2011 Heisman Trophy Winner: Robert Griffin III

Well, was there any doubt with Robert Griffin winning your Heisman?

Robert Griffin III had a sensational season, and it was filled with a boatload of Heisman moments.

Whether it was the come-from-behind victory over Kansas, his thrilling victories over TCU or Oklahoma, or perhaps the knockout punch victory over the Longhorns, RGIII was the most deserving to win the Heisman.

However, he did not win it going away because Griffin III only had 280 more points over Andrew Luck, who finished runner-up for the second consecutive season.

Trent Richardson finished third with 978 total points (138 first-place votes), which may come to a surprise for some who though the "The Freak" was going to win it.

Montee Ball finished fourth with 348 total points whereas Tyrann Mathieu finished fifth with 327 total points. Matt Barkley, Case Keenum and Kellen Moore rounded out the top eight despite not getting invited (only top four or five normally do).

Looking at the rest of the invitees there was not a better selection because of how amazing RGIII played when it mattered most. He had several nationally televised games and he had virtuoso performances in all three opportunities against TCU, Oklahoma and Texas.

Most invitees do not even get the chance to have the moment to ultimately hoist that 25-pound Heisman Trophy. Plus, Waco, TX is not known for college football but Griffin and his Bears were the talk of college football for many weekends because of how explosive and entertaining they have become.

Art Briles has transcended this program into legit threats in the Big 12, but Griffin has accomplished a lot since overcoming a torn ACL in his sophomore season.

We see many players in college football fail to be able to overcome such adversity because not many ever get the opportunity to even shine on the national stage and many questioned if Baylor and Griffin had the moxie to become relevant.

Many thought the “most outstanding player” was Andrew Luck, but he didn’t play his best when it mattered the most, in fact he played some of his worst when it was all on the line.

Most of that has to do with the injuries and the inability of the Stanford defense to allow Luck to have chances to showcase his talents, but give credit to a Baylor Bears defense that played some of its best football in those games against TCU, Oklahoma and Texas.

To win the Heisman one needs so much to bounce their way every single weekend because this is the ultimate team game. If ten guys do something the right way it may end up being irrelevant if one player does not do his job.

Griffin III was a leader for a Bears team that was coming off a beatdown in the Texas Bowl to Illinois last season. Many questioned if their offense was ever going to be able to reach their full capability and boy did they ever this season.

The Bears were sixth in scoring (43.5 PPG), fifth in passing offense (356 YPG) and second in total offense (571 YPG).

Griffin was not the only invitee though and I thought ESPN did a solid job albeit a few minor audio and touch-screen issues.

It was enjoyable to see Tom Rinaldi interview Trent Richardson and Tyrann Mathieu because they both poked some fun at their coaches who sat next to each other. Obviously, every invitee sat directly in front of their own coaches but it is always hilarious when players show they are human just like all of us who are watching.

Montee Ball was thrilled just to be there, as was every invitee, but it should not go without saying that Mr. Ball was contemplating switching to linebacker two seasons ago since he was hardly seeing the field.

He kept fighting and put on one of the most magical seasons a running back can ever endure. 38 total touchdowns and counting for Montee Ball is something we should never forget. He very well could pass Barry Sanders total touchdown record in the Rose Bowl, but it has been a treat to follow a great collegiate player, and most importantly a great person.

Andrew Luck of course finished second in consecutive seasons and some of your average fans may seem confused as to why he did not win the award since he is the likely top pick in April’s NFL Draft.

However, this award is given to the most “outstanding player” for the 2011 season and although Luck has easily had the best career among these invitees at this point in time, Robert Griffin is the superstar who was most outstanding.

Lastly, his speech was essentially perfect. Of course he enjoys playing with Spiderman and X-Man toy figures on top of wearing funny socks (Superman cape was hilarious), RGIII truly spoke words filled with appreciation and gratefulness. He kept his cool throughout his speech without breaking down (nothing wrong with that) or stuttering and his humble attitude and calmness in his speech completely copied his on-field play.

Congratulations to Robert Griffin III on winning the 77th Heisman Trophy!

Final Votes

Robert Griffin- 405 1st Place Votes, 1,687 Total Votes

Andrew Luck- 247 1st Place Votes, 1,407 Total Votes

Trent Richardson- 138 1st Place Votes, 978 Total Votes

Montee Ball- 22 1st Place Votes, 348 Total Votes

Tyrann Mathieu- 34 1st Place Votes, 327 Total Votes

Matt Barkley- 11 1st Place Votes, 153 Total Votes

Case Keenum- 10 1st Place Votes, 123 Total Votes

Kellen Moore- 6 1st Place Votes, 90 Total Votes

Note: RGIII defeated Trent Richardson in the South 303 to 266. Luck won the Far West 315 to 220 over RGIII. RGIII also won the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic over Luck, but it was the South that secured the Heisman for Griffin III (303 points), who beat out Richardson (256) and Luck (182).