Johnny Manziel was a deserving winner in 2012.
Congratulations again to Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M. He was the most exciting player of 2012 college football season and his numbers and accomplishments against some of the best teams in the country, notably Alabama, speak loudly for the fact that he owned every heavy ounce of that massive Heisman Trophy. His signature moment probably will aways be that the snap he fumbled in the air near the Alabama goal that he promptly recovered in flight on a short roll to the left and then zipped quickly over the middle as a pass into the end zone for a killer-breath touchdown, dagger-in-the-heart style.
My only point here is that it could have been Coach Kevin Sumlin’s second Heisman Trophy player in a row, if the award were neutral to where a player spent his college career and about statistics alone. But. That’s not the way this worm turns.
Last year at Houston, with Kevin Sumlin and assistant coach Kliff Kingsbury also coaching him in the same “hurry-up” offense, UH QB Case Keenum practically destroyed every college record that remained in the 2011 year, finishing his personal career with an amazing 20,114 yards total offense and, incredibly for inclusion in one sentence, a whopping count of 178 passing/rushing touchdowns.
So, what was Case Keenum’s reward?
Keenum got written off as a “system quarterback,” not even receiving an invitation to the New York Heisman dinner. And, who knows, maybe Robert Griffin III of Baylor, the 2011 winner, was the actual most deserving winner for his less gaudy stats, but more athletic accomplishments against some of the more glamorous teams of the Big 12.
My point is simple: Keenum had less chance of winning because he played for The University of Houston, leading them in 2011 to a not-too-shabby 13-1 record against a schedule that only included UCLA as a college blue blood team and a psychologically wobbly bowl foe that was Penn State. – Bottom Line: It matters what you do, when it comes to winning the Heisman, but it matters more where you play and who you play against.
When Andre Ware of UH won the Heisman in 1989, the Cougars were members of the Southwest Conference, playing schools like Texas, Texas A&M, and Arkansas on a regular basis. – From 2007-2011, Case Keenum of UH mainly had to do his thing against schools like Marshall, Tulane, and East Carolina. It doesn’t quite carry the same solid gold ring as before, when the Cougars belonged to the Southwest Conference.
Give the Cougars credit. They played well enough in 2011 to showcase Kevin Sumlin, the coach that Texas A&M needed to make the successful transition from the Big 12 to the SEC, and, along the way, uncovering Johnny Manziel as the “Johnny Football” guy he will now always be.
Statistically, both Keenum of UH and Manziel of AM were/are both system quarterbacks. In his 2012 Heisman year, Johnny Manziel set an SEC record for total yards with 4600, while passing and running for a total of 43 touchdowns. – All Case Keenum did in his 2011 senior year was pile up a total yardage figure of 5,666 yards and a total of 51 passing/rushing touchdowns.
As I said, what other conclusion is there? As for the Heisman, it isn’t so much what you do, but who you are playing for when you do it, and who you do it against, and how bright the TV lights of national attention are when you do it.
Congratulations one more time to Johnny Manziel in 2012, but congratulations also extend to Case Keenum, Coach Sumlin’s forgotten man from 2011. Both of you guys are stellar performers and proud sons of the great State of Texas. You just played your football for the same coach under (for now) differently burning lights.
Most of you know that I am lifelong diehard UH Cougar alum and that I cannot make any great claim for total objectivity in the area of college sports. Most of you who know me better also know that I still try to be fair and give credit where credit is due.
I wasn’t happy when Kevin Sumlin left UH last year, but I have to give him credit for the fine job he’s done at Texas A&M this big first season for the Aggies in the SEC. I also like the kid they call Johnny Football and am very happy that he took the Heisman. I just couldn’t help but notice that Manziel was not discounted in 2012 for some of the same “system QB” charges that destroyed the Heisman chances of Case Keenum at UH in 2011 when he was playing for the same coach, Kevin Sumlin.
UH will get back to where we belong among the respected athletic programs of this country. Even as I write these words, we are on our way to a better day. “In Time,” our university motto, we’ll get there.
The Pecan Park Eagle 
December 9, 2012 at 2:12 pm |
I was making the same point last night about Keenum getting little respect last year due to being a gimmick offense QB – no it was because it was in Conf USA and at UH.
December 9, 2012 at 2:20 pm |
That’s right, minor conferences, minor rewards and little respect. I don’t know who recruited Keenum but if he chose UH over a major school, it was his choice. I thought this was a very weak year for Heisman candidates, perhaps they should take a flyer when the field is so weak. Of the 3, Manziel certainly was the reasonable choice. Why they even bothered to invite Klein was beyond me when they decided to embarrass him with the vote totals. That was uncalled for. Also, take some comfort in how “aggie” Sumlin looked smacking on his bubble gum at the Heisman awards. Good grief, thanks for contributing to the Texas classy image.
December 9, 2012 at 10:59 pm |
Bill, you’re 100 percent right about this situation. The University of Houston gets no respect, and it’s a travesty that the state legislature lets this get by them.