Gerhart for the Heisman…really?
First, I love everything Toby Gerhart stands for. Good player, good student, good guy. But the Heisman? Seriously? Is everyone just looking at total yards and total touchdowns wetting their pants or something? He’s got amazing total yards. But you get that if I hand you the ball 1,000 times you’re probably going to get a ton of yards and TDs too, right?
Gerhart got 311 carries this year. I want to put that into perspective for you. The top 100 rushers in the nation averaged 181 carries during the season. Gerhart got 130 more carries than the average back this year…72% more carries. Even with that, he ended up second in total yards gained. Ryan Matthews of Fresno State took almost five fewer rushes per game and still ended up with a higher per game average.
How?
Gerhart is exactly 31st in the country in yards per carry. 30 players in the top 100 in rushing, including the quarterback and two running backs from Nevada, Joe McKnight from USC, Jeff Demps from Florida, Noel Devine from West Virginia and Dion Lewis from Pitt averaged more yards per carry than Gerhart. 13 players would have broken 2,000 yards had they kept their current averages and gotten the number of carries Gerhart got, including Mark Ingram. (Continued below the graphic)
I hear it now – “So, his team leaned on him. He was their “go to guy”. That makes him their MVP.” I agree – their MVP. If we’re going to discuss a player as MVP of the nation, shouldn’t his team lean on him AND they have significant success? I don’t mean an undefeated season, but success.
The Cardinals put many of their total plays in his hands. It also led them to be 8-4. Four losses to teams who themselves lost 17 games. Held to 82 yards in a loss to 5-7 Wake Forest and their 81st ranked rush defense. MVP of the nation?
Yeah, yeah, but you saw him against Notre Dame and he looked unstoppable. I agree. 7.1 yards per carry is amazing, until you remember that Notre Dame has the 89th ranked rush defense in the nation and that Navy had three backs average more per carry against them, including Vince Murray who averaged 11.3 YPC over 14 carries.
EDIT: Based on a couple of e-mails I went back and checked his YPC in the PAC 10. Getting the argument that the YPC number is skewed because the PAC10 is so good this year. We’ll see about that in the bowl games, but I hear the argument. Took the top 30 rushers in the conference according to the NCAA. Gerhart is 10th in yards/carry…behind his own quarterback. Again, MVP of the nation?
Dec 02, 2009
I won't argue that Gerhart's yards per carry are lower than those of a number of running backs out there. BUT this is his ONLY real flaw that I can see — including in his character for you Tebow fans — and I have been looking for more. He is the most outstanding candidate in a Heisman race in which no one player is far and away better than the others. Plus, Gerhart built himself up from nothing; from no hype and playing on a middle-of-the-Pac-10 west coast team to playing his heart out and convincing the nation that he deserves to at least be a front-runner for this award.
Compared to other candidates: McCoy is in second. He's had a great second half of the season, but his first half was questionable. And he's played "cupcake" opponents, as many have put it (whereas Gerhart averaged 200.3 yards against ranked opponents and played in a Pac-10 season in which 7/10 teams made it into the Top 25). Tebow is a great player and I might put him third, but he simply hasn't had a Heisman season and is in decline from his last two. Mark Ingram is out because (1) he is not consistent like Gerhart has been — see his 30 yards vs. Auburn's #53 defense, and (2) the ONLY thing he has on Toby is yards per carry — Toby's 26 touchdowns to Ingram's 12 is one example of this.
Dec 02, 2009
Here's my follow up as the why Toby should win (shows all of his strengths that more than make up for his one slight problem with yards per carry:
Why Toby Gerhart should win the Heisman this year:
-1736 yards has him leading the nation in rushing yards by a good bit
-26 rushing touchdowns to lead the nation and set a Pac-10 rushing touchdown record (think of all the other great running backs and Heisman winners he is beating for this record)
-1 THROWN touchdown makes that 27 total this season
-144.7 yards per game on average
-200.3 yards per game vs. Top 25 ranked teams (let’s see Mark Ingram and his 30 yards vs. Auburn’s #53 defense do that!)
-223 yards against #8 ranked Oregon
-three 200-yard games this season
-10 (TEN!) 100+ yard games this season
-he did this on an arguably “average” Stanford team, which suggests that most of it is due to his own talent and unbeatable determination
-faced harder opponents than McCoy or Ingram faced (and certainly harder than Kellen Moore faced) and played better
-why his opponents were harder: SEVEN Pac-10 teams were Top 25 ranked this year
-was consistent all season, unlike McCoy who faltered during the first half of the season
-ridiculously powerful and strong, but also quite agile and surprisingly fast (alternates between jumping over people, side-stepping them, out-running them, running right over/through them, and ripping a shoulder into them to throw them out of his way)
-vs. Tim Tebow: Tebow is a great player and is admirable off the field, but he simply has not had a Heisman season this year
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Outside of football:
-always credits his teammates with his success, and is one of the most humble people you will meet
-is a genius and works extremely hard in school: about to finish as a Management Science and Engineering major at Stanford (on of the school’s hardest majors) with a 3.25 GPA
-taking 21 hard units this quarter (average at Stanford is 15 per quarter; you have to PETITION to take more than 20 units/quarter)
-a high prospect in the MLB after three successful seasons on Stanford’s top-ranked Varsity Baseball team
Dec 02, 2009
Again, I love his character. He is far and away my number 2. Take the top 30 rushers in the PAC 10 and he's 10th in yards/carry – behind his own QB. That doesn't say MVP of the nation to me.
Dec 02, 2009
The west coast needs a heisman candidate (albeit an irrelevant one)
Don't worry Guilf, he has zero shot of finishing ahead of either McCoy or Tebow. (the only two REAL candidates IMO. Especially after both Texas/Florida win this wkend)
Dec 02, 2009
As a nationally known columnist pointed out, Tebow has thrown for few yards and TDs than 16 of the top 20-rated QBs
Dec 02, 2009
"Is everyone just looking at total yards and total touchdowns wetting their pants or something?"
to be fair, this is pretty much exactly why tim tebow won the heisman
Dec 02, 2009
I hate to defend Tebow, but he did win it in a Big down year for cfb. There was no one out there more deserving.
Dec 02, 2009
Gerhart deserves the Heisman. He's a beast and has produced week after week. He's not been shut down once this season. Whereas McCoy had a stinker against his biggest rival, Oklahoma, Florida beat Mississippi State and LSU in spite of Tebow andIngram was shut down against Auburn.
Tebow and McCoy are ony challenging for the award because they were all the rage back in August, and people can't make decisions without referring to season preview magazines.
McCoy has had a good second half of the season. He did nothing to impress me before November.
Tebow had one Heisman caliber game, against FSU.
Lastly, the Heisman is an individual award. If Florida or Texas had Stanford's defense they would have lost several times this season. The players are off the field for half the game, so judge them when they're actually on the field.
Gerhart's offense put up 50+ points on USC and Oregon. Tebow's Florida scored 13 against LSU. If team record mattered as much as you wish it did, then where was Matt Mauck, Craig Krenzel, or Matt Flynn's Heisman hype?
Dec 02, 2009
SUUUUUUHHHHHH!!!!! It should be a crime for a DT to make an impact on a game like he does. You want a leader? A game changer? Defense wins championships. Too bad the Heisman doesn't care about the best player in college football anymore.
Dec 02, 2009
If a team puts the entire offense in one player's hands, can they get held to 82 yards and lose to a 5-7 team with the 81st ranked rush defense? I repeat – I love the kid. Just the fact that he is excelling at freaking Stanford…seriously gives me chills. I'm not generally considered a dummy, but I'd give (some body part) to go to Stanford.
But 10th in YPC for the conference behind his own QB? Help me get past that. Tebow gets about 1 yard less per carry (including his sacks) and everyone knows – he's just a lowly fullback that throws the ball once in a while.
Dec 02, 2009
I just smacked Mandel down if you watched the whole exchange. LOL. Kidding. I was a little star-struck, I'll admit. I read his stuff every week. I'm just some schlub with a little blog.
Tebow has scored more points than any of the candidates against the toughest batch of defenses.
Dec 02, 2009
I'll be honest, I've seen next to nothing of his season and I'm bummed about it. I live in Tampa and we just don't get many of the games. Looking very forward to watching the Big 12 Championship to see a whole game of that beast. I agree that it's a shame that defensive players are given last consideration. I'm a defensive minded man myself.
Was going to include him, but other than stats – have little opinion. Also know in reality he's destined to a bunch of third place (at best) votes.
May 19, 2010
If a team puts the entire offense in one player’s hands, can they get held to 82 yards and lose to a 5-7 team with the 81st ranked rush defense? I repeat – I love the kid. Just the fact that he is excelling at freaking Stanford…seriously gives me chills. I’m not generally considered a dummy, but I’d give (some body part) to go to Stanford.
But 10th in YPC for the conference behind his own QB? Help me get past that. Tebow gets about 1 yard less per carry (including his sacks) and everyone knows – he’s just a lowly fullback that throws the ball once in a while.