Look. I get it. – I don’t like it, but I get it.
Andrew Luck of Stanford will most probably win the Heisman Trophy in December as the “individual who deserves designation as the most outstanding college football player in the United States” for this current 2011 season. Luck fits the physical prototype of size and ability that is most favored by the NFL, he is currently having a very successful year quarterbacking prestigious and undefeated Stanford on the path for perhaps a place in the BCS championship game, and he’s doing it all in the face of top-flight competition as a longtime member of the highly regarded Pac 12 Conference.
If Luck wins, however, it will not be because he actually fulfilled the expressed intentionality of the Heisman award better than any other player in the United States or that no other player had a better statistical year on the collegiate Division 1 level. It will be because of his prior anointment by the media, the pro scouts, and NFL fans as the second coming of Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colt Consolation Prize for going 0-16 in 2011, and the next great Moses in some pro team’s future search for a Super Bowl title.
Fair enough, if that’s what the Heisman is now about, but that’s not what their formal language for describing the purpose of the trophy says it’s about. It says exactly what we quoted above. Repeat: The Heisman Trophy is intended for the “individual who deserves designation as the most outstanding college football player in the United States.” It doesn’t say anything about giving it to the player who comes from a prestigious school whose Greek God body and ability reminds everyone of the next great NFL QB.
A few years ago, the Heisman went to a fellow named Earl Campbell from UT and deservedly so. Earl didn’t win simply because he was from UT or the best pro prospect that practically everyone had ever seen. He won because he was best college football player in America by his on-the-field collegiate accomplishments.
On the heels of Campbell came another Texas Heisman winner, Andre Ware of UH, who also won for his collegiate accomplishments. Ware’s runner-up candidate was a young fellow named Emmett Smith from Florida, whose collegiate accomplishments were not nearly as strong as Ware’s, but whose professional upside was considerably greater, to put it mildly. Ware didn’t make it in the pros, but Smith, as we all know, went on to a NFL Hall of Fame career with the Dallas Cowboys.
My point is simple: Based upon the stated purpose of the Heisman Trophy award, Earl Campbell and Andre Ware both deserved to win the Heisman for their collegiate accomplishments. Now we have a situation this year in which the man who best deserves the award for his record-shattering collegiate accomplishments will likely not win because of the anointment of Andrew Luck as the top pick in the NFL draft – and not because his actual accomplishments on the field relative to those of Case Keenum of UH were even close to comparable.
I don’t expect all of you to agree with me, but there can be no argument with the results achieved by Case Keenum on the field. After last night’s 56-13 win over Alabama-Birmingham, Case Keenum now holds five major career offensive marks – and these are records that Andrew Luck does not even come close to matching. Forget that UH does not play the toughest schedule on the block. UH (we) would do so if the BCS hot-shot schools didn’t mostly see us as one of those “everything to lose and nothing to gain” scheduling choices. Thank goodness that schools like UCLA have the guts to give the Cougars a fair shot in combat, but that’s beside the point in this Heisman matter. The Heisman qualifier does not say anything about ruling players out who have achieved in the face of “lesser regarded” by reputation competition.
Case Keenum Finds Peace on Each Record Night.
Here’s the quick breakdown on Case Keenum’s career marks, with each record showing the name and numbers for the previous holder:
Case Keenum’s NCAA Football Records:
(1) Career Touchdown Passes: 141 (Graham Harrell, Texas Tech – 134)
(2) Total Yards Gained: 18,101 (Timmy Chang, Hawaii – 16,910)
(3) Career Touchdowns, Passing & Running: 163 (Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan – 150)
(4) 300+ Yard Games: 34 (Timmy Chang, Hawaii – 33)
(5) Passing Yards: 17,212 (Timmy Chang, Hawaii – 17,072)
If the New York Athletic Club decides to turn the tide and choose the candidate whose accomplishments best fit the requirements of the Heisman, they could do the trophy great honor by picking Case Keenum of the University of Houston. Case is a fine upstanding young man who should also enjoy a nice career in the NFL after this season, no matter what happens from here. Keenum’s head and value system are also on straight. He is a devout Christian gentleman who married his high school sweetheart this past summer. When you see this young couple together, they seem to have the word “always” written in the blue skies over their shoulders. I wouldn’t see there ever being a need to request a return of the Heisman from Case Keenum for any reason.
I’ll admit to some bias in my support of Case Keenum for the Heisman, but I really do think he objectively deserves it based upon his many great accomplishments. Andrew Luck is a good man too – and he will represent the Heisman honorably too, if he is chosen – and – as politics go, I think he will be the pick.
If Luck is chosen, however, I hope the selection committee will also change the language of their award requirements to match their real reasons for making a selection. If the Heisman is really about picking the next number 1 NFL draft choice, just say so – because there’s no way that either the productivity or character of Andrew Luck deserves the Heisman Trophy over Case Keenum.
Tags: Andrew Luck, Case Keenum, Heisman Trophy
The Pecan Park Eagle 
November 6, 2011 at 2:28 pm |
It would be GREAT if The New York Athletic Club invited
Case Keenum to New York as one of the four finalist. He
won’t win for all the reasons you mentioned, but he has
had one IMPRESSIVE year.
November 6, 2011 at 3:31 pm |
Luck was the early favorite and he hasn’t given voters any reason to back away from him. He’s undefeated and he’s beating the likes of USC, Oregon and Notre Dame instead of SW Louisiana, Alabama-Birmingham and Rice. His stats don’t compare to Keenum’s but folks will say the level of competition is much better.
I think Keenum deserves a trip to NYC but until Luck loses a game or unless he gets injured and can’t play, the Heisman is his to lose. That’s just the way the Heisman (some call it ‘Hypesman”) game is played.
Should it make you feel any better, the runner up often turns out to have the better pro career than the Heisman winner.
November 6, 2011 at 6:00 pm |
Today’s Austin American Statesman has a photo that speaks volumes about Keenum’s chances for any Heisman– he’s flashing the UT Hook’em Horn sign…no joke. UH has to get into a major conference before anyone there can win major awards. The Big East is deterioriating rapidly so it’s good UH balked before joining that group of small fry. Your best bet is looking west. Missouri and A&M are going to get hosed in the SEC. It they wanted out of the Big 12 to get away from UT and OU’s shadows, they are clueless as to how the SEC works. Alabama, Florida and LSU cast much bigger shadows than UT. In addition, Auburn, Mississippi, Tennessee and prehaps even Mississippi State and South Carolina are better schools athletically. The Ags and Tigers will be perennial doormats in ALL major sports. And how long does UH think it’s going to keep its head coach? He’ll get picked off during the bowl preparations this year. Keenum may get invited to NY, no small feat in itself, but he will not win. He’s no Colt McCoy, and McCoy lost.
November 6, 2011 at 7:38 pm |
Wayne:
Like most things in the subject area of UH vs. UT, we’ll simply have to agree to disagree on the subject of Case vs. Colt. I like Case as a collegian far better than Colt and I also like Keenum’s chances of having an NFL career that outshines McCoy’s. Whatever happens from here in reality is now in the Land of Que Sera, Sera.
As I said in the article, I will not be surprised at all if Andrew Luck wins the Heisman this year. I will be surprised if Case Keenum is not invited to the award program.
November 6, 2011 at 6:15 pm |
I agree with Wayne on these points. But I will add that I do think Case gets his deserved trip to new York.
Bill, I know your blood runs red…oh, I guess everyone’s does, but sheer yardage and completion numbers don’t come close to telling the tale of which player or team is better. I might not be UH’s fault, but their very much weaker schedule is not a perception, it’s a fact. Add to that a very up-tempo and pass friendly offense. If Andrew Luck wins, it is because he actually is the best player in college football in the eyes of the voters.
In the last ten years, we have had Heisman winners such as Eric Crouch, Jason White, and Troy Smith. Go back five more and you can add Chris Weinke and Danny Weurffel. That’s a pretty sizable sampling of big college seasons that never stood a prayer of being repeated in the NFL.
November 6, 2011 at 7:53 pm |
Mike:
Fair enough. Even I don’t think Case’s numbers alone are enough to earn him further consideration. I just look forward to the day when a UH super athlete is not penalized by denied honors due to the schedule we are forced to play. I can even accept Andrew Luck as the people’s choice as the best collegiate athlete in college football for 2011. I just don’t have to think that politics doesn’t have anything to do with the process – and some years maybe more so than others.
I think you understand this next point, but I’m not sure many other UT people do: We UH people are not going to crawl under a rock and disappear. Ever. We are going to keep on fighting until the political field is a little more level than it’s ever been in our lifetime.
As a collective force, we may be small, but we’ve got forever. And forever is a very, very long time.
November 6, 2011 at 9:43 pm |
Bill, I will always agree to disagree! The most important thing is you are a great advocate for your team, better than I am because I’m a teasip and we’re fickle. However, now that it looks like the young ones at UT are getting some experience and the Texans are doing much better I’m finally beginning to enjoy football again. From my end, I just hope UT doesn’t get cockroached by the Aggies and we can get into a decent bowl so the kids can get that ever crucial extra few weeks of practice. I think UT will be ready to challenged the cheaters from Oklahoma next year.
November 7, 2011 at 4:03 pm |
With signing only 4 and 5 star players every year, hard to understand why such a great program like UT has to play and use the apology of using so many youngsters.
By the way, UH is going to the Big East for the AQ. Plenty of good reaons why. One being not having to have any interference form the all pervasive orange shadow. And if you want to detract from Keenum’s stats, at least consider the BCS schools he has beaten more often than not.
And when he is gone, just remember the names of Piland, and then Grammer; the next in line to be shortchanged as the UH quarterback.
“Oh, what will UH do when Andre Ware is gone?”
November 7, 2011 at 10:27 pm |
I wouldn’t call it an “apology”. Like all programs, not all recruits pan out and injuries affect others, allowing them to extend their eligibility and hence playing time at the expense of others, a la Jordan Shipley. The Garrett Gilbert flop cost Case McCoy a year of development due to bad decisions by the coach staff, costing the offensive coordinator his job among other reasons. Youth movements occur, regardless of how consistent your recruiting is,unless you’re a program like OU that has no tegard ffor NCAA regulations.