Trent Richardson: 5 Reasons Why the Alabama RB Should Win the Heisman

It's surely to be slated as a down-to-the-wire Heisman race. That being said, Alabama's Trent Richardson is just as deserving as anyone else in the land.

He's arguably better than former Tide RB Mark Ingram and has been the lone focal point of Alabama's offense. Then again, why wouldn't he be the focal point of their offense?

That being said, here are five reasons why Richardson should join Ingram in The Heisman Trophy club.

Opposing Defenses

Let's put all the records and overall strength of schedule aside and focus strictly on the defenses that had to prepare for Richardson.

A team can be bad or average but still have a great defense. To that end, six defenses that Richardson went up against in 2011 finished the season ranked inside the Top 30 in total defense.

Obviously LSU is in that list (No. 2) and Florida (No. 9). However, there are other defenses that Richardson went up against who were literally that damn good, but Trent was just that much better, period.

Penn State comes in at No. 10 in total defense, not to mention Alabama played that game in Happy Valley. One team that may surprise most though are the Vanderbilt Commodores. Vandy finished ranked No. 19 in overall defense and are bowl eligible. Yes, Vandy is legit but still shocking nonetheless.

In addition, we have Tennessee (No. 28) and Kent State (No. 21). Obviously the strength of schedule applies here with the Golden Flashes, but the fact that they're one of the better non-BCS schools at defense warrants some credibility.

Crimson Tide Offense

Let's be honest: If you take Richardson out of the Alabama offense, are they really an explosive bunch? To some extent, yes, because QB AJ McCarron is good at buying time with his feet when needed as well as scrambling.

Also, WR Marquis Maze is a solid target to rely on and fellow RB Eddie Lacy is no slouch, not to mention the offensive line are nothing but beasts in the trenches. All that said however, this offense revolves around Trent Richardson.

His ability to break tackles, get yards after contact, hit the hole quickly, and read defenses is what makes him so great, and that's where the numbers come from. And because of those tangible and intangibles, everyone else gets better.

Defenses stack the box and still can't stop him, but it's really their only hope. That not only sets up for play-action pass, but it puts guys like Maze in single coverage situations.

Take Richardson out of this equation and Alabama doesn't have a great two-back tandem, defenses play a zone-blitz scheme to pressure McCarron and double-cover Maze and the Tide isn't as successful. Now, Lacy still has to develop in the backfield but right now, Trent's carrying the Alabama RB torch and he is the reason for their success.

Versatility

We know Richardson is a stud RB.

But it's his dynamic attributes that make him a great football player. Obviously as a RB that's his first responsibility, to pound the rock and blast through defenses.

However, he also is a reliable receiving target as Richardson has gained 327 yards on 27 receptions, including three TDs, all of which are No. 2 on the team.

Last season Richardson caught 23 passes for 266 yards and scored four TDs, so the increased production excluding the ground game was bound to happen.

And if you're AJ McCarron, how nice is it knowing that Richardson can pass block? Every RB must know how to do this and do it well, otherwise you don't see the field.

Plus, how many defenses are going to blitz knowing that Richardson can pass block quite well? Very few since the defense would be wasting a defender on a blitz who won't get any pressure as opposed to leaving him in coverage.

But as long as McCarron has time, he's good enough to make something happen. Then again, it's only because Richardson's presence negated the defense from getting pressure.

Consistency

On the year Trent Richardson has just under 1,500 rush yards and he's scored 23 total TDs.

The thing is, it's not like he went over 200-plus yards three or four times and then struggled to reach 50 yards. Any RB who does that is vehemently inconsistent and that shows nothing about their long-term potential or ability to show up in big games.

As for Richardson, he went over 200 rushing yards one time this season (Auburn, 203) and was only held to under 100 three times (Kent State, Tennessee, LSU). Now, obviously the Kent State game is basically obsolete because he has 37 yards and three TDs.

In other words, had he played the whole game, he would have crushed them. But, Tennessee and LSU's defenses are no cakewalks and the Vols were actually tied with The Tide 6-6 at halftime. Still, Richardson hit 77 yards there and 89 against LSU.

Looking at the body of work and his level of consistency per game, the rushing average comes out to 132 yards per game. Considering that he basically is the Alabama offense, that's really, really good.

Yards After Contact

In an article on ESPN's Stats and Info blog, Trent Richardson has been one of the most difficult RBs to tackle in quite some time:

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"What made Richardson so good this season was that he was tough to tackle. Nearly half of his rushing yards (767 of 1,583) came after contact. He broke for at least 10 yards at a rate of nearly once every six runs."

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That number is insane for anyone who can picture Richardson being hit at the line of scrimmage virtually every play. Sure his offensive line is good, but they can only block so many guys. And even when defenses are stacking the box against him, Richardson still dominates.

Now take these numbers into account for not only being the SEC, but his average yards per carry was 6.0. Anytime a RB can get you six yards a pop with eight defenders in the box, he is carrying that offense.

Additionally, this basically means that once he gets to the second level, LBs and DBs have no shot at slowing him down for another five-to-10 yards. One word: Unreal.

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