Why Trent Richardson Deserves the Heisman over His Competitors

There are lots of reasons why Trent Richardson should win the Heisman Trophy.

Most are based just on his merit, and others are because of deficiencies in his competitors that others have overlooked.

This article will examine some of these reasons, and as always, there'll be room at the end of the slideshow for you to voice your agreement or disagreement, other reasons he should have won or other reasons why he shouldn't.

Understanding What the Heisman Trophy Stands for

The Mission of the Heisman Trophy is, according to its own website, this:

"

Heisman Trust Mission Statement

The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The Heisman Trophy Trust ensures the continuation and integrity of this award. The Trust, furthermore, has a charitable mission to support amateur athletics and to provide greater opportunities to the youth of our country. Our goal through these charitable endeavors is for the Heisman Trophy to symbolize the fostering of a sense of community responsibility and service to our youth, especially those disadvantaged or afflicted. All assets of the Trust beyond the expense of maintaining the annual presentation of the Heisman Memorial Trophy are reserved for such charitable causes. The Trustees, who all serve pro bono, are guided by a devotion to college football and are committed to community service and the valued tradition which the Trophy represents.

"

The words "best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity" describe Trent Richardson. 

He has never been suspended for disciplinary reasons, he makes good grades and pursues excellence in everything he does with a strong sense of integrity.

"Our goal through these charitable endeavors is for the Heisman Trophy to symbolize the fostering of a sense of community responsibility and service to our youth, especially those disadvantaged or afflicted."

Richardson has always sought to help his community with charitable endeavors. He's spoken to church groups, youth groups and more to press the message of responsibility.

He is a worthy ambassador for the Heisman Trophy.

Tyrann Mathieu, Only If the Excellence and Integrity Part Doesn't Bother You

If you can ignore that "excellence and integrity" part of the Heisman creed, then Mathieu could be your man.

But a leader he's not.

Not only did he partake in illegal drugs, which resulted in a one-game suspension this season, he did it with teammates.

That's not showing integrity or excellence, much less leadership.

When a player puts his own selfish urges ahead of his team, he's simply not Heisman worthy.

Richardson, More Yards After Contact Than Any Player

No player in football has shown to be as tough and both take and dish out so much punishment. Richardson has shown that he has that rare gift of great yards after contact. He's not an arm-tackle running back.

Richardson leads the nation in yards after contact.

Robert Griffin III Plays in a No Defense League

Robert Griffin III is a talented quarterback and shows a lot of integrity and purses excellence whenever he can.

He's a fine and decent man, but he plays quarterback in a league where every quarterback puts up insane numbers because none of the teams can play defense.

If he were that great a quarterback, he wouldn't have led his team to three losses, been taken to overtime by a Kansas team that won only two games and is one of the worst teams in the nation, or lost to a 6-6 team like Texas A&M.

And they didn't just lose to 6-6 Texas A&M, they were taken to the woodshed and beat senseless. They were doubled up.

They were doubled up again by Oklahoma State, but at least they were a Top 5 team.

Plain and simple, big numbers don't mean much if everyone in your league has them and you can't win a Heisman if you get trampled when the going gets tough and get doubled up because you were the one throwing interceptions.

Leadership isn't seeing your team lose three games because you threw interceptions in all three losses.

Heisman winners don't have their teams lose games because of mistakes they made.

Richardson hasn't made a mistake this season that cost his team a game. Griffin has.

Richardson Plays in the Toughest League and He's the Focal Point of the Defenses

Richardson has great numbers. The fact that he has them in the SEC makes them outstanding. The fact that he's gotten many of those yards with eight to nine men in the box in formations designed specifically to stop him, makes him Heisman worthy.

Nonconference teams have their worst games rushing against SEC teams.

Richardson is the best because he plays against the best.

Montee Ball? He Plays in the Big Ten, the Land of Soft Defenses

Montee Ball is a great young man. He has good numbers, but most running backs worth a darn have good numbers in the Big Ten.

Last year, when Alabama played co-champion of the Big Ten Michigan State, they could have run fifth-string running backs for big yardage.

In contrast, Michigan State's high-flying offense looked like a Jr. high school pick-up team against an SEC defense.

Plus, Ball has one of the best quarterbacks in the country to take the heat off him and keep teams from stacking the box as they do against Richardson.

Yes, Ball has more yards, but it's against Big Ten defenses.

Ball is the primary running back with the Badgers. He has 60 percent of all the plays the running backs have run.

Richardson is the primary running back with the Crimson Tide, but he has just 40 percent of all the plays the running backs have run.

Yet there is less than 200 yards difference.

Simply put, if Richardson has as many carries as Ball, he wins.

If he had run against the teams that Ball ran against, he would simply blow him away.

Andrew Luck? When the Going Got Tough, He Didn't Get Going

With the season on the line, Luck couldn't beat Oregon and averaged barely over six yards a throw in a game that really mattered for his team, and he was picked off twice.

He couldn't do what USC did to the Ducks the following week. That poor performance and those picks, all on a national stage, really cost him.

That was just two of the nine picks he offered up to opposing teams during the year.

No Heisman winner has thrown away that many in a Heisman-winning year.

All that Heisman talk just started fading away late in the season.

Mistake-Free Play, on and off the Field

On the field and off, Richardson has had a mistake-free season.

He's had no off-the-field drama, suspensions or problems. He's posted wonderful grades and is a leader on and off the field for his teammates.

On the field, unlike all his competitors, he's simply made no mistakes this season.

Richardson has lost only one fumble in 614 career touches and hasn't had a fumble since the sixth game of his freshman season, a span of 550 touches.

That's like a quarterback going two years without an interception, like a cornerback going two years without ever getting beat for a touchdown.

It's just a crazy stat that many are overlooking.

What Could Cost Him Votes and Ultimately, the Heisman

First Ingram, then Newton, will voters vote a third consecutive player from Alabama the Heisman winner?

There is bias in the voting pool and some may not want to see the Heisman become centered in the state of Alabama.

There may also be backlash from some who felt Alabama shouldn't be allowed a rematch in the BCS National Championship Game.

In all, there are a lot of reasons, many not based on sound reasoning or fairness, that could hurt Richardson.

Lastly, When It Comes to Head-to-Head, Richardson Wins out

There has been only one head-to-head meeting between Richardson and any of the Heisman candidates, and that candidate didn't fare well.

When Mathieu and Richardson met, Richardson simply knocked him down as if he were a toddling child.

Watch the video and enjoy.

(Larry Burton is a syndicated writer whose work appears online and in print. If you'd like to keep up with all his articles, follow him on Twitter and sign up as a fan on his profile page.)