Eli Manning, looking for a receiver in last week's 24-20 victory at Auburn, still has hopes of winning the trophy that eluded his father, Archie, and brother, Peyton.
Posted on 11/13/2003 4:28:26 AM PST by WKB
SO, you want to see Eli Manning win the Heisman Trophy, but you wonder if he really has a chance.
Eli leads SEC in total offense and has led Ole Miss to its best conference start in 40 years.
Has completed 218 of 347 passes for 2,881 yards with 23 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Passing efficiency rating of 149.83 The leader
Jason White Senior quarterback, Oklahoma
Leads nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 176.1.
Has completed 195 of 294 passes for 2,745 yards with 32 touchdowns. The rest of the contenders
B.J. Symons Senior quarterback, Texas Tech
Leads nation in total offense with 486 yards per game
Has completed 366 of 557 passes for 4,741 yards with 44 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Larry Fitzgerald Sophomore receiver, Pittsburgh
Leads nation in scoring and receiving yardage.
Has 68 receptions for 1,282 yards and 17 touchdowns. Kevin Jones Junior running back, Virginia Tech
Ranks seventh in nation in rushing with 123 yards per game.
Has carried 188 times for 1,104 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Glad to help.
Manning has a legitimate shot at winning the Heisman. He probably needs some help.
A sampling of Heisman voters around the country shows that Manning remains very much in the running, although the consensus is that Jason White, the quarterback of undefeated and No. 1 ranked Oklahoma, would have to throw or fumble the trophy away.
"Eli's got a chance, and it seems to get better every week," said ESPN.com columnist and TV commentator Ivan Maisel, a Heisman voter. "That said, I think the Heisman is Jason White's to lose at this point. So many factors work in White's favor."
So, here's what you pull for if you are pulling for Manning:
Somebody needs to beat Oklahoma. The Sooners have games remaining with Baylor, Texas Tech and then the Big 12 Conference championship game. Yes, it would help if White threw two or three interceptions in the defeat.
Ole Miss needs to run the table, defeating LSU on CBS, Mississippi State on ESPN and then the SEC Eastern Division representative in the SEC Championship Game on CBS.
Now then, here's the hard part Ole Miss fans: It probably wouldn't hurt if LSU went ahead and beat Alabama this week, setting up a nationally televised, high-drama showdown between Ole Miss and LSU next Saturday. "Strange as it sounds, Eli needs LSU to beat Alabama," Maisel said. "You want to set the stage as much as possible."
Know this: Eli, himself, gladly would settle for Alabama beating LSU, thus handing the Tigers their second SEC defeat, and take his chances on the rest. He says he came back to help Ole Miss win the SEC, not to win the Heisman himself.
Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh's fabulous sophomore wide receiver, remains much in the running. Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones and Texas Tech quarterback B.J. Symons (with a chance to knock off Oklahoma) remain in the hunt. White is the overwhelming favorite in ESPN's weekly Heisman Watch poll, voted on by 11 college football experts from around the country.
White received eight of the 11 first place votes. Fitzgerald and Manning were neck and neck for second and Jones was far back in fourth.
Chris Dufresne, a Los Angeles Times college football writer, votes weekly in a Heisman poll for another publication and says his ballot this week lists White first, Manning second and Fitzgerald third.
"I've always been a Manning admirer from afar, dating back to when Archie came out here to play against the Rams," Dufresne said. "I covered Peyton, and I've been tracking Eli closely. It would really be nice for a Manning to win the Heisman, but I can't put him ahead of Jason White because of that.
"Jason is a fantastic story," Dufresne continued. "He's a fifth-year senior who has had the last two seasons wiped out by freak knee injuries. And now he's come back to put up great numbers. He's the top player on the top team, and unless they lose or he has a horrible game, he's my number one."
You probably won't be surprised to learn that Manning's strongest support comes from Dixie.
David Climer, sports columnist of The Tennessean in Nashville, says Manning is definitely in his top three and "would move to number one" if he has a good game and Ole Miss beats LSU.
Climer believes that White is a product of the Oklahoma system, that Oklahoma is so good, the quarterback can't help but be good, too.
Joe Biddle, another Tennessean columnist, believes Manning's Heisman chances have been hampered by the lack of nationally televised Ole Miss games.
"Eli can gain some late-season momentum if the Rebels win out and go to the SEC Championship Game," Biddle said. "Realistically, I think that is the only way he has a chance."
Dennis Dodd, a Kansas City-based columnist for CBS.Sportsline.com, went to Auburn last week, specifically to see Manning in person.
"I was really impressed; I mean, really impressed," Dodd said. "It was one of the best college football games I've seen in years, and he pulled it out with what was probably the signature drive of his career.
"Ole Miss had so many people hurt, but he stayed with it," Dodd said. "You have to admire his calmness and demeanor in that situation. He's got everything you want — pedigree, personality, talent."
Dodd said if the vote were today, he'd vote Fitzgerald first and Manning second.
"I always vote for the guy I think is the best player, and right now that's Fitzgerald," he said. "But I'll save my vote until after the SEC Championship Game."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 922 Heisman Trophy ballots were mailed out Wednesday. They are due back on Dec. 10. This will be the second year that voters can transmit their ballots via computer up until the due date — giving those voting plenty of time to take in the SEC and Big 12 title games. Malcolm Moran, of USA Today, says he will take all the time he has and wishes others would, too.
"I've read and heard where people have already made their choices," Moran said. "I don't have anybody ranked in any kind of order. We've got too many season-defining games left to be played.
"My opinion is that Eli Manning is right in the mix. What he and Ole Miss are doing is so dramatic because it hasn't been done in so long. But let's let the season play out. The most important games are yet to be played."
My sentiments, precisely.
Eli Manning, looking for a receiver in last week's 24-20 victory at Auburn, still has hopes of winning the trophy that eluded his father, Archie, and brother, Peyton.
On the other hand, it's virtually impossible to win the Heisman as a quarterback if your team has more than two losses, so Mississippi has to win their last three for Manning to have a chance.
So, assuming Ole' Miss wins out, there's no doubt in my mind that Manning would deserve the award. He's acheived his success against considerably tougher opposition and will have led his team to the SEC championship despite having a team with a very weak defense. Manning has to go out there every week and make the plays to win the game -- White just racks up stats against overwhelmed nobodies.
Eli Manning's path to the Heisman is plausible and so is Bill and Hillary coming clean with all of their shennanigans. Plausible, yes; probable no.
And Horning went on to play a decade in the pros as the starting running back of 4 NFL championship teams while Majors became a moderatly successful college coach.
Out of how many years (30?) he coached, all at BIG TIME schools, with big time national recruiting and a free hand and blank check on running the program, I'd call one championship a moderate success. Majors ain't in the same league as the Bear, Wooden, or Hays. His championship a Pitt can be credited with one recruit who probably would have gone to Pitt with or without Majors --- Tony Dorset --- who by rights should have won the Heisman 3 times, not just in the championship year.
The point I was making is that years ago, the Heisman went to the best player, not the best player on a winning team. It didn’t even need to be a “hands” player years ago. That all changed somewhere back in the 60s or 70s. If it were the case today, they would have already given this year's award to Larry Fitzgerald and saved all the hassle. He could still win it I’d guess if Pitt wins out the rest of the season and he has a spectacular game on Jan. 1. But I wouldn't bet on all that happening. The fact that he’s only a sophomore hurts his chances as well.
Also, just because we are destroying everyone doesnt mean we are playing weak teams. They just look weak compared to us.
That being said, I think Fitzgerald is the best player in the country. And I have heard interviews with him and he is a genuinely humble guy. If my man White loses the trophy to him, I wouldnt be too upset. But I think White will win it.
:)
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