Wisconsin Badger’s running back Montee Ball has been named one of five finalists for the 2011 Hesiman Trophy.
Ball will head to New York City along with Alabama tailback Trent Richardson, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu and Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. The award will be given out this Saturday at 7 p.m. CST on ESPN.
Ball rushed for 1,759 on 275 attempts with 32 touchdowns. He also caught 20 receptions for 255 yards and six touchdowns. Ball’s 38 total touchdowns is second all-time behind Barry Sanders (39) and he will most likely break the record when the Badgers play Oregon in the Rose Bowl. When Sanders set the record in 1988 the NCAA did not include bowl games for single or team statistics. If they did, Sanders would have a staggering 44 total touchdowns in twelve games played. Since the NCAA changed the rule, Ball will only need two touchdowns to surpass Sanders.
Richardson was the leading candidate for most of the season. He ran the ball 263 times for 1,583 with 20 touchdowns. Richardson also had 327 receiving yards on 27 catches with three touchdowns, bringing his total to 23 on the season.
Griffin is the new favorite in the Heisman race. He threw for 3,998 and 36 touchdowns with a completion rate of 72.4%. Griffin also ran for nine touchdowns and only threw six interceptions all year. His 192.31 passer rating is the best in football.
Mathieu recorded 71 total tackles (54 solo), intercepted two passes, registered 1.5 sacks, forced six fumbles and had five fumble recoveries. Mathieu also returned two punts for touchdowns. His amazing defensive play is a big reason why LSU has been lights out on defense and are now playing for a National Championship.
Luck is the popular choice for the number one pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Luck passed for 3,170 yards and 35 touchdowns with a completion rate of 70%. He also threw nine interceptions and has a passer rating of 167.5
In my opinion, Montee Ball is the Heisman winner and I made the case for him a few days ago here. His 38 total touchdowns is absolutely ridiculous. I understand Griffin threw for almost 4,000 yards and had 45 total touchdowns of his own, but for Ball to account for nearly half of his team’s scores as a running back is even more impressive.
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RG3 has 9 TDs rushing too that you forgot to mention. 45 total TDs is pretty impressive
Thank you for mentioning that. I meant to include the 9 rushing touchdowns but it slipped my mind while writing the article. You’re exactly right, 45 total touchdowns is very impressive. In fact Griffin accounted for 66% of his team’s total scores while Montee Ball only accounted for 49%. The point I would make then is that Ball is a running back who did it, which I think is more impressive. Once again thank you for pointing that out about Griffin.