Heisman Trophy Winner Robert Griffin III: Breaking Down How He Won It

Robert Griffin III became the first player from Baylor ever to win the Heisman Trophy, and he did it with a great season from beginning to end.

Before the 2011 season began, Griffin was not a household name. He had a solid season a year ago, but few thought he was capable of making this type of an improvement.

Bodog, an online betting site, rated him behind 10 other college players who they thought was more likely to win the Heisman.

That all changed after the first game of the season. Baylor had a non-conference matchup against TCU to start the year on a Friday night on ESPN, and it was the perfect opportunity for Griffin to showcase his talents.

TCU came into the game as the No. 14 team in the country, but Baylor upset the Horned Frogs 50-48 behind 359 passing yards and five touchdowns by Robert Griffin.

The junior had emerged into the discussion for the most coveted award in college football.

As the season progressed, his hype started to fade as Baylor struggled. Road losses to Kansas State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State put the Bears at 4-3 on the year. Players do not win Heismans when their team is hovering around .500.

Griffin's profile did not regain strength until late in the season, after a November game against No. 5 Oklahoma.

Baylor had never defeated Oklahoma in its history, but in a 38-38 game with 51 seconds left, Robert Griffin III took the ball and drove down the field. He connected with Terrance Williams in the end zone with eight seconds left to win the game.

Analysts always look for a "Heisman Moment." That was Griffin's. 

The quarterback propelled himself towards the top of the list with an outstanding performance against one of the best teams in the country.

He threw for 479 yards with four touchdowns. His 551 total yards accounted for 89 percent of the team's total offense.

The Oklahoma win put Griffin in the spotlight, but there were still some doubters. However, the lack of a Big 12 Championship Game worked in his favor, as Baylor was able to play on the last week of the season.

While Andrew Luck and Trent Richardson were home watching, Griffin had one more chance to show voters what he can do against Texas, which has arguably the best defense in the Big 12. 

All he did was throw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, and then add two more rushing touchdowns to his season statistics as his team won 48-24.

This game probably sealed the Heisman Trophy for the young quarterback, but he earned it thanks to an entire season of great play.

Robert Griffin threw for almost 4,000 yards with 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He ran for 644 yards and nine touchdowns. His completion percentage was an outstanding 72.4 percent. And he led the nation with a quarterback efficiency of 192.3.

In almost every measure, Robert Griffin III was the best player in college football. He did not only receive the most votes from his home in the southwest, but in every region except for the far west.

Even among this great group of candidates, the voters made the correct choice for the 2011 Heisman Trophy.