Heisman no longer a lock for Bama QB
There wasn’t much intrigue for the announcement of the Heisman Trophy finalists. But Saturday night’s result is far more in doubt than it was believed to be a few weeks ago.
As expected, quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama), Kyler Murray (Oklahoma) and Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State) received invites to be in New York at the end of the week for college football’s top honor. After Tagovailoa was believed to be the heavy favorite, as the best player on the best team, Murray is now considered by some as a small favorite after leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff.
In an ironic twist, Murray and Tagovailoa will be going head-to-head on Dec. 29 in the Orange Bowl with a berth in the national championship game on the line. This will mark the eighth time in nine years a quarterback has won the prestigious award, which is voted on by past winners and members of the media, with Alabama running back Derrick Henry the lone exception in 2015.
In a poll by ESPN’s 10 college football experts, Murray edged Tagovailoa, a result that would make him the second Oklahoma quarterback to win the Heisman in as many years, following Baker Mayfield. The junior Texas A&M transfer also held the advantage in The Athletic’s poll. He is a 1-2 favorite to win the award, according to Bovada.lv, with Tagovailoa 3-2 and Haskins 60-1.
Murray, a two-sport star who was selected by the A’s in the first round of the MLB draft last June, produced 51 touchdowns — 40 through the air and 11 on the ground — 4,985 all-purpose yards and led the nation in quarterback efficiency rating (205.7) and yards per pass attempt (11.9). Tagovailoa, who threw 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions, didn’t finish nearly as strong, throwing two interceptions in Saturday’s SEC Championship game victory over Georgia and suffering a high right ankle sprain. He is expected to be ready for the playoff semifinal.
Haskins had a terrific season as well, setting a Big Ten record with 47 touchdown passes and completing 70.2 percent of his passes for 4,580 yards for the Big Ten champion Buckeyes, who will face Washington in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.