Cam Newton Is Super Nice but He's No Vince Young

Heisman trophy winner Cam Newton is a lot of things, but Vince Young he is not. With Auburn’s win over Oregon, Newton joined Young in a group of underclassmen quarterbacks that have won a national championship. Most college football fans would agree that Newton was the most exciting player in college football this year, but in the game that counted most, he was almost the goat.

Newton took a backseat to running back Michael Dyer and a stellar performance by Nick Fairley and the Auburn defense. Last night was college football’s version of Monday Night Football. Averaging just 2.9 yards per carry, Newton had his worst rushing game statistically outside of his game against Alabama, in which he rushed for an average of 1.8 yards per carry.

With 5:05 left in the fourth quarter and the Tigers leading by eight points, Newton led his team onto the field with hopes of running out the clock. On the second play of the 11-second drive, Newton coughed up the football. Oregon then converted the turnover into eight points to tie the game. The Tigers used the final two and a half minutes to drive down to the Oregon 1-yard line and kick a field goal to win the title as time expired.

Where Cam was clumsy, Vince was dominant. Young faced a 12 point deficit with 6:42 left in the 2006 National Championship and went on to lead Texas to a last second victory. In that game, Young averaged 10.5 yards per carry on 19 carries for an amazing 200 yards. Both Young and Newton passed for 265 yards, although unlike Newton, Young did not throw an interception or overthrow wide open receivers. He played mistake free football on the biggest stage.

If Oregon could have found a way to stop Michael Dyer on the final drive and win with a late score, Newton would have taken a beating from the national media for his untimely fumble. Had Vince Young not scored in the final seconds against USC, he would have still been praised for his record-breaking performance. At no point in the game
on Monday night did it feel like Newton was the dominant player that earned the Heisman Trophy.

Even with a year of eligibility left most think Newton will declare for the NFL draft. The majority of scouts view Newton as a project who would not likely get drafted until after the first round. Vince Young also declared for the draft after winning a title in his junior season and was selected with the third overall pick. Young is remembered as one of the greatest college football quarterbacks of all time with a 30-2 record as a starter and two Rose Bowl victories, including one national championship. If Cam Newton does not play another college football game, he will be remembered as an exciting quarterback on a
great team.

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