Brady Quinn????
What should have been the final piece of the puzzle during
Thursday
nights College Football Awards soon became the
biggest joke of the night and possibly the season.
When Tom McDonald (1956 Maxwell Winner) called out Notre Dame Quarterback
Brady Quinn, a sigh went across all of college football. How could Troy Smith be turned away after
winning the Davey O’Brien and the Walter Camp Awards? How could a player who won every big
game he’s played in during the 2006 season watch as a player who never beat his
biggest opponent walk up to accept this prestigious award? But that’s exactly what happened on this
night and I’m almost positive it won’t repeat itself come Saturday.
Don’t get me wrong, both players enjoyed success during this past season,
but Smith made the plays and positioned his team to be playing for a National
Championship. Look at all the
numbers and not just the passing yards posted by the two.
Smith earned Big Ten offensive player of the year honors
by throwing for 30 touchdowns and amassing 2,740 total yards.
Quinn had 35 touchdowns and passed for 3,278 yards but needed 135 more
attempts to account for the extra yards.
When you break it down Quinn only averaged 5.7 yards per play in those
135 plays.
But when looking at overall play, Smith proved to the college football
world he’s not only the favorite to win the Heisman, but also the most important
player to his team’s success.
Smith always showed up for “Big Games” while Quinn struggled to post
victories. While Smith was leading
the Buckeyes to wins over Texas and Michigan, Quinn struggled to beat the likes of Georgia Tech and Michigan State while taking “L’s” against Michigan and USC. How can a player with two losses defeat
a player from a team he guided to a perfect record? Ask the Maxwell Award people because
they found a way.
All that can be said is the power of Notre Dame and the way the Maxwell
is voted on favors a player like Quinn even when they don’t stack up on the
field.
Saturday night will prove Smith is the number one player in the country
as his name is called for this seasons Heisman Trophy and he’ll even take it
another step as he looks to earn a National Championship against Florida.