I know no one really wants to discuss the almighty Two'er Tagawikihockeywakinu, but I heard Dan Patrick the other day bringing up a good point concerning the Heisman race. Down in our neck of the woods, all the discussion has been that it's a foregone conclusion that the trophy is Tua's and the only question is who will finish second. A distant second. Now, I'll be the first to admit that as much as it pains me to say it....Dat boy good. Even though he's surrounded by elite talent at every position, which naturally makes anyone's job easier, he's an elite talent himself. There's no questioning it.
But Kyler Murray at OU has put up some highly impressive numbers himself. When you put their numbers up against each other, including each team's record, you have to seriously question why one would be picked over the other. Here ya' go:
Tua (Alabama 12-0)
Passing: 189-269 70.3% 3,189 yds. 36 TD 2 INT 212.5 Rating
Rushing: 45 attempts for 211 yds and 5 TD
Kyler: (Oklahoma 11-1)
Passing: 216-306 70.6% 3,674 yds 37 TD 7 INT 206.8 Rating
Rushing: 113 attempts for 853 yds and 11 TD
The passing stats would most likely be almost identical if Tua had any real attempts in the 4th quarter. But as you can see, Murray is far more valuable to his team on the ground. And that's why Patrick gives the nod to Murray. It's well documented that Tagovailoa has played very little in the 4th quarter as Bama has blown just about everyone out by that time. Murray, on the other hand, IS the OU offense. The Sooners have had to rely on him all season to pull out tough games that went deep into the 4th. The OU defense is putrid. And even though it's the Big 12 and scoreboards normally light up like pinball machines, Murray has still had to carry that team throughout, whereas Tua and Bama have been sticking the dagger in early and coasting.
Do you hold that against Tua? Do you bring him down a notch because the team around him is so good? The interesting thing is that it all may be decided this weekend. Obviously, Bama has the marquis game against FUGA, while few people even care that the Sooners have a rematch with the Longhorns. Can Fuck Georgia make him look human? (I'm not watching that game, BTW) Will Kyler carry the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship?
Who would you put on the podium right now? Or is there someone else out there even more deserving? Or, we can carry on some more discussion about Coach Boom Snap-Crackle-Fizzle-Poop.