.

No sir, there's no one even close.

And, for some comparison, here's some numbers from some recent Heisman winners through their first five games of the season:

2005 - Reggie Bush*, USC
792 Total Yards, 8 TDs

2006 - Troy Smith, Ohio State
1,070 pass yards, 14 TDs

2007 - Tim Tebow, Florida
1,730 total yards, 19 TDs

2008 - Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
1,665 pass yards, 20 TDs

2009 - Mark Ingram, Alabama
487 rush yards, 6 TDs

2010 - Denard Robinson, Michigan
1,913 total yards, 15 TDs

And yes, this was when they were in their cupcake phase of the schedule, so it is the most fair (certainly the most honest) way to compare Robinson to previous Heisman winners.

It appears, at least for the time being, that the Heisman is Robinson's to lose.  No doubt if the vote were today, he'd win in an overwhelming landslide.

Provided the torrid pace continues, Robinson will be walking across the stage come December, and will be leading the Wolverines in their bowl game a couple weeks later.

*Reggie Bush was stripped of the Heisman earlier this year as a result of his being declared retroactively ineligible.  USC vacated two wins from December of 2004, all of their 2005 wins, a bowl ban for 2010 and 2011, and a loss of 30 scholarships throughout the next 3 years.