December 7, 2003 - THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER FOR THE HEISMAN
Yes, some radical changes occurred in the college football world on Saturday. The Heisman Trophy Race was no exception. Although Jason White had the Heisman Trophy in his hands, the 35-7 pounding at the hands of Kansas State along with White's two interceptions and sub-par performance, was enough to make this race almost impossible to decide. This is the tightest race this voter can every recall, even tighter than last season. The bottom line...there is no right answer. Arguments can be made for each candidate. We have searched high and low for opinions from local watering holes, to message boards, to people directly involved and the sentiments are different every time. In fact, the race is so close, it has to come down to numbers for this Heisman Voter. Why do so many people ignore the numbers? In previous seasons, the decision may be more than just numbers, but not this year.


Jason White and Larry Fitzgerald performed at their worst in the last regular season game. So NationalChamps.net has decided to take the breakdown even further and compare what each candidate did versus top competition. Well, Philip Rivers has the best statistics of every single QB Candidate. Why reward a player for playing on a team with a better record and better talent anymore than penalize a player for playing on a team with a worse record and less talent? When someone asks why the vote here went as follows, they can just be directed to the statistics. Anything else is just an opinion.

SOS (Strength of Schedule) provided by Richard Billingsley of the BCS Billingsley Report.

HOW DID THEY DO VERSUS TOP COMPETITION? - Looking at the season as a whole, here is a statistical breakdown chart of each candidate and how they performed versus their THREE toughest opponents.
BIG GAME COMPARISON
QUARTERBACK PASSING
PLAYER SCHOOL
CMP
ATT
YDS
CMP%
YPA
TD
INT
1. Philip Rivers NC State
80
120
1013
66.7
8.4
8
3
2. Matt Leinart Southern Cal
56
99
661
57.0
6.7
9
2
3. Jason White Oklahoma
55
98
782
56.1
8.0
6
4
4. Eli Manning Mississippi
50
97
607
51.5
6.3
2
3
RUNNING BACK
RUSHING
RECEIVING
PLAYER SCHOOL
ATT
YDS
AVG
TD
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
1. Darren Sproles Kansas State
71
503
7.1
1
4
88
22.0
1
2. Chris Perry Michigan
83
336
4.0
3
9
82
9.1
0
WIDE RECEIVER  
RECEIVING
PLAYER SCHOOL
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
1. Larry Fitzgerald Pittsburgh
20
319
16.0
4
2. Mike Williams Southern Cal
19
206
10.8
4
 
 
Receiver
6-3, 225
Minneapolis, MN
SOS: 55
Larry Fitzgerald - Pittsburgh, So.
Team Record: 8-4
Receiving
REC YDS AVG TD
87 1595 18.3 22
Game Log Receiving
DATE & OPP RESULT REC YDS AVG TD
9/6 Kent State Win 43-3 6 123 20.5 3
9/13 Ball State Win 42-21 7 124 17.7 2
9/20 @Toledo Loss 35-31 12 201 16.8 1
9/27 @Texas A&M Win 37-26 7 135 19.3 3
10/11 Notre Dame Loss 20-14 5 79 15.8 2
10/18 @Rutgers Win 42-32 8 207 25.9 2
10/25 Syracuse Win 34-14 8 149 18.6 2
11/1 @Boston College Win 24-13 7 156 22.3 1
11/8 Virginia Tech Win 31-28 8 108 13.5 1
11/15 @West Virginia Loss 52-31 9 185 20.6 2
11/22 @Temple Win 30-16 7 102 14.6 2
11/29 Miami Loss 28-14 3 26 8.7 1
BIG GAMES 20 319 16.0 4
  Stats & Facts
Surprise? Maybe not…Jason White dotted the #1 position for NationalChamps.net over the course of two months. It is impossible, though, to ignore the 35-7 Kansas State game. Granted, Fitzgerald had a bitter performance versus Miami and their #2 pass defense in his last regular season game, but when it came down to comparing numbers, Fitzgerald has them, especially/even in other big games. The convincing aspect that puts Fitzgerald over the top is based on the fact that opposing defenses double and triple-teamed him each and every game. Yet, Fitzgerald still managed to make circus catches between two defenders time after time, in a consistent manner from game to game. QB Rod Rutherford did not help Larry's cause in games like Miami, where he was either being sacked or hurried on most every snap. Wide receivers rarely ever win the Heisman, but this has been a wacky season in almost every aspect. It boils down to the Heisman Race being so close, and Fitzgerald having the numbers while drawing all the attention.
 
Quarterback
6-5, 236
Athens, AL
SOS: 37
Philip Rivers - NC State, Sr.
Team Record: 7-5
Passing
CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA TD INT EFFICIENCY
311 438 4016 71.0 9.2 29 7 166.7
Game Log Passing
DATE & OPP RESULT
CMP
ATT
YDS
CMP%
YPA
TD
INT
8/30 Western Carolina Win 59-20 26 30 320 86.6 10.7 3 0
9/6 @Wake Forest Loss 38-24 38 49 433 77.5 8.8 3 2
9/13 @Ohio State Loss 44-38 36 52 315 69.2 6.1 4 2
9/20 Texas Tech Won 49-21 18 22 257 81.8 11.7 1 0
9/27 North Carolina Won 47-34 23 30 423 76.6 14.1 1 0
10/4 @Georgia Tech Lost 29-21 31 46 344 67.3 7.5 2 0
10/11 Connecticut Won 31-24 23 42 234 54.7 5.6 2 1
10/16 Clemson Won 17-15 20 34 213 58.8 6.3 2 0
10/25 @Duke Won 28-21 23 31 369 74.1 11.9 3 1
11/1 Virginia Won 51-37 29 34 410 85.2 12.1 4 0
11/15 @Florida State Loss 50-44 28 38 422 73.6 11.1 4 0
11/22 Maryland Loss 24-26 16 30 276 53.3 9.2 0 1
BIG GAMES 80 120 1013 66.7 8.4 8 3
  Stats & Facts
This pick is sure to be questioned - many media polls do not even have Rivers listed! This probably has to do with the Wolfpack's 7-5 record. However, after last Saturday, it became apparent some statistical comparisons should be made before casting a vote. Philip Rivers has the best statistics of any QB candidate, period. Head to head, he tops Jason White in every single category, except total TD passes. A breakdown of big games, though, shows Rivers tops White in all areas. Is the Heisman Trophy, especially in a season such as this, where there is no clear-cut dominant player, really about team production? It's hard to believe Jason White would have much better than a 7-5 record while playing QB in Raleigh, let alone a 71% completion rate. The bottom line…once again, the race is so close, we stripped it clean and put more weight into statistics.
 
Running Back
5-7, 170
Olathe, KS
SOS:38
Darren Sproles - Kansas State, Jr
Team Record: 11-3
Rushing Receiving
ATT YDS AVG TD REC YDS AVG TD
293 1948 6.6 15 22 282 12.8 2
Game Log Rushing Receiving
DATE & OPP
RESULT
ATT
YDS
AVG
TD
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
8/23 California Win 42-28 22 175 8.0 1 0 0 0.0 0
8/30 Troy State Win 41-5 12 49 4.1 1 1 14 14.0 0
9/6 McNeese State Win 55-14 14 101 7.2 1 0 0 0.0 0
9/13 Massachusetts Win 38-7 28 152 5.4 3 1 3 3.0 0
9/20 Marshall Loss 27-20 14 77 5.5 1 5 50 10.0 0
10/4 @Texas Loss 24-20 24 128 5.3 0 1 0 0.0 0
10/11 @Oklahoma State Loss 38-34 18 74 4.1 0 5 82 16.4 1
10/18 Colorado Win 49-20 14 90 6.4 1 0 0 0.0 0
10/25 Kansas Win 42-6 19 98 5.2 1 1 11 11.0 0
11/1 Baylor Win 38-10 19 155 8.2 0 1 7 7.0 0
11/8 @Iowa State Win 45-0 19 201 10.6 3 2 15 7.5 0
11/15 @Nebraska Win 38-9 25 140 5.6 1 0 0 0.0 0
11/22 Missouri Win 24-14 43 273 6.3 2 2 12 6.0 0
12/6 vs. Oklahoma Win 35-7 22 235 10.7 0 3 88 29.3 1
BIG GAMES 71 503 7.1 1 4 88 22.0 1
  Stats & Facts
Look, up in the sky, out of the blue, it's Darren Sproles. Where did he come from? Sproles was sitting in total anonymity prior to his showdown with Oklahoma, even though he quietly managed to lead the nation while rushing for over 1700 total yards. The answer is simple - after Kansas State lost three in a row back in mid-October, culminating in a dismal loss to Oklahoma State, the Wildcats were put on the back burner of most peoples' minds. In a room with five televisions on any following Saturday, you would be hard pressed to find KSU on any of the tubes. Then came that eventful December 6 night game in Kansas City, and the world was reminded. Are you serious? Over 300 all-purpose yards and over a 10-yard per carry performance versus what some were calling the best defense is the history of college football? That is an average of a first down every carry. Once again, the statistics department takes over at NationalChamps.net and Sproles makes the biggest jump of all. Whew, what a weekend!
 
Quarterback
6-2, 221
Tuttle, OK
SOS: 23
Jason White - Oklahoma, Sr.
Team Record: 12-1
Passing
CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA TD INT EFFICIENCY
265 414 3744 64.0 9.0 40 8 168.0
Game Log Passing
DATE & OPP RESULT CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA TD INT
8/30 North Texas Win 37-3 23 35 248 65.7 7.1 3 1
9/6 @Alabama Win 20-13 21 35 259 60.0 7.4 2 0
9/13 Fresno State Win 52-28 25 37 338 67.6 9.1 4 0
9/20 UCLA Win 59-24 17 25 243 68.0 9.7 2 2
10/4 @Iowa State Win 53-7 26 34 384 76.5 11.3 5 0
10/11 @Texas Win 65-13 17 21 290 81.0 13.8 4 0
10/18 Missouri Win 34-13 20 34 278 58.8 8.2 2 1
10/25 @Colorado Win 34-20 19 28 248 67.9 8.9 3 0
11/1 Oklahoma State Win 52-9 11 27 194 40.7 7.2 2 2
11/8 Texas A&M Win 77-0 16 18 263 88.9 14.6 5 0
11/15 Baylor Win 41-3 21 38 307 55.3 8.1 4 0
11/22 @Texas Tech Win 56-25 22 32 394 68.8 12.3 4 0
12/6 vs. Kansas State Loss 35-7 27 50 298 54.0 6.0 0 2
BIG GAMES 55 98 782 56.1 8.0 6 4
  Stats & Facts
Finishing #1 in the BCS Poll was not enough for some. Now, Jason White is still being touted for the #1 spot in the Heisman Race despite getting blown away by the winds out of Manhattan. Did this game mean anything? Why do they even play a Big XII Championship Game? The last two (out of three) years, it has meant nothing. Well, it means something, that White lost his grasp on the Heisman in this projection. He is still the #2 QB, but it became apparent White is vulnerable. Kansas State took away the run, and White was left to win it alone with the ball in his hands, much like guys such as Manning and Rivers have been forced to do all season. If the outcome had been closer, the Heisman results would have possibly still had White in front. Jason White, as did the entire Sooner team, looked lost. It would not be fair to base a decision on White's worst game, so we pulled up all the numbers for all candidates, and White still does not come out on top in either overall stats or, even worse, the big game statistics. Yes, the 35-7 defeat forced a hard comparison, which did not benefit his campaign.
 
Running Back
6-1, 228
Advance, NC
SOS: 18
Chris Perry - Michigan, Sr.
Team Record: 10-2
Rushing Receiving
ATT YDS AVG TD REC YDS AVG TD
315 1589 5.0 17 42 366 8.7 2
Game Log Rushing Receiving
DATE & OPP RESULT ATT YDS AVG TD REC YDS AVG TD
8/30 Central Michigan Win 45-7 22 232 10.5 2 1 17 17.0 0
9/6 Houston Win 50-3 27 184 6.8 2 5 23 4.6 0
9/13 Notre Dame Win 38-0 31 133 4.3 3 4 44 11.0 1
9/20 @Oregon Loss 31-27 11 26 2.4 0 2 -3 -1.5 0
9/27 Indiana Win 31-17 21 112 5.3 0 2 8 4.0 0
10/4 @Iowa Loss 30-27 24 87 3.6 1 2 11 5.5 0
10/10 @Minnesota Win 38-35 20 85 4.3 1 11 122 11.1 1
10/18 Illinois Win 56-14 24 140 5.8 3 1 6 6.0 0
10/25 Purdue Win 31-3 28 95 3.4 0 2 16 8.0 0
11/1 @Michigan State Win 27-20 51 219 4.3 1 2 17 8.5 0
11/15 @Northwestern Win 41-10 25 122 4.9 2 5 50 10.0 0
11/22 Ohio State Win 35-21 31 154 5.0 2 5 55 11.0 0
BIG GAMES 83 336 4.0 3 9 82 9.1 0
  Stats & Facts

The worst candidate hurt by last Saturday may have been Chris Perry - he sat at home and could only watch. Let's not forget what he accomplished versus one of the toughest rush defenses in all the country versus rival (and #1 nationally-ranked run-defense of) Ohio State. Some of these changes do seem a bit radical. Sorry to sound like a broken record, but the crazy results of December 6th force a statistical comparison and in the process, Darren Sproles moves in front of Chris Perry. Both, though, are worthy of being invited to the ceremony. Unfortunately, the likelihood that both receive an invitation is slim. It's hard to ignore Sproles 7.1 yard-per-carry statistic in big games. Perry was staying ahead of most other RBs with his amazing reception totals. In comparison, Sproles can catch the pigskin as well. But it is the YAC's (yards after catch) that make Sproles so dangerous, just ask Oklahoma. Chris Perry plays behind one of the best offensive lines in the nation, but that should not detract from his ratings. The bottom line…statistical comparisons hurt Perry's campaign in terms of differentiating our #3 and #5 positions. We don't believe Perry had a legitimate shot at winning the award, but his contributions in 2003 are worthy of listing.

 
 
Quarterback
6-5, 218
New Orleans, LA
SOS: 51
Eli Manning - Mississippi, Sr.
Team Record: 9-3
Passing
CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA TD INT EFFICIENCY
253 410 3341 61.7 8.1 27 9 147.5
Game Log Passing
DATE & OPP RESULT CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA TD INT
8/30 @Vanderbilt Win 24-21 22 33 275 66.7 8.3 1 0
9/6 @Memphis Loss 44-34 26 48 292 54.2 6.1 4 2
9/13 Louisiana Monroe Win 59-14 21 26 353 80.8 13.6 3 0
9/27 Texas Tech Loss 49-45 29 49 409 59.2 8.3 3 2
10/4 @Florida Win 20-17 17 29 262 58.6 9.0 0 1
10/11 Arkansas State Win 41-0 23 36 306 63.9 8.5 3 1
10/18 Alabama Win 43-28 14 22 230 63.6 10.5 3 0
10/25 Arkansas Win 19-7 17 32 145 53.1 4.5 1 1
11/1 South Carolina Win 43-40 30 42 391 71.4 9.3 3 1
11/8 @Auburn Win 24-20 19 30 218 63.3 7.3 2 0
11/22 LSU Loss 17-14 16 36 200 44.4 5.6 1 1
11/27 @Mississippi St. Win 31-0 19 27 260 70.4 9.6 3 0
BIG GAMES 50 97 607 51.5 6.3 2 3
  Stats & Facts
Without demeaning a class act/candidate like Eli Manning, it has to be noted that Manning has the worst statistics of every single Heisman QB Candidate, although the numbers are still (better than) descent. People picking Manning to win the Heisman are likely to have never researched a single comparison - they know the Manning name, see the decent numbers, and just assume he deserves the award. When looking at his Big Game numbers here on NationalChamps.net, one would have to believe Ole Miss struggled. Against the three toughest opponents on the Ole Miss schedule (Florida, LSU, Arkansas), Manning threw more interceptions than TDs (3 int., 2 TD) and only managed to complete half of his passes. In the biggest game at Oxford in over 40 years against LSU November 22, 2003, Eli struck out in the last two minutes. His leadership qualities and clutch performances kept him towards the top of our list until that point. But who said the Heisman campaign had anything to do with how players perform on the field? The bottom line…Eli is one of the most respectable human beings playing college football, his skills are excellent, and people know how "apples do not fall to far from the tree". Eli possibly deserves to be in New York for the presentation, but winning the award would typically represent the shallower side of American politics.
 
 
THE 2003 OFFICIAL HEISMAN BALLOT