Recently, there has been plenty of talk about college football’s flawed post-season and the negative effects it could have on the legacy of this year’s outstanding Falcon squad.
Well, just when you thought the BCS was enough to be angry about, along comes the equally unjust race for the sport’s greatest individual honor, the Heisman Trophy. Simply stated, not everyone gets a fair shake.
Without question, BG quarterback Josh Harris has proven himself more than worthy of consideration for the annual award, which recognizes the country’s most outstanding college football player. In five convincing Falcon wins, Harris has produced an average of 24.8 points per game. That ranks him number one in all of Division I-A, and it is a testament to his ability both as a passer and scrambler.
The numbers don’t lie. Harris leads the team in rushing and passing yardage. He has thrown for seven touchdowns, caught two, and run for eleven more. His impressive 140.33 quarterback efficiency rating is complimented by an average of 5 yards per carry. All of these stats rank him among the MAC’s elite.
If you want to talk about character, look no further than Harris’ 3.5 GPA and 9-1 record since taking the reins of BG’s offensive attack. Plus, he has led the Falcons back into the national top 25 poll for the first time since 1985.
Coach Urban Meyer, who saw plenty of first rate QB’s in his days on the sidelines at Notre Dame, has said that Harris is “one of the top five quarterbacks in the country” right now. And the national media has taken notice as well, with recent reports on Harris appearing in the New York Times and on CBS Sportsline. Yet, in terms of the race for the Heisman, Harris is still a considerable long shot.
The reasons? For one thing, Harris is still a junior, and the Heisman typically, though not always, goes to a senior. Second, he plays in the Mid-American Conference, a disadvantage not only for earning team recognition, but individual notice as well. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the issue of campaigning.
In recent years, the Heisman Trophy race has turned into a commercialized contest, in which schools actually organize expensive national campaigns to bring attention to their star players. This was never more apparent than last season, when team officials at Oregon paid an astronomical amount of money to place a giant billboard of star quarterback Joey Harrington on the side of a building in New York’s Times Square. Eventually, the Nebraska Cornhuskers were able to flex their media muscles and rally the voters around their field general, Eric Crouch, who went on to win the award.
This year, after running back Maurice Clarett got off to a hot start, the Ohio State Buckeyes decided it was time to officially throw the true freshman’s hat into the Heisman ring. But is it Ohio State’s job, or any school’s, to promote and campaign for their star players? Shouldn’t the player’s performance speak for itself? Well, not in the world of college football.
Even inside the MAC, Harris has been outshined by Marshall’s Byron Leftwich, who had a full Heisman campaign underway before the season even started. On the national level, Iowa State quarterback Seneca Wallace is being pushed to the media forefront, followed closely by Miami’s QB Ken Dorsey.
Considering all the hype involved in the Heisman these days, and Bowling Green’s lack of big conference punch, it is unlikely that Harris will get his well deserved shot at consideration for the award. But then again, if the Heisman committee chooses to overlook him, it may be a blessing in disguise. After all, last year’s winner, Eric Crouch, is already retired from pro football. And who wants to be on a list with Rashaan Salaam (1994) and Gino Torretta (1992) anyway?