Four Heisman Worthy Players That Were Not Invited to New York

As college football begins the process of wrapping up, and another year comes to an end, there are two things that college football enthusiasts  look forward to … bowl games and end of the year awards. Of these awards, none is more prestigious than The Heisman. [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] 

Wikipedia’s definition of  The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or the Heisman), is “An award given annually to the most outstanding player in college football in the United States whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”

If it sounds prestigious, it’s because it is.

While there may be a handful of deserving players, not everyone can win The Heisman. In terms of who is the most deserving, there is usually little room for debate. College football has a way of making the decision for us and the winner is, in most cases, the obvious choice.

The unfortunate truth is that only a few players are even invited to New York (where they Heisman Trophy Ceremony takes place). This leaves many to speculate about the names left off the invite list. The Bleacher Report’s Amy Daughters comes up with a compelling argument for at least four Heisman worthy players who will not get a crack at this year’s trophy.

 

Ka’Deem Carey, RB, Arizona

In only 11 games in 2013, Carey managed to rush for 1,716 yards and 17 touchdowns on 322 carries. This makes him the No. 2 rusher in the FBS in yards per game.

In total yards Carey finished 140 yards ahead of Auburn’s Mason and 386 yards behind Boston College’s Williams. Only, he did it in two fewer games than Mason and one fewer than Williams.

His 17 rushing touchdowns ties Williams and comes in five short of Mason’s 22.

Notably, Carey is the only back out of the three to have rushed for 100 yards or more in every game he participated in. Williams went under the 100-yard mark three times in 2013, while Mason had five games where he didn’t gain 100 yards.

The other selling point for Carey is that he posted his numbers against four ranked teams while Williams faced two. Mason, on the other hand, squared off with six ranked opponents.

 

Derek Carr, Fresno State

The No. 1 quarterback in the FBS in yards, yards per game and touchdown passes, Derek Carr is a glaring omission from the long list of Heisman finalists.

Especially given that Jordan Lynch—another non-AQ quarterback—got the nod.

Not only has Carr thrown for more yards and touchdowns than the four quarterback finalists, he has the highest completion percentage with 70.1.

That’s better than Lynch’s 63.1 percent, better than McCarron’s 67.6 percent, better than Winston’s 67.9 percent and better than Manziel’s 69.1 percent.

And oh yeah, Carr did play for a team that went 11-1, including a conference championship.

 

Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt

Given that a defense is required to field a football team and win games, it makes sense to invite at least one guy to the Heisman ceremony who doesn’t play offense.

Even if he’s not going to win.

The top defender in 2013 is Aaron Donald who, according to ESPN’s Andrea Adelson, has already won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given to the best defensive player in the nation.

Donald’s resume as a senior includes 41 solo tackles, 26.5 tackles for a loss (No. 1 in the FBS), 10 sacks (No. 13 in the FBS), two broken-up passes, 16 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles (No. 8 in the FBS) and one blocked kick.

 

Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor

Here’s the thing: Bryce Petty is a whole lot more than just the next guy in a long line of quarterbacks lighting up the scoreboard in Art Briles’ fruitful offense.

First up, Petty is the No. 2-ranked quarterback in the nation in passer rating. His 179.19 is second to only Winston at 190.06.

It trumps Lynch’s 140.84 (No. 41), McCarron’s 165.88 (No. 8) and Manziel’s 170.43 (No. 3).

Next, did you know that Petty rushed for 192 yards and 11 touchdowns this season? Compare that to Winston’s 193 yards and four scores or McCarron’s 21 yards and zero touchdowns.

Though his numbers don’t come close to Lynch’s or Manziel’s in rushing yards, his 11 scores are better than Johnny Football’s eight touchdowns.

What’s most impressive about Petty is that he’s thrown only two interceptions all season.

Given his 356 attempts, that means he’s thrown only one pick per 178 tries. Compare this to Manziel who’s thrown an interception once in every 30 attempts, Winston with 1-in-35, Lynch with 1-in-53 and McCarron with one pick in every 61 tries.

 

Is there anyone that you feel was left off the “possible Heisman winner” list? Sound off below.

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