Let’s send Heisman candidate RG3 and 2010 seniors off to a bowl in style Saturday
It’s finally official: Baylor’s Robert Griffin III is a Heisman contender.
Griffin received the above letter from the Heisman Trophy Trust last week. According to the letter, Griffin’s “weekly on-field performances are gaining the attention of many of the 926 National Electors” and he is “considered a Heisman Memorial Trophy Contender” in 2010.
[Griffin is also one of 15 “Players to Watch” for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award and a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award (both for national player of the year), as well as a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award and on the watch list for the Manning Award (both recognizing the nation’s top quarterback).]
As Heisman voters receive their ballots this week, many will look to see what the candidates have done recently. What did RG3 do in his first week as an official Heisman candidate? Just complete 28-of-38 passes for 212 yards and rush for 124 more yards, including a highlight-reel 71-yard touchdown carry. He’s already the first Baylor quarterback ever to pass for 3,000 yards in a season, and he will likely break the single-season records for completions and touchdowns before the year is through. Nearing the end of his sophomore year, he’s also Baylor’s career leader for passing touchdowns, total yardage and touchdown responsibility, and he ranks in the top five in passing yards (third) and rushing touchdowns (fourth). Oh, and he’ll receive his degree in political science this December, after just three years.
Baylor fans have one more chance this year to see Griffin and the senior class of 2010 at Floyd Casey Stadium, as the Bears host 14th-ranked Oklahoma Saturday at 7 p.m. Among the 19 seniors playing their final games in front of the home crowd are running back Jay Finley, who needs 115 yards to break Walter Abercrombie’s single-season rushing record; Ray Guy Award candidate Derek Epperson; safety Byron Landor, the nation’s leading tackler among non-linebackers; all-Big 12 candidate Phil Taylor; all-America candidate Danny Watkins; veteran tight end Brad Taylor; and longtime defensive stalwarts Tim Atchison, Mikail Baker, Antareis Bryan, Chris Francis, Antonio Johnson and Clifton Odom.
The Bears and Sooners will play in front of yet another national audience, this time on ESPN2. A crowd of 43,000 or more would set a new Baylor record for average attendance, and there’s no reason we can’t top that. Get your tickets now; from March of the Bears on through the school song, let’s send these seniors off in style and our Bears off to a bowl with a win!
Sic ’em, Bears!