Heisman headin’ toward a quarterback?
Two weeks into the college football season, and already Heisman Trophy favorites are starting to emerge.
And quarterbacks are the ones rising to the top.
Tim Tebow and Chase Daniel look like the class of the bunch right now, which I’ve reflected in my latest vote for the heismanpundit.com/Orlando Sentinel poll. Tebow had another big week, this time in Florida’s beat down of Miami. He threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 55 yards. I know Miami is no great shakes, but that’s still a solid day.
Daniel was darn good, too. Granted, Missouri was playing a foe even worse that Miami — Southeast Missouri State — but Daniel completed 14 consecutive passes during one stretch. That’s stout no matter who you’re playing against. He finished the day with 245 yards passing and three touchdowns.
Three other quarterbacks are likely to figure seriously into the Heisman discussion before the year’s over.
Pat White dropped a bit this week because of West Virginia’s loss to East Carolina and because of his so-so performance. He had 72 yards passing and 97 yards rushing, and the Mountaineers managed only three points. Thing is, White is too good to fall off the Heisman radar forever.
The other two quarterbacks likely to factor in are USC’s Mark Sanchez and Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford.
Sanchez could make a big-time statement this week against Ohio State. He threw for a career best 338 yards this past weekend, and if he has another day like that against the Buckeyes, he’ll be in the mix.
Bradford is also stacking up great outings. After a nearly flawless opening week against hapless Tennessee-Chattanooga, he was stellar once again in the second week of the season. He threw for 395 yards and five touchdowns against Cincinnati. It was a performance that caught the attention of the Davey O’Brien Award voters, who chose Bradford as the quarterback of the week, and if he keeps up these kind of numbers, it won’t be long before lots of people take notice.
Here’s a look at my vote for the Heisman after Week 2:
1. Tebow: The Gators have a bye this week, but a big game looms at Tennessee in a couple weeks.
2. Daniel: The big numbers should continue with Nevada up next.
3. Beanie Wells, Ohio State: The Buckeye running back didn’t play against Ohio, and we saw how much Ohio State missed him. Ohio nearly scored a big upset. A big day against USC this week might vault him to the top of my ballot, where he was before being injured.
4. Knowshon Moreno, Georgia: The Bulldog running back is being overlooked a little. He shouldn’t be. He’s averaging 8.7 yards a carry; he’s just not getting many carries against the likes of Georgia Southern and Central Michigan. The next three weeks will be telling — at South Carolina, at Arizona State and vs. Alabama.
5. White: Even though he had 169 yards of offense against East Carolina, quarterbacks are judged on wins. Losing to the Pirates doesn’t kill his Heisman chances but it sure hurts them.
Get your hopes up, football fans
Two weeks into the college football season isn’t enough time to know everything about the local squads.
Still, two weeks is enough time to know this — it’s OK to be excited.
Watch my latest video commentary or continue reading below:
If you’re a college football fan in our fair state, go ahead and feel good about your team. Like where they’re headed. Speculate about what this season could be. Because it looks like things could be even better than expected for Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Tulsa.
The reason is two-fold — these teams are as good, maybe even better, than expected and their competition isn’t as good.
Let’s start with Oklahoma. A blowout of Tennessee-Chattanooga in Week 1 meant little, but beating up on Cincinnati in Week 2 showed that the Sooners have a stout squad. The offense is smooth, and the defense is able to adjust.
And if you look at the other teams at the top of the heap nationally, what the Sooners did in these first two weeks looks even better. Several of the top teams have struggled. Ohio State escaped Ohio. West Virginia lost to East Carolina. Those sorts of things open the door even wider for OU.
Oklahoma State’s door has opened even wider, too. The teams that the Cowboys are going to be trying to climb over in the Big 12 South are vulnerable. Texas A&M is weak, and Texas and Texas Tech aren’t as good as their rankings suggest.
And the Cowboys look like they might be better than expected, too. Their offense is stout, and maybe that isn’t a shock, but when you lose Dantrell Savage and Adarius Bowman, missing a step wouldn’t be out of the question. Instead, Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant have emerged. A pair of blowouts to open the season make a strong statement for the Cowboys.
Tulsa has scored a pair of beat-downs, too, prompting some pundits to ask if the Golden Hurricane could be this year’s BCS spoiler. Could it be this year’s Hawaii or Boise State?
Heck, why couldn’t it? Tulsa lost Paul Smith, a guy who’s now cashing an NFL paycheck, and yet, David Johnson steps in and things just keep humming along.
Now, granted, all three teams have questions, but their questions are no bigger and certainly no worse than those of their closest competitors.
So, go ahead, and be excited about your team. We may not know everything we need to know after two weeks, but there’s enough evidence to feel darn good about the teams in our fair state.
Cheers to Curtis
The Kingfisher Kid is no longer a kid, and yet, I sure hope Curtis Lofton is taking some child-like wonder with him to the NFL.
Watch my latest video commentary or read below:
There was a day back in December that I’ll long remember.
The Oklahoma football team was having its pre-bowl season press conference, and Curtis Lofton was talking about anything anyone asked him. That included the NFL.
He had yet to declare for the draft, but as the linebacker fielded questions about the NFL, he had the weirdest look on his face. It was either disbelief or wonder. I finally asked him what was up.
Lofton said that he really couldn’t believe he was sitting there talking about being an NFL Draft pick.
He explained it this way: “Just being from Kingfisher, a little small town, and being able to actually think about going to the NFL is just kind of astonishing.”
Lofton isn’t thinking about it any more. He’s going to the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons picked Lofton in the second round of this weekend’s draft, and folks in Georgia are talking about him being the heir apparent to Keith Brooking.
All the Brooking has done over the past decade is anchor the Falcon defense.
Lofton has yet to play a down in the NFL, and yet, he has already started living out a dream. And you know what? I can’t help but be pleased as punch for the guy.
On a weekend when it’s easy to get wrapped up in the big money being thrown at young men or the out-of-control hype machine spitting out one superlative after another, Lofton is a guy who’s easy to be happy for. He is a small-town guy who works hard and keeps his nose clean.
I haven’t had a chance to talk to Lofton since he was drafted Saturday, but I did see him at Mark Clayton’s charity event a few weeks ago. He was running in the same circles with NFL types that weekend, and he still had some of that awe in his eyes. The wonder was there just like that December press conference.
Here’s hoping Lofton takes that attitude with him to the NFL.
Enjoying the ride is never a bad way to go.
Malcontent Malcolm? Not so fast!
Malcolm Kelly set off something of a firestorm with his comments Wednesday after working out for NFL scouts.
No one in the media really and truly knows the athletes that we cover, but still, I’ve had a chance to talk one-on-one with the former Oklahoma wide receiver numerous times during the past three seasons. I’m not ready to vilify him like many have.
Watch my latest video commentary or read below:
Malcolm Kelly is one of the good guys.
I think.
About two weeks ago, I would’ve said that about the former Oklahoma wide receiver without so much as a hint of trepidation, without even a smidge of reservation. Even when injury kept Kelly out of the Fiesta Bowl this year and Sooner fans cried foul, I stood up for Kelly.
Because he’s hurt and doesn’t play makes him a bad guy?
I wasn’t buying it.
Kelly is a quality character guy. Good demeanor. Clean record. Thoughtful. Insightful. Honest. In fact, one of the things that I have long told people is that Kelly has all the skills of an NFL receiver without the attitude of one.
Keyshawn Johnson? Terrell Owens? Chad Johnson? Malcolm Kelly isn’t like that. With him, you get all the catches without any of the crazy.
Then along came Pro Day, Part Deux at OU.
Kelly and a small cadre of fellow NFL hopefuls worked out for scouts Wednesday. And after the festivities, Kelly had some not-so-nice things to say. He spoke ill of the set-up, the medical staff, and the strength and conditioning staff.
Listen, I don’t pretend to know all of what’s gone on behind the scenes. Was Kelly’s leg injury was misdiagnosed during the season? Was his workout moved at the last minute? I really don’t know.
What I do know is this: for starters, Kelly might have thought better about what he said after running so-so time in the 40-yard dash. No need to come off to the NFL types like you’re fishing for excuses. And secondly, Kelly might have given us a little insight into some of the frustrations of college athletes bubbling just under the surface.
Kelly said, “You play somewhere for three years, you give ‘em all you got every summer, every winter, and all you ask for is an hour and a half to have it like you want to have it.”
You know what? I can’t argue with that. College athletes are amongst the most under paid laborers in the country. For the revenue they produce for their coaches, their programs and their schools, they get back a very small percentage of what they’re owed. But they do it because they get a scholarship, a whole lot of coaching and teaching, and a chance to show off their abilities.
What Kelly said Wednesday, though, shows that there is frustration among athletes. They give and give and give and feel like the school doesn’t reciprocate. Hard to argue when you see coaches earning millions and schools building athletic palaces.
Kelly probably said what many athletes think. Does that make him a bad guy? A complainer? An eccentric? I’m not ready to chalk him up into any of those categories just yet, but it’ll be interesting to see what we remember about this episode in a few years. Was it the start of a trend, or was it an out of character moment?
Only time will tell, and even though he might prove me wrong, I still think Kelly is one of the good guys.
Spring football springing
Spring football makes its return this week.
Yawn.
Sort of.
Watch my latest video commentary or read below:
It’s heresy to say in this state, but I could do without spring football.
Oh, I know. It’s football. What’s not to love?
But so often the heroes of spring are never heard from again. If starters are the least bit injured, they will sit out the spring, allowing for reserves to shine. They’re lauded. They’re loved. Then when the fall begins and the starters return, they’re lost.
It all seems worthless.
But not this year. The spring will be worth it if only for one player.
Artrell Woods.
You remember, the Oklahoma State receiver was seriously injured in a freak weight room accident last summer. He needed emergency surgery to repair a dislocated vertebra in his back. That’s every bit as serious an injury as it sounds.
Now, less than eight months later, Woods is on the verge of returning to the football field. He was cleared to start jogging and running again in January. When the Cowboys start spring drills, Woods won’t be allowed to participate in any contact drills, but he will run routes and work with the receivers during individual sessions.
Amazing.
Woods’ return is perhaps the most amazing sports story we’ve ever seen in our fair state. Sure, Jason White came back from two knee surgeries to win the Heisman Trophy. That’s pretty amazing in its own right. Still, Woods had no feeling in his legs after the accident. There was paralysis. But next week, he’ll be back on the football field.
That makes spring football this year more than bearable this year. It will make it down right enjoyable.
Want to know more about the Cowboys and the Sooners as they prepare for spring drills? Check out Sunday’s Oklahoman, then make sure you don’t miss our Main Event on Monday, which will be dedicated to spring football.
Football throwback
Another weekend in January. Another game for Paul Smith.
This has been a busy month for the Tulsa quarterback. After leading the Golden Hurricane to a GMAC Bowl victory, Smith jetted out about two hours after the game, bound for Hawaii and the Hula Bowl. He returned to Tulsa after that senior-showcase game, and a few hours later, he was off again, this time for Houston. Smith will play there in the East-West Shrine game on Saturday.
College football could have no better ambassador.
Sure, Smith is now focused on NFL aspirations and dreams. But the truth is, Smith embodies what’s good about college football. He genuinely seems to have enjoyed the experience, the camaraderie, the campus lifestyle. Frankly, he’s a throwback.
I had a chance to talk to him last week before the Hula Bowl, and here are a few of his comments from our conversation:
About the GMAC Bowl: “Couldn’t draw it up much better. To end it the way we did, you couldn’t have really planned it any better or written it any better in a book. I did as much as I could to soak it in.”
About his emotions playing his final college game: “It was bittersweet for sure. My situation’s been so perfect. I’d love to come back and play some more.”
No matter what happens with Smith in the NFL Draft and beyond, his college legacy will remain. He enjoyed the game, relished the experience and soaked in the life. College football could stand a few more players like Paul Smith.
Locks of love
It’s not every day you get to opine about sports figures and their enviable hair.
Today, I have.
Watch my latest video commentary or read below:
I am in awe of Kurt Budke’s hair.
Really. I am.
I came to this conclusion Wednesday night at his post-game press conference. His Oklahoma State women’s basketball team had just defeated Missouri and pushed its record to 15-1, the best start ever in program history, and yet, I found myself mesmerized by Budke’s hair.
Part down the middle. Feathered back from there. The comb marks above his ears visible.
It makes Budke look a little bit like a televangelist, but in a good way. If that’s possible. It is Budke’s signature look.
All of this got me thinking about other sports types in our fair state with distinctive hair. Let me tell you, it’s amazing what you find yourself thinking about on a late-night drive back from Stillwater. And heck, it’s never bad to pull occasionally from the off-the-wall file for a video commentary.
So, without further ado:
Sherri Coale. Could you imagine her with anything other than her curly blond hair? What if she dyed her hair black or straightened it out? That’d just be weird.
Mr. Spiky Hair. Mike Gundy could fund a small country with what he spends on hair product.
Doug Sauter. It’s not the hair on his head, but rather the hair on his face. The Blazers coach has a beard that Rip Van Winkle would’ve died for.
Phil Loadholt and Duke Robinson. The dreaded duo was more than a nuisance to opposing defense. The Oklahoma offensive linemen have some of the coolest dreadlocks around.
Larry Fedora. I know, I know. He is no longer in our fair state, having left OSU for Southern Miss, but his hair was a regular topic of conversation in our office. I chalk it up to jealously. Who wouldn’t want Fedora’s abundant locks?
At the end of the day, all those looks are good and fine, but the one that still gets me is Budke’s. I’m almost hoping that his team wins the conference or something so someone will muss up his hair like Arizona’s players did to Lute Olsen at the Final Four.
Talk about a hair-raising experience.
For Pete’s sake
Has the California sun baked Pete Carroll’s brain?
Watch my latest video commentary or read below:
Pete Carroll has it made at Southern Cal.
He wins games by the dozen. He holds La La Land by the tail. And he lives in a place where it’s always sunny and 78.
Why would he want to leave?
That’s the question I’ve been asking myself after news surfaced last week that Carroll was talking seriously with the Atlanta Falcons. These are the same Falcons, by the way, who have lost their starting quarterback to the federal pen in Leavenworth and lost their first-year coach to Arkansas. These are the worst of times in Atlanta.
And still, Carroll wants to leave the best of situations for the Falcons.
Heck, this is a guy who’s big-time in Hollywood. How many people can honestly say that?
So, what gives with Carroll wanting to bolt from USC? I suppose it could be that he wants the challenge of coaching in the NFL again. He had decent success in the league before, but why the Falcons? Why now?
Carroll has entertained other overtures from teams. It’s difficult to believe that if he really wanted to coach in the NFL again that he couldn’t do better than the Falcons. Right now, Miami is in better shape than Atlanta, and the Dolphins won all of one game this season.
Perhaps Carroll is intrigued by the chance to be the coach and the director of player personnel. Falcons owner Arthur Blank has dangled that carrot in front of Carroll. Being able to control roster moves is a perk many NFL coaches want but few receive.
Still, that seems a shaky reason to go back to the NFL.
All that leads to one question: what’s different now compared to times when the NFL temped Carroll before?
The biggest thing that comes to mind: possible NCAA sanctions hanging over his program’s head. I wrote a bit Saturday about the allegations swirling around Reggie Bush, which are detailed in the new book, “Tarnished Heisman.” The former Trojan star may have taken as much as $300,000 in illegal benefits during his final year at USC. It’s a story that’s made headlines but flown largely under the radar, considering the seriousness of the violation.
Carroll’s interest in the Falcons, though, may signal that this is a bigger deal than most folks think. He might want to get out before things get bad.
Leaving USC seems silly, but leaving USC for Atlanta seems down right crazy. Just maybe, though, a situation that’s been so very good for Carroll is about to turn so very bad.
Geauxing, Geauxing, Gone
Perhaps this is sacrilege to say in our fair state, but what the heck, I’ll say it anyway.
I’m happy for Les Miles.
The former Oklahoma State football coach snagged himself a national championship on Monday night. His current squad, the LSU Tigers, took it to Ohio State in the BCS championship game and won going away, 38-24. The coach who Sooner fans came to loathe and Cowboy fan came to loathe worse is riding high today.
Watching LSU is always a bit weird for me. Seeing Miles all decked out in purple and gold, not orange and black. Catching occasional glimpses other familiar faces on the sidelines.
Josh Henson, the tight ends coach, is a Tuttle native and an OSU alum. Running backs coach Larry Porter was on Miles’ staff in Stillwater. Ditto for defensive backs coach Doug Mallory and assistant athletic director for football administration Mack Butler.
Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini is familiar in these parts, too. About to take over as the head coach at Nebraska, Pelini spent time on the staff at Oklahoma.
Maybe all that means I’m not just happy for Miles but also for all of those guys. They were always good folks to deal with, and when good things happen to good folks, it’s easy to feel good for them.
QUICK HITS
* Roger Clemens is all in. If he did what the Mitchell Report said he did, he is absolutely going to bust. His denials about steroid use and his lawsuit against his former trainer are like a poker player going all in. Is the pitching great holding aces? Or is he bluffing? The answer will either restore Clemens or leave him broken.
* Keep those nominations for unsung heroes in sports coming. E-mail me at jcarlson@oklahoman.com.
* Two years ago today, I went on my first date with an amazing man named Ryan. Now, he is my fiance. But please, don’t ask when the big day is. We haven’t got that part figured out just yet. We’re thinking perhaps the first or second Saturday in October or the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
(Just kidding, boss!)
Tired of hearing about Oklahoma’s Fiesta Bowl loss?
You might want to look elsewhere, then.
If you can’t get enough about the Sooners, watch my latest video commentary or read below:
Oklahoma needed DeMarcus Granger.
And Reggie Smith.
And Lendy Holmes.
The Sooners needed all of them Wednesday night with the 11 other defenders already playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Give OU 14 guys against West Virginia. Maybe then, the Sooners could’ve tackled someone.
The Sooners’ night in the desert was a total disaster. The Mountaineers were supposed to be the team in disarray, the program in peril. Instead, the Sooners were the ones who looked discombobulated.
Another big game for the Sooners.
Another big loss.
Granted, OU has needed to win its share of big games just to make it to six BCS bowls in the past eight seasons. But after winning in their first two BCS appearances — the 2000 Orange and 2002 Rose – the Sooners have lost four consecutive BCS bowls. They’ve lost them by an average of 16 points, too.
Not good.
Not good at all.
Before the Fiesta Bowl, some thought Oklahoma had a legitimate argument that it should’ve played in the national championship game. After the way the Mountaineers stuck it to the Sooners, though, it looked more like West Virginia was the one with the should-been-in-the-title-game argument.
This game continues the tarnishing of the Sooner shine.
Used to be, pundits and prognosticators thought OU was one of the four or five elite teams in the country. Now, the Sooners are bound to be lumped in with a much bigger group of teams that are still very good but aren’t those chosen few. That perception change matters as long as humans are involved with the BCS formula.
Look at Ohio State. The computers liked the Buckeyes this season, but the thing that propelled them to the BCS championship game were the humans. Ohio State finished third in the computer rankings but was first in both of the human polls.
If OU’s in a similar situation next season, will the voters be as generous? It’s impossible to know, of course, but continuing to lose BCS games signals at least in part to the voters that you have a soft regular-season schedule, that you struggle to keep up with elite teams, that maybe you don’t belong.
Not good for the Sooners.
Not good at all.
