Denard Robinson vs. LaMichael James: An Early Battle for the Heisman Trophy

We’ve seen some remarkable individual performances from many of the nation’s top players during the first five weeks of the season, but it’s the been the play of two particular sophomore superstars which has really gotten everyone’s attention.

Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson and Oregon running back LaMichael James have shown the college football world that in today’s current landscape—speed simply kills.

The two players are just the latest beneficiaries of the transition to the spread offensive systems that are becoming more predominant in college football culture with each passing season.

The 6‘0" 190 lb. Robinson and the 5‘9" 185 lb. James have each shown that size isn’t always what counts. Sometimes there’s room for the little guys to come in and outrun everybody else.

Robinson, who took over the quarterback duties from last year’s starter Tate Forcier, has led a resurgence of a Michigan football program that has been on life support since head coach Rich Rodriguez signed on a little less than years ago.

Rodriguez couldn’t have drawn up a more perfect specimen to run his zone read attack. Now that the sophomore’s decision making has started to catch up with his pure speed, he’s turning into of the most unstoppable forces in all of college football.

People knew that the former highly touted recruit out of Deerfield Beach High School in Florida had the capability to make a sizeable impact on the college level, they just had to see him prove his worth out on the field.

Robinson has done just that, throwing for over 1,000 yards and rushing for nearly the same amount in just five games of work. He leads all BCS quarterbacks with 1,913 yards of total offense and his eight touchdowns are more than any other Big Ten player has scored thus far.

Because of Robinson’s play, Michigan now sits at 5-0 as they get ready to head into the thick of conference play. The quarterback has seemingly saved his coach’s job while almost singlehandedly reviving the football program and carrying them back to relevancy. 

Relevancy isn’t something that the Oregon football team was worried about coming into the 2010 season. The Ducks were coming into the year fresh off a Rose Bowl appearance as defending Pac 10 champions looking like they had an offense that was capable of running and scoring with anybody.

That offense has so far flourished even without departed quarterback Jeremiah Masoli as new starting sophomore Darron Thomas has come in and played his role magnificently through the early part of the season.

The true star of the offense which ranks as tops in the nation averaging 56 points per game is running back LaMichael James.

After sitting out the season opener due to a one game suspension stemming from an offseason  domestic assault, James has come in and picked up right where he left off as a freshman in 2009.

The sophomore has already rushed for over 700 yards in just four games which is more than any other running back in the nation. James is averaging a poultry eight yards every time he touches the ball and his big play ability is something that his opponents have found out about the hard way.

After a remarkable 257 yard showing in this past weekend’s big win over Stanford, James is currently on track to outdo his astounding freshman total of 1,546 rushing yards which he racked up last season.

The only person that seems to be standing in his way of winning the national rushing title is the same person that could be standing in his way of winning the Heisman Trophy—Denard Robinson.

So it’s clear that Robinson and James currently lead the Heisman race as we get ready for the back stretch of the season. But that’s not to say there aren’t other players out there who are ready to make a case as well.

Alabama’s Mark Ingram, the 2009 Heisman winner, doesn’t look like he’s very willing to loosen his grip on the award. And there’s a host of talented players such as Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor, Auburn’s Cam Newton, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones, and Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas who all look like they ‘re capable of making their own Heisman push.

This year’s Heisman race is just beginning, but as of right now it’s evident who the two leaders are. If Denard Robinson and LaMichael James keep producing at this pace, we will most definitely see the two sitting in the front row in New York City later on in December.