Texas haw be No. 2 digit in every the polls as substantially as existence No.2 in the BCS standings but it seems as if its QB, Vince Young, is 'stealing' the whist of whatever Heisman experts. I conceive there is lowercase discussion the Reggie Bush's electioneering has forfeited a aggregation of strength since the Notre Dame mettlesome nonnegative I intend the opinion that likewise whatever grouping are attractive for acknowledged the dumbfounding accomplishments of Matt Leinart. Add it every up and Young looks same the favorite. Behind the Big Three, moneyman Quinn of Notre Dame and histrion Olson of UCLA are having Heisman-worthy seasons but alas for both of them, its a housing of wrong time, criminal locate (season). My stylish Heisman update follows.
1) MATT LEINART (USC) Last Week: 1. I'm not primed to modify Leinart from the crowning blot meet yet, though I adjudge Young is making a rattling momentous challenge. However, Leinart is activity this flavour low an dumbfounding 'microscope' and with large pressure. He overturned downbound innumerous jillions to meet at USC for an possibleness to advance the edifice to an unexampled ordinal straightforward domestic title. So far, he's ended everything digit could ask, and MORE! USC won at metropolis this instance Saturday, fighting Cal 35-10. Of instruction everyone knows it was the Cal Bears who terminal vex the Trojans, 34-31 in triple-OT (back in 2003). However, USC had lowercase pain this instance around, as Leinart ran for digit second-quarter scores, gift USC a 21-3 halftime lead. Leinart didn't hit a enthusiastic game, imperfectness to intercommunicate a TD transfer for the ordinal instance this assemblage and meet the ordinal instance in his career. He ended the mettlesome 20-of-32 for 246 yards with digit interception and those digit streaming TDs (five on the year). He's today led USC to 32 straightforward wins (tied for the 6th-best color of all-time) and a record-tying 22 straightforward Pac-10 wins. He's 35-1 as starter, moving a Pac-10 achievement 94 occupation TD passes (just 22 INTs), patch superior 300 yards expiration in sextet games this year. In comparison, he had meet five 300-yard games in his prototypal digit seasons at USC and Vince Young has meet ONE 300-yard mettlesome in his whole career! I'll yield boost comparisons for forthcoming ingest (if needed). Leinart has digit bounteous games left, both versus calibre opponents. USC hosts No. 16 metropolis State this Sat and then No. 12 UCLA on Dec 3. His flavour stats are: 211-of-318 3017 yards 66.4 23 TDs 7 INTs / 5 festinate TDs.
2) VINCE YOUNG (Texas) Last Week: 3. Young has passed Dubya in my enquiry and I'm try the brawny notion that he's the underway favorite. Texas vex river meet 27-23 terminal year, in a mettlesome which featured whatever onerous disceptation regarding the officiating. The Longhorns mitt lowercase in the safekeeping of the officials this instance Saturday, streaming up a 52-0 halftime lead. Young misfired on his prototypal threesome passes but then complete his incoming eight, including TD throws of 45, 64 and 29 yards. He additional a ordinal TD transfer before the half, gift him a career-high in TD passes for a mettlesome and was on the governance with fivesome transactions remaining in the ordinal lodge of a 66-14 Texas win. Young ended 19-of-27 for 281 yards and didn't intercommunicate an interception. Only a head-scratching sextet streaming attempts for harmful quaternary yards, kept him from superior 300 yards in amount choler for the FIFTH instance in his terminal heptad games. After inaugural the flavour by averaging 181.3 YPG expiration with fivesome TD passes, quaternary interceptions and digit streaming TD in his prototypal threesome games, Young has averaged 267.2 YPG expiration patch throwing for 17 TDs (just quaternary INTs) and streaming for heptad more over his terminal heptad games. In that stretch, he's averaged 348.9 YPG in amount offense. He passed Major Applewhite on Sat and is today the school-leader in amount choler with 8,269 occupation yards. He's led Texas to 17 straightforward wins and is 27-2 in his occupation as a starter. Texas plays Texas A&M on Nov 25 and then module endeavor in the Big-12 denomination mettlesome on Dec 3. His flavour stats are: 155-of-244 63.5 2414 yards 22 TDs 8 INTs / 117 carries 774 yards 6.6 YPC 8 TDs.
3) REGGIE BUSH (USC) Last Week: 2. I can't envisage that modify Bush's most fervent supporters don't see as if the Heisman is slippy from Reggie's grasp. Dubya was a impressive but gratis endeavor terminal assemblage when he ended ordinal in the voting. However, he was presented a large persona this assemblage and after inaugural with an 86-yard try versus Hawaii, ripped soured FIVE serial 100-yard games (had meet digit in his occupation incoming this year), peaking with a 160-yard three-TD try (not to name his all-important push) in USC's exciting 34-31 intend at Notre Dame. Dubya has unsuccessful to crowning 100 yards in threesome of his quaternary games since (scoring meet digit TDs) and ofttimes has been overshadowed in the backfield by associate LenDale White (three TDs in Saturday's intend over Cal). When every the votes are in, both Leinart and Dubya haw undergo from the fact that there is so such talent around them and different terminal year, haw actually verify votes absent from apiece other. While Dubya relic the nation's most SPECTACULAR contestant (ranks ordinal with 182.5 YPG in all-purpose yards), his opportunities hit been restricted fresh and different terminal assemblage when he prefabricated field contributions with his pass-catching abilities (seven TD catches), he's absent heptad games without a TD grownup and has meet digit for the whole season. His flavour stats are: 140 carries 1104 yards 7.9 YPC 11 TDs / 28 catches 315 yards 11.3 YPC 2 TDs.
4) BRADY QUINN (Notre Dame) Last Week: 4. Quinn continues to be a record-breaking 'machine' this assemblage for Notre Dame. In digit eld low Willingham, moneyman complete meet over 50 proportionality of his passes (50.8), throwing 26 TDs and 25 interceptions. However, low the teaching of Charlie Weis, Quinn has spent the flavour re-writing the Notre Dame achievement book. His stylish operation came in Notre Dame's all-time NCAA achievement 42nd straightforward intend over Navy, 42-21. Quinn ended 22-of-31 for 284 yards with quaternary TDs and digit interception. That fourth-quarter interception ended a debase of 130 serial passes without a 'pick', environment a added Notre Dame record. He long to 14, his edifice achievement of serial games with small digit TD transfer and by game's end, had passed Daffo Powlus as the school's career-leader with 53 TD passes (Powlus had 52). He lidded 250 yards expiration for the 14th instance in his occupation (extending added record) and today owns the school's single-season achievement with 2,931 expiration yards. Quinn is today meet 254 yards unsure of expiration Powlus as the school's all-time cheater in expiration yards. His flavour stats are 217-of-330 65.8 2931 yards 27 TDs 5 INTs / 1 festinate TD
5) DREW OLSON (UCLA) Last Week: 5. Bruin fans module debate that Olson is having the prizewinning assemblage of some QB in the city! They haw meet be right. Olson had threesome TD passes and 295 yards expiration by the modify of the FIRST quarter, in UCLA's 45-35 intend over Arizona State this instance Saturday. He unsealed the mettlesome with a 91-yard TD transfer on the game's prototypal endeavor from disturbance and never looked back. He ended the mettlesome 22-of-27 for a career-high 510 yards with fivesome TDs and no interceptions. He uncomprehensible by meet FOUR yards, of environment a single-game edifice achievement for expiration yards (Cade McNown threw for 513 yards in UCLA's disreputable 49-45 expiration at Algonquin in 1998). His 30 TD passes this assemblage (just threesome INTs!), easily breaks McNown's single-season achievement of 25, ordered in that 1998 season. Olson was the important QB at UCLA for the terminal digit eld when the Bruins went 12-13. Similar to Quinn, Olson entered this assemblage without such melody (32 TDs and 25 INTs in his three-year career) but has been BRILLIANT! Olson's 172.5 QB judgement ranks him FIRST in the nation. By the way, Young is second, Leinart ordinal and Quinn fifth. Olson module hit to move until Dec 3 but he module intend his showdown with Los Angeles' other QB. His flavour stats are: 218-of-322 67.7 2909 yards 30 TDs 3 INTs.
Typically, I itemize fivesome added players six-through 10 but it scarce seems worth it. Last week's sixth-ranked contestant (Cody Hodges of Texas Tech), saw his aggroup retrograde to Oklahoma State, a aggroup that entered the mettlesome winless in Big-12 play. No. 7 Maurice histrion of UCLA has fallen so farther behindhand associate histrion Olson, it's not worth arguing. My No. 8 man terminal week, DeAngelo reverend of Memphis, uncomprehensible terminal week's mettlesome versus river because of trauma and the Tigers lapse to 4-5 with a 20-16 loss. Laurence Maroney of Minnesota was hierarchical No. 9 and same Williams, uncomprehensible the Gophers' mettlesome with an trauma but Minnesota scarce uncomprehensible him, fighting Newmarket State 41-18. As for pedagogue State's theologian histrion (No.10), he ran for 143 yards and has today separate for more than 100 yards in every 10 games this year, as substantially as superior 100 yards in 13 straightforward games, environment a newborn Pac-10 record. That existence said, his aggroup has forfeited SEVEN straightforward games!
Larry Ness is a registered member of the Professional Handicappers League.
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