Why Jeremiah Masoli Will Win the Heisman in 2009

Jeremiah Masoli.

That very name sparks hate and fear into the hearts and minds of Beaver fans everywhere. Masoli passed and ran around the hapless Beavers at will, making many opposing players look stupid.

He passed for 274 yards against the eighth-ranked defense in the nation. Three of his seventeen passes went for touchdowns, and he added another score on the ground.

Jeremiah Masoli.

A few short weeks ago that name sparked hate and disgust in the hearts and minds of many Duck fans. There were two games when Masoli failed to reach fifty yards passing; and one week he almost lost the game to lowly Stanford.

But many of the fans who too quickly chose to boo Masoli forget that he has only been in the system for a matter of months, and for some of those months he had a wrist injury and could not participate in fall camp.

The progress he has made in recent weeks has been otherworldly. As Head Coach Mike Bellotti puts it, "We had some flux at quarterback this year, but Jeremiah's development has been unbelievable. He is one of the reasons we're getting a chance to go to this bowl game."

Masoli, who has always been considered a run-first quarterback, is not as bad of a passer as people think.

He is currently the fourth-ranked passer in the Pac-10, and he leads the league in pass attempts per interception at 51.8. That number is six passes higher than Arizona's Tuitama.

He has thrown for 1486 yards and 12 touchdowns to only four interceptions. He has also ran for 612 yards and seven touchdowns.

If he continues to improve at his rapid rate, and his receivers upgrade the way they should next year, then we could see a Heisman Trophy and a National Championship in Eugene.