Heisman Watch 2010: 10 Guys Who Could Take Votes Away From Cam Newton
The 2010 Heisman watch is winding down, as the race for the bronze statue enters the home stretch. As things stand right now, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is leading the race by a fairly wide margin, and with good reason.
The junior signal caller has racked up 48 total touchdowns (28 passing, 20 rushing) and 3,998 yards (2,589 passing, 1,409 rushing) on the year, and is the primary reason why Auburn is in the national championship game.
But while Newton is certainly the most dominant player in football, he's not going to win the Heisman in a shutout. In fact, there are 10 players who could potentially steal votes from him on many Heisman ballots.
Who are they? Read on to find out!
10. Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon Ducks
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Thomas is the brain behind Oregon's Blur offense; while it's head coach Chip Kelly's system, Thomas runs it to perfection.
He's racked up 3,006 total yards this season, and 33 total touchdowns, and with such a high-octane system—a player like Thomas should garner a few votes.
9. Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State Buckeyes
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Pryor's stats aren't as gaudy as some of the other players on this list; he's thrown for 2,551 yards and 25 touchdowns, while rushing for 639 yards and four more scores. He's been picked off 11 times, but that's a career low for him.
What the stats don't show is that Pryor is the heart and soul of the 11-1 Buckeyes. He is the key cog in their offense and a leader on the field.
He's got the name recognition to help snag some votes off the table.
8. Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma Sooners
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Broyles has been fantastic in 2010, racking up 1,452 yards and 13 touchdowns in 13 games in 2010. He's been held to under 100 receiving yards just four times this season, and under 50 yards all of once.
While the junior has certainly been excellent all season long, he hasn't quite been good enough to steal much of Newton's thunder, and he was somewhat of a non-factor in the Sooners' loss to Texas A&M, totalling just 59 yards receiving.
Still, expect Broyles to get some publicity in the Heisman race coming down the stretch.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada Wolfpack
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Kaepernick has been Cam Newton lite in 2010, racking up 2,830 yards and 20 touchdowns through the air, and 1,184 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. It was Kaepernick, the senior quarterback, who helped orchestrate the Wolfpack's upset of Boise State, and without him, you can be sure that Nevada would be nowhere near 11-1 in 2010.
Expect Kaepernick to get some more Heisman publicity before the race ends.
6. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State Cowboys
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It's been a good year to be a wide receiver in the state of Oklahoma, as both Oklahoma's Ryan Broyles and Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon have been superb.
Blackmon has been virtually unstoppable all season long for the Cowboys, totalling 1,665 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns on the year. He has yet to be held under 100 yards in a game in 2010, and he's scored in every contest, as well.
When you're that dominant, people tend to give you a nice, long look for the Heisman trophy.
5. Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas Razorbacks
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Mallett might have the best arm in college football right now, and he's putting it to good use in the Razorbacks' high-powered offensive system. He's bombed the ball all year long, and the big senior can punish even the staunchest of defenses.
Mallett has totalled 3,592 yards through the air this year, and racked up 30 touchdowns. He's the biggest reason the Hogs find themselves in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and for that, he'll garner some votes.
4. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State Broncos
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Has there been a better pure passer in college football than Kellen Moore this season? The lefty junior has been unreal in 2010, completing 71 percent of his passes.
He's thrown for 3,506 yards and 33 touchdowns despite playing shortened games in blowouts all season, and has been picked off just five times.
Sure, Boise State lost to Nevada. But Moore's been so good this season, it shouldn't matter.
3. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford Cardinal
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Luck has been downright unstoppable all season long for the Cardinal. He's racked up 3,051 passing yards, 438 rushing yards, and 31 total touchdowns (28 passing, 3 rushing) on the year, and has thrown just seven interceptions while completing 70 percent of his passes.
And, to top it all off, he's done it while lacking a proven run threat to take the pressure off of him offensively. If that's not enough to merit Heisman consideration, I don't know what is.
2. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan Wolverines
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Before Cam Newton hit the stratosphere, the Heisman favorite was Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. The dynamic quarterback has totalled 2,316 passing yards, 1,643 rushing yards, and 30 total touchdowns.
Without him, the Wolverines would have been in big trouble more often than they were in 2010, and given that Robinson was beating teams by himself—they might not have made a bowl game.
1. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon Ducks
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In 11 games this year, James has tallied 1,682 yards, and 21 touchdowns. He's averaging an obscenely good six yards per carry, and has proven himself to be the best rusher in college football this year.
He's the only player who poses a serious threat to Newton's campaign, and while he might not win, he should keep things a lot closer than many would think.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
