In this week’s NCAA Football action there weren’t big name matchups that are going to draw as much national 
recognition as most other weeks, but that doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be any prime time performers making their case for the Heisman Trophy. We call these studs our “Beasts of the Nation”.
So far this year Michigan Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson is a record setting machine and took the college football season by storm by leading the country with 885 total yards from scrimmage in his first two games. Shoelaces also known as ‘Nard Dog’ wasn’t quite as productive today against the FCS Massachusetts Minuteman, but who could expect him to continue averaging over 440 yards a game.
Nard Dog still looked solid and even experienced some help from his halfback Michael Shaw who had 126 yards and 3 TD’s. This was the first time this year another player was productive in the Michigan offense. The Nard Dog finished the game with 345 yards of total offense and 3 TD’s. His first pass of the game was thrown into double coverage and was picked off for his only turnover this season.
The Wolverines defense was pathetic and let Massachusetts have their way with them rumbling off 439 yards of total offense making the game much more interesting than it should have been. This could be Nard Dog’s biggest hurdle is not opposing defenses, but the Michigan defense, not stopping anybody. This could cause Michigan to lose some games that they should win and would ultimately cost him the Heisman down the road.
The other Big Ten super stud is Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback, Terrelle Pryor. Pryor had another solid outing against a feeble Ohio University squad, compiling 260 total yards of offense with 3 TD’s and two interceptions. Many have Pryor sitting in the driver’s seat for the Heisman because he is on one of the best teams in the country. The No. 2 Buckeyes are sure to rack up wins and his mistakes won’t cost him nearly as much as some of his closest competitors due to his strong supporting cast.
Former Michigan QB Ryan Mallett has led his new team the Arkansas Razorbacks to a 3-0 start with a thrilling TD pass with 15 seconds remaining to break the tie against the Georgia Bulldogs. Mallet finished the game with 380 yards and three TD’s. This year Mallett has thrown for a total of 1,081 yards and 9 touchdowns while only being intercepted twice. This win sets up Arkansas for a huge matchup next week against the defending champions and No. 1 team in the country, the Alabama Crimson Tide. If Mallett can pull off an upset in that one, he should become the favorite Heisman candidate at that point in the season.
No player in NCAAF Week 3 had more to gain or possibly lose then the Heisman favorite going into the season; Washington’s, Jake Locker. Locker is considered a strong potential No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft. He started his season off on the wrong foot with a loss to BYU, while throwing for 266 yards and only 1 touchdown. He bounced back in his second contest putting up Heisman friendly stats throwing for 289 yards and 4 TD’s. Then Nebraska came into town and he had his chance to spring a big upset and solidify his name in the Heisman discussion. Instead, Locker put up stats that will take you entirely off this list of “Beasts of the Nation”. Locker went a frightening 4-of-20 for 71 yards and two interceptions.
When it was over, Locker had two meaningless touchdowns in the game and Washington got thumped at home by Nebraska 56-21. Locker’s season won’t be getting any easier as the Huskies still have five ranked teams to play so don’t expect Locker to be in much more of the Heisman conversation.
The dark horse in this conversation that you might not have heard of is Kansas State halfback Daniel Thomas. He has led his wildcats to a 3-0 record, while averaging 184 yards a game in those contests and has scored 6 touchdowns this season. If Kansas State can hold up and win the Big 12 North, I believe he has an outside chance. They have a favorable schedule, so if they can find a way to beat the mighty Cornhuskers at home on October 7th expect a lot of analysis to hop on the Daniel Thomas bandwagon.
Three other names that will be in the discussion are Kellen Moore, Taylor Martinez, and Mark Ingram. Kellen Moore is playing on a top tier Boise State team in a league where they will not be challenged. He will deliver eye-popping numbers against inept opponents who will not challenge the Broncos.
If Boise St. beats Oregon St. next week, then you’ll be hearing a multitude of national championship and Heisman chatter for this WAC Conference School. Taylor Martinez proved he was the real deal this week with another strong performance against Washington. He now has 813 total yards and 9 total touchdowns. He needs to improve his passing skills but still has loads of talent around him and his Cornhuskers only play one game against a top 25 team.
The last person I cannot leave out after today’s performance is defending Heisman trophy winner Mark Ingram. After missing the first two games recovering from knee surgery he had 9 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He has a substantial gap to overcome to become a serious candidate but with Alabama’s weapons, he won’t need as many touches as most players to put up comparable numbers on the best team in the country.
Used with permission of the author.
Mateo Ferda is a Detroit-based sportswriter and contributor to Sports Climax.
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