Heisman Trophy Watch: Terrelle Pryor, Denard Robinson, Andrew Luck Lead the Way
The Heisman Trophy has been under scrutiny in recent weeks, with the climax occurring a couple weeks ago when the 2005 recipient, Reggie Bush, forfeited his after an investigation revealed he accepted improper benefits during his time at USC.
In 2010, the preseason front-runners for the award included Washington quarterback Jake Locker, who many believed would have been the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft, had he entered following his junior year.
This year's front-runners have changed dramatically over the first few weeks of the season, and this slideshow takes a look at the 2010 hopefuls.
Terrelle Pryor: Ohio State Buckeyes
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After Terrelle Pryor's outstanding performance in Ohio State's first game against Marshall, in which he passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns, he continued his road to the Heisman against the Hurricanes.
Against the Canes, Pryor played extremely well, displaying pristine pocket presence and making plays. The 6'6" junior passed for 233 yards and a touchdown, while rushing 20 times for 113 yards and a touchdown.
In the past four weeks, Ohio State faced in-state rival Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Illinois and Indiana, and again, Pryor continued to shine.
On the season, Pryor has thrown for 1,349 yards, 15 touchdowns and has thrown just three interceptions. Furthermore, he has rushed 57 times for 354 yards, scoring another three touchdowns.
Pryor will be put to the test this weekend against No. 20-ranked Wisconsin this weekend as he hopes to continue his 2010 success.
Jake Locker: Washington Huskies
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After passing for 2,800 yards and 21 touchdowns last season, Washington quarterback Jake Locker decided to stay in school for another year, improving his draft stock for the NFL.
Locker looks and plays like an NFL-caliber quarterback, using his strong arm and feel for the game to create plays.
This season, Locker has already thrown five touchdowns and passed for 550 yards in his two games against BYU and Syracuse.
However, many believe his stock has significantly dropped when he had a terrible outing against Nebraska, one of the stronger defenses in the NCAA. In that game, Locker was a miserable 4-of-20 for just 75 yards, throwing a touchdown with two interceptions.
He followed that up by playing well against Pac-10 conference foe Southern California, going 24-of-40 for 310 yards with a touchdown, while rushing for over 100 yards.
On the season, Locker has passed for 1,145 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing 50 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns.
He faces Oregon State this weekend, and he needs a big game to stay in the Heisman talks.
Denard Robinson: Michigan Wolverines
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In 2009, Denard Robinson of Michigan only managed 188 yards, throwing two touchdowns and four interceptions while competing with Tate Forcier for the starting job.
This year has been a complete transformation. He has proven that he rightfully earned the starting quarterback job, gaining almost 1,000 yards of total offense in his first two games combined...more than nine of the Top 25-ranked teams in the country have managed as a whole.
Robinson destroyed Notre Dame, passing for 244 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 258 and two touchdowns.
Against UMass, Robinson combined for another 305 yards and three touchdowns.Then he faced Bowling Green, but Robinson injured his knee after completing his first four passes for 60 yards, while rushing five times for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
Two weeks ago, he continued to make not only headlines, but history, as he became the first player to ever rush and pass for over 200 yards in a game—twice.
However, Michigan suffered their first loss of the season against in-state rival Michigan State, and Robinson threw three interceptions.
On the season, Robinson has thrown for 1,223 yards, eight touchdowns and just four interceptions, while rushing 991 yards on just 119 carries, finding the end zone nine times.
Robinson is definitely the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, but he needs to make up for last week's dreadful outing against one of the top defenses in the nation, when the Wolverines take on Iowa.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Jacory Harris: Miami Hurricanes
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Jacory Harris and the Miami Hurricanes entered the season with high expectations. Harris was a favorite in the Heisman race, and the Canes were believed to have a shot at the National Championship.
After going 12-of-15 for 216 yards and three touchdowns in just one half of play against Florida A&M, Harris significantly dropped in the Heisman rankings last weekend.
Taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes, Harris completed 22 of 39 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown. Sounds pretty good, right?
Oops. Forgot to add the four interceptions.
But Harris rebounded against Pittsburgh, as he threw for 248 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Canes' 31-3 rout of the Panthers.
Against Clemson, he threw for 205 yards, but completed just 13 of his 33 attempts. He did manage to toss four touchdowns, but two costly interceptions kept the Tigers in the game a bit too long.
Last week may have killed Harris' chances at the Heisman, as the Canes were beaten down 45-17 by Florida State, a game in which Harris went 19-of-47 for 227 yards with an interception.
On the season, Harris has passed for 1,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
He may have a chance to put up some huge numbers against Duke, but he can't afford any more costly mistakes.
Ryan Mallett: Arkansas Razorbacks
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Ryan Mallett is huge at 6'6" and 238 pounds, and has been the best pocket passer in the entire NCAA thus far into the season.
When he went up against then No. 1-ranked Alabama, Mallett threw for 357 yards and a touchdown, but three costly interceptions cost the Razorbacks the game against the reigning National Champions.
Last weekend, Mallett shined again, tossing three touchdowns and continuing his streak of 300-plus yard games.
Throughout the season, Mallett has passed for 1,748 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. The Razorbacks face Auburn, who has their own Heisman candidate quarterback in Cameron Newton.
Andrew Luck: Stanford Cardinal
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Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has been highly touted as the premier passer in the NCAA, and looks to be the first quarterback taken off the board in April's draft.
Luck has led the Stanford Cardinal to a 5-1 record on the season, and he has passed for 1,538 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Luck played in one of the biggest games of his career against Oregon, but failed to come away with the win. He rebounded last week against Southern California, tossing three touchdowns and completing 80.3 percent of his passes in a tight 37-35 win.
Luck has the weekend off, and will face Washington State on October 26.
Kendall Hunter: Oklahoma State Cowboys
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With Alabama and West Virginia running backs Mark Ingram and Noel Devine generating most of the preseason hype, Kendall Hunter doesn't want to be forgotten.
The Oklahoma State senior has rushed for over 400 yards on just 49 carries, averaging 8.9 yards per carry, while scoring six touchdowns in his first two games.
With Ingram missing his first two games and now splitting carries with Trent Richardson, combined with Noel Devine's slow start, Kendall Hunter may be breaking away from the running backs on the Heisman Trophy watch.
Over the past few weeks, Hunter has continued his great running and has now gained 700 yards on 82 attempts, averaging an astonishing seven yards per carry, and scored nine touchdowns.
This week, the Cowboys take on Texas Tech.
Patrick Peterson: Louisiana State Tigers
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Here is Louisiana State cornerback Patrick Peterson posing in the Heisman stance. He may be the second defensive player to ever win the Heisman Trophy after former Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson.
Teams game-plan against Peterson, and don't throw it his way, which is mainly the reason for his 12 tackles on the season. He has two interceptions on the year.
He is a physically dominating cornerback at 6'1", 222 pounds, and simply dominates receivers at the line of scrimmage. He is always fearless in making open-field tackles.
Two weeks ago in the thrilling victory over Tennessee, Peterson made four tackles and shut down receivers. Last week against Florida, John Brantley didn't dare to look his way, and Peterson managed one tackle.
What may hurt his Heisman hopes is the fact that opposing offenses will opt to shy away from targeting him, leaving him with stats more deflated than what voters want to see.
Mark Ingram: Alabama Crimson Tide
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After Alabama's Mark Ingram missed the first two games of the season due to a knee surgery, and now splitting carries with Trent Richardson, another outstanding running back, many believed that Ingram wouldn't be in this year's Heisman contention.
But since he returned against Duke, Ingram has scored twice in each of the three games he appeared in. He has rushed for 355 yards on 45 attempts, scoring six touchdowns.
However, Alabama was shockingly upset by South Carolina, who held Ingram to 41 yards on 11 carries.
Ingram hopes to bounce back this week against Ole Miss, at home.
LaMichael James: Oregon Ducks
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After rushing for a career-high 257 yards and three touchdowns against the Stanford Cardinal two weeks ago, Oregon running back LaMichael James thrust himself into the Heisman talks.
Last week against a terrible Duke Blue Devils team, James had 25 carries for 136 yards and two touchdowns, while catching two passes for 84 yards and another touchdown.
On the season, James has carried the ball 114 times for 848 yards, scoring 10 times. James has electric speed and is always a home run threat, one to break a tackle and take it 80 yards to the house.
James gets a break this weekend, but takes on UCLA Thursday night.
Kellen Moore: Boise State Broncos
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Kellen Moore has had an outstanding season, keeping Boise State undefeated and in contention for their first shot at a BCS title.
Against Virginia Tech in the first game of the season, Moore led the Broncos to victory. Just last week against New Mexico State, he proved he didn't have to put up monster yardage to dominate, passing for 198 yards and three touchdowns.
Moore has led the Broncos offense to over 50 points in three games this year, including last week's rout of Toledo, in which he passed for 267 yards and three scores.
On the year, Moore has passed for 1,336 yards, 14 touchdowns and just one interception, and that should definitely continue this week against San Jose State.
Cameron Newton: Auburn Tigers
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Junior Cameron Newton is listed at 6'6" and 250 pounds—you'd think he should be playing linebacker. But the dual-threat quarterback has led the Auburn Tigers to a 6-0 record on the year, both with his arm and his legs.
On the year, Newton has passed for 1,138 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions, while rushing for 672 yards and nine touchdowns.
His solid build allows him to pummel his way through linebackers and safeties, while having the speed and agility to make defenders miss and find the end zone.
This week, Newton and the Tigers take on Ryan Mallett and the Arkansas Razorbacks in what will surely be a great game to watch.
Taylor Martinez: Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Redshirt freshman Taylor Martinez of the Nebraska Cornhuskers has come out of nowhere. He has led the 'Huskers to a surprising undefeated record in a very tough conference.
He hasn't had to pass much, throwing for just 660 yards and three touchdowns to three interceptions, but the youngster has made up for that with his legs.
Martinez has rushed for 737 yards on the year and scored 12 times thanks to his feet. Nebraska's read-option offense gives Martinez an opportunity to take one to the house on every single play.
The only question is whether he can get his passing numbers up to be that dual-threat quarterback Heisman voters like.
He will have a test this weekend as Nebraska takes on the Texas Longhorns at home.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
