The Heisman Trophy race went into full swing last weekend with all of the early season favorites taking the field. With Marshall’s Byron Leftwich facing Virginia Tech, his toughest opponent of the season, on Sept. 12 and Florida’s Rex Grossman going head to head against Miami’s Ken Dorsey this weekend, this could be one of the most crucial weeks of the season in the race for the nation’s most coveted individual award.
Front-runners:
Byron Leftwich
senior quarterback, Marshall
Leftwich started his Heisman campaign putting up numbers some video-gamers would have a hard time attaining. He lit up the Appalachian State secondary for 460 yards passing and tossed four touchdowns while completing 28 of 43 passes. He added 31 yards rushing and a touchdown for 491 yards of total offense. With a game behind him, Leftwich stands as the best chance to keep the Heisman Trophy away from the Sunshine State. He’ll need at least a 300-yard performance and another win to prove he deserves to be mentioned with the signal callers from the bigger schools.
Rex Grossman
junior quarterback, Florida
Grossman proved he can put up big numbers without former head coach Steve Spurrier on the sideline. He was 16-of-26 for 337 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against Alabama-Birmingham. Now, Grossman has to prove he can perform well against any team. Grossman’s performance this week against the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes will stick in the voters’ minds all season. There has only been one quarterback to defeat Dorsey during his career as a starter. If Grossman becomes the second, the Heisman watch might be unnecessary.
Ken Dorsey
senior quarterback, Miami
It’s simple. All he does is win football games. If he gets the 28th victory of his career Saturday against Grossman and company in The Swamp, he’ll move closer to winning the Heisman. He completed 8-of-14 passes with 111 yards and three touchdowns last week against Florida A&M. Those numbers are solid, but a few more yards against a Division I-AA team would’ve impressed voters more.
MSU’s hope:
Charles Rogers
junior wide receiver, MSU
Rogers put up good numbers - four catches, 138 yards and a touchdown - in the season opener against Eastern Michigan, especially considering he didn’t play much in the second half. With Rice coming to Spartan Stadium on Saturday, Rogers again might only have a half to do his damage. He’ll need to put up similar numbers - or better - if he’s to stay afloat in the Heisman race.
Dark horse:
Taylor Jacobs
senior wide receiver, Florida
Yes, he’s on the same team as Grossman, but eight catches for a school-record 246 yards is impossible to ignore. If he continues to catch the majority of Grossman’s bombs, voters might begin to wonder who’s making whom look good. Getting involved on special teams wouldn’t hurt his chances.
