Sunday, August 31, 2008

Heisman Watch: Inagural Edition



After the magic that was the first Saturday of college football, which yours truly celebrated by attending the Illinois/Missouri game in St. Louis, let's take a how the Heisman contenders started the season, and how they should finish if the voting was today.

Author's Note: I realize we only have one week in the books, but we will take a look at the Heisman Race every week and monitor how the situation changes.

1. Pat White, QB, West Virginia
Week 1: 25/33 208 Yards, 5 TD, 1 INT. 9 Carries for 63 Yards.
White put on an impressive showcase of all his skills yesterday, certainly faring much better than his former coach.
2. Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri
Week 1: 26/45, 323 Yards, 3 TD, 1 INT Passing. 9 Carries, 46 Yards.
Daniel looked like a maestro in St. Louis, doing his best Tim Teabow impression (which may have been better than the real thing). He has plenty of passing targets and is a smart, efficient runner.

3. Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri
Week 1: 4 Rec., 31 Yards. 3 Kick Returns for 145 Yards, 1 TD. 4 Punt Returns for 56 Yards, 1 TD.
Maclin put on a show Saturday reminiscent of Dieon Sanders or Reggie Bush. As thes stats show, he did most of his damage on special teams, living up to his reputation as a 1st Team All-American. Missouri is hoping a late-game ankle injury is not serious.

4. Knowshon Moreno, RB, Georgia
Week 1: 8 Carries, 59 Yards. 3 TD. 2 Rec., 53 Yards.
Knowshon was incredibly efficient in Week 1, finding the endzone three times on just eight rushing attempts. The receiving yards are an added bonus that will drive defenses crazy this year.


5. Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State

Week 1: 13 Carries for 111 Yards, 1 TD. 3 Rec., 10 Yards.
Wells looked everything like the strong runner that Ohio State needs him to be if they want to actually win a title this year. However Wells left the game with an ankle injury which would be devastating if he can't make it back when the Buckeyes play USC in two weeks.





6. Tim Teabow, QB, Florida

Week 1: 9/14, 137 Yards, 1 TD Passing. 9 Carries, 37 yards.
Teabow's teammates did a great deal of the work yesterday, which is great for the team but doesn't benefit Teabow's stat line.

7. Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

Week 1: 9 Rec., 73 Yards, 1 TD.
Crabtree had a nice game to start the season. I'm betting this guy could catch a TD in every game this year with the pass-happy Tech offense.