College Football: FIU WR T.Y. Hilton Has a Chance to Shine for Heisman Respect

It was just a week ago when the Baylor Bears and quarterback Robert Griffin were about to take the field and play the heavily favored TCU Horned Frogs.

For many, it was the first time they had a real chance to see the quarterback in action. Only a handful who had seen him previously thought he had a chance to be the dark horse for the Heisman Trophy.

After a 50-48 upset, 359 passing yards and five touchdown passes later, Griffin's name is buzzing around the whole college football landscape. The handful that thought he had a chance to win the Heisman, has now turned into thousands, and many eyes will be on him and the Bears for the rest of the season.

We fast-forward a week later and the FIU Panthers are going to take on the favored Louisville Cardinals Friday night on ESPN. This will be one of the few times a national audience gets the chance to see the Panthers play. 

Much like the Bears, the Panthers have a great player as well, that few have seen play believe he can also win the Heisman. 

His name is T.Y. Hilton and he is a senior wide receiver for the defending Sun Belt conference champions.

Hilton is not just the most exciting player on his team but the most electrifying player in the entire Sun Belt conference. Over his three-year career he has 2,493 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns. Those numbers may not be that impressive but take into account he plays for a team that runs the ball every chance they get. The Panthers run the ball at least double the amount of times they pass.

He holds pretty much every FIU receiving record and is the first player in the program to catch a touchdown, rush for a touchdown, pass a touchdown and return a kick and punt for a touchdown in the same season. He does everything for the school.

He is also the main reason the Panthers won their first bowl game ever last year. It was his hook and lateral play on 4th-and-17 that kept the drive alive and eventually led to a victory.

Already this season Hilton has seven receptions for 132 receiving yards which is good for 18th in the country, and one receiving touchdown. He also has two rushing attempts for 49 yards.

It appears he is off to another great season and the people that have seen him play, believe he should have an opportunity to win the Heisman Trophy.

Maybe Hilton can have the college football world talking about him as well, after an upset on a Friday night.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]