Trophy case
Smith may pull off award haul that Young couldn't
Many have called Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith 'this year's Vince Young' because of Smith and Young's ability to both run and throw the ball. But lost among Young's many crazy-legged highlights from the Rose Bowl is that the Texas quarterback last year, for the most part, kept his wheels in the garage until absolutely necessary (Ohio State, Oklahoma State, USC) and beat foes more with his arm and improved knowledge of the offense. This year Smith seems to be doing the same thing. The Buckeyes senior, who averaged 55 rushing yards a game last year, has barely left the pocket in '06, rushing for just 12 yards a contest. The strategy probably cost Young the Heisman but won him a national championship. If Smith runs more, he may very well win both.
Next week, the Watchman will rank the contenders from 1 to 10. So, for one last time, here are the candidates in alphabetical order.
Erik Ainge, Tennessee, QB, Jr.
Last week: 25-of-38 passing, 268 yards, 2 TDs; 4 rushes, minus-6 yards, 1 TD in a 51-33 victory at No. 10 Georgia
Season: 118-of-171 passing, 1,657 yards, 14 TDs; 5 INTs
Heisman-o-meter: First on the list, then off, now Ainge is back on again after a shockingly easy offensive performance against what had been the nation's No. 1 scoring defense. Granted, his offensive line gave him ample time all night to find his open receivers, but Ainge still had to find them and he did. Let's see if he can play consistently and stay on the list for awhile.
Up next: Oct. 21 vs. Alabama
Mike Hart, Michigan, RB, Jr.
Last week: 22 rushes, 122 yards in a 31-13 victory against Michigan State
Season: 157 rushes, 794 yards, 5 TDs
Heisman-o-meter: He was almost a one-man show on the opening drive, rushing six times for 33 yards before a holding penalty nullified his touchdown run. Then Hart, normally a skilled blocker, missed an assignment and almost got quarterback Chad Henne killed. He's a very good player but still sitting mid-pack among these 10.
Up next: Saturday at Penn State
Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech, WR, Jr.
Last week: 10 receptions, 133 yards, 1 TD in a 27-23 victory against Maryland
Season: 35 receptions, 559 yards, 8 TDs
Heisman-o-meter: After excluding Johnson from the list last week, Richard from Atlanta asked if he could have some of what I was smoking. The answer, Dick, is no. (And I wasn't partying Ricky Williams-style anyway.) The Watchman however will admit that omitting Johnson was an error, considering that his production is starting to finally keep up with his mind-blowing ability.
Up next: Saturday at No. 12 Clemson
Chris Leak, Florida, QB, Sr.
Last week: 17-of-26 passing, 155 yards, 1 INT in a 23-10 victory against No. 9 LSU
Season: 101-of-156 passing, 1,395 yards, 14 TDs, 5 INTs
Heisman-o-meter: Leak gave another steady performance, this time against what had been a nasty LSU defense. The two-quarterback system though has definitely impacted his production of late, and, while he still gets credit for leading the No. 2 team in the country to some hard-fought wins, he has lost ground to many on this list.
Up next: Saturday at No. 11 Auburn
Nate Longshore, Cal, QB, Soph.
Last week: 14-of-26 passing, 189 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; 1 rush, 1 yard, 1 TD in a 45-24 victory against No. 11 Oregon
Season: 102-of-157 passing, 1,410 yards, 17 TDs, 5 INTs
Heisman-o-meter: Since the implosion in the opener at Tennessee, Longshore has played as well as any quarterback in the country, throwing for 17 touchdowns against four interceptions in the last five games. And, considering that the Vols contest was his first full game since 2003, the Watchman is willing to grade that effort leniently.
Up next: Saturday at Washington State
Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma, RB, Jr.
Last week: 25 rushes, 109 yards, 1 TD in a 28-10 loss against No. 7 Texas (in Dallas)
Season: 142 rushes, 752 yards, 8 TDs
Heisman-o-meter: No one runs tougher than this workhorse who pounded a stout Longhorns run defense for every inch available. One factor though could cost Peterson votes to Ohio State's Smith: Smith was able to lead his team to a victory over Texas while Peterson was not.
Up next: Saturday vs. Iowa State
Brady Quinn, Notre Dame, QB, Sr.
Last week: 37-of-27 passing, 232 yards, 3 TDs in a 31-10 victory against Stanford
Season: 148-of-233 passing, 1,634 yards, 16 TDs, 4 INTs
Heisman-o-meter: This was a typical Quinn-like effort: Attack different parts of the field, get multiple receivers involved (seven, in the case Saturday) and methodically move the ball downfield. The Watchman raised this question last year at this time and is wondering again: Has coach Charlie Weis made Quinn or does Quinn make Weis? I lean to the former.
Up next: Oct. 21 vs. UCLA
Steve Slaton, West Virginia, RB, Soph.
Last week: 26 rushes, 185 yards, 1 TD in a 42-14 victory against Mississippi State
Season: 112 rushes, 768 yards, 7 TDs
Heisman-o-meter: Numbers don't tell the whole story here. This game was actually much closer than the score indicates, and Slaton's performance was much better than his numbers show, considering the Bulldogs' run defense had allowed only one 100-yard rusher all season. The Watchman has been a Slaton backer since the Sugar Bowl, but I'm wondering if he will fight the same lack-of-competition bias that Garrett Wolfe is battling.
Up next: Saturday vs. Syracuse
Troy Smith, Ohio State, QB, Sr.
Last week: 17-of-20 passing, 191 yards, 3 TDs; 7 rushes, 54 yards in a 35-7 victory against Bowling Green
Season: 101-of-148 passing, 1,261 yards, 15 TDs, 2 INTs
Heisman-o-meter: Smith threw just three incompletions and had his best running day this year, including a 34-yard scramble on third-and-26 that began with a low shotgun snap and ended with a slalomly tour of the 'Shoe. He's been a sniper passing the ball; If he returns the running dimension to his game, watch out.
Up next: Saturday at Michigan State
Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois, RB, Sr.
Last week: 29 rushes, 162 yards, 2 TDs in a 28-25 victory at Miami (Ohio)
Season: 156 rushes, 1,343 yards, 13 TDs; 13 receptions, 162 yards, 1 TD
Heisman-o-meter: A 162-yard rushing night is never disappointing, but the Watchman was amped at the possibility of seeing Wolfe flirt with 300. Oh well. The Wolfe bandwagon has definitely picked up followers, and he must continue rolling or risk losing the considerable buzz factor that he's built.
Up next: Saturday at Western Michigan
