After five weeks of action, the Heisman Trophy race has been shaken, not stirred.
Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey, the former front-runner, is being overshadowed by his own teammate. Junior wide receiver Charles Rogers also has leaped into the leading pack with his heroic performance against the Fighting Irish. But there’s still plenty of action left in the college football season.
Front-runners:
Rex Grossman
Sophomore quarterback, Florida
Following the Gators’ 41-16 defeat Sept. 7 at the hands of No. 1 Miami, Grossman looked all but finished in the Heisman hunt. But last Saturday’s 30-13 upset of No. 11 Tennessee in Knoxville has catapulted No. 7 Florida’s signal caller right back to the front of the line. Grossman completed 20-of-34 for 324 yards and three touchdowns. He also tossed a pair of picks, but those are easily forgotten in a victory, not to mention the Florida-Tennessee game always is the biggest game of the year in the SEC.
Byron Leftwich
Senior quarterback, Marshall
The Thundering Herd isn’t in the top 25, but Leftwich continues to put up the numbers. And Marshall got back on the winning track last Saturday with its 26-21 win against Central Florida.
As always, Leftwich posted remarkable numbers in the win. He completed 28-of-49 for 340 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He now has nine touchdowns and just three interceptions for the season, while completing 61.9 percent of his passes. His 405 passing yards per game and 152.35 efficiency rating is enough to warrant the Heisman, but the Herd will need to collect a big win somewhere down the road to get Leftwich the hardware.
Charles Rogers
Junior wide receiver, MSU
That’s right, he’s no longer only listed as MSU’s hope, as Rogers has joined the front-runners. His seven receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns almost single-handedly carried the Spartans to victory against No. 10 Notre Dame last Saturday.
And the folks at ESPN gave Rogers plenty of publicity for his efforts. Everyone around East Lansing has known all season that Rogers is simply mesmerizing to watch, but after two-straight nationally televised games, the entire country is coming around. In just four games, Rogers has pulled down 29 receptions for 634 yards and six touchdowns. His 158.5 yards per game rank second in the nation and his 7.25 catches per game rank 11th.
Dark horse:
Willis McGahee
Sophomore tailback, Miami
Dorsey’s absence from the lead pack is directly related to McGahee’s performance. The sophomore’s impressive footwork out of the backfield has driven the mighty Hurricanes, not Dorsey.
His 17 carries for 135 yards, two touchdowns and three receptions for 86 yards were both game highs as Miami toppled Boston College 38-6 last Saturday. Those numbers were nothing new for McGahee, as he’s averaging 7.8 yards per carry en route to 133.2 rushing yards per game.
