Heisman race could hinge on Tech-OU

By Don Williams | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

The matchup between No. 2 Texas Tech and No. 5 Oklahoma offers more than just Big 12 South Division and BCS national championship implications. It promises to turn over some more cards at the Heisman Trophy table, too.

Three national Web sites have Tech quarterback Graham Harrell and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford ranked 1-2, 1-2 and 1-3 – Harrell first, in each case – in the competition for college football’s outstanding player for 2008. Harrell needs to win not only to keep his frontrunner status but also to help get teammate Mike Crabtree a trip to New York City.

Asking Tech coach Mike Leach to say which of his two marquee players is more Heisman worthy might be akin to asking Leach to choose between his children.

“I think they both are,” Leach said Thursday. “I’m not really going to get into that, but Graham’s more of a team-leader guy.”

Clearly, Saturday’s Tech-OU game at Norman, Okla., will have a game-within-a-game element.

As TheSportingNews.com’s Matt Hayes put it, “More than likely, one of two quarterbacks will take a big lead this weekend when Texas Tech plays at Oklahoma.”

Just as Tech’s program has reached unprecedented heights with its 10-0 start, its individual players are getting more consideration for college football’s top award. The highest finish by Red Raiders in the Heisman race was Donny Anderson’s fourth place in 1965 and Byron Hanspard’s sixth in 1996.

After Tech upset No. 1 Texas 39-33 on Nov. 1, Harrell jumped from third to first and Crabtree from not in the ranking to No. 6 on CollegeFootballNews.com’s “Top 10 Player Race.” ESPN.com’s 14-person panel has Crabtree in fifth position for the Heisman and The Sporting News.com’s Hayes has Crabtree among three players in the mix for the last invitation to the awards ceremony.

The award will be presented on Dec. 13.

Ballots were mailed this week to the 925 Heisman voters. The voting deadline is Dec. 10 – four days after conference championship games and three days before the presentation.

Crabtree appears to be on the bubble for a trip to New York to sit among the finalists. To actually win, he’d have to be spectacular the rest of the way.

Since 1950, the only wide receivers to take home the Heisman were Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991 and Notre Dame’s Tim Brown in 1987. Both boosted their profile by being productive in the return game, something Crabtree has only dabbled in.

Trip or no trip, Crabtree will have some consolation.

Some national pundits have suggested this season that he’s as good as college football has ever seen at wide receiver.

Asked Thursday to identify the best college wideouts he’d seen, Leach tossed out names such as Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin. Rice, playing at Mississippi Valley State, caught 301 passes for 4,693 yards and 50 touchdowns during his college career from 1981-84. Irvin, playing at Miami, set school records for catches (143), yards (2,423) and touchdowns (26).

Crabtree, in just less than two seasons, has 212 catches for 2,972 yards and 40 TDs.

“I think he’s a little more like Rice, really, but he has qualities of both (Irvin and Rice),” Leach said.

Leach said he saw similarities between Rice and Crabtree in their “sense of space” in route running.

“A lot of what Michael Irvin did was power,” Leach said. “Jerry Rice had a combination of both. And Crab’s got some power, too, no question. But Michael Irvin, to me, I think of intensity and power. Jerry Rice, I think of sense of space, right place right time a lot.”

Harrell has a record chase that could come in handy in Heisman consideration. He’s six away from tying and seven from breaking the major-college record of 131 career touchdown passes set by Colt Brennan, a senior last year at Hawaii.

Tech running backs coach Seth Littrell played in the same backfield with a Heisman runnerup, quarterback Josh Heupel, who led Oklahoma to the national championship in 2000. Heupel finished a close second that year to winner Chris Weinke from Florida State.

Comparing Heupel, now OU’s quarterbacks coach, to Harrell, Littrell said, “They’re both very smart,” but said Harrell has had the good fortune to be in the system longer. Heupel, recruited to OU from a community college, played only two years for the Sooners, whereas Harrell is in year five at Tech.

Littrell said Harrell is going deeper into his progressions than in years past, able to look at all five receivers.

“He may stick on one a little bit longer that he might have got off of earlier the last couple of years, due to experience and due to the offensive line protecting him well,” Littrell said. “He’s getting to his fifth read with the backs a lot better than he ever has.”

Heisman rankings

How three national Web sites rank college football’s top players for 2008.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS

TOP 10 PLAYER RACE

1. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech

2. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

3. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

4. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

5. Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa

6. Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri

7. Mike Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

8. Javon Ringer, RB, Michigan State

9. Brian Johnson, QB, Utah

10. Case Keenum, QB, Houston

ESPN.COM”>style=”bold”>ESPN.COM HEISMAN WATCH

1. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech

2. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

3. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

4. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

5. Mike Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

6. Javon Ringer, RB, Michigan State

7. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State

8. Jeremy Maclin, WR, Missouri

9. Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa

Note: ESPN.com’s Heisman Watch represents a poll of 14 analysts, former players, coaches and ESPN.com’s college football staff.

THE SPORTING NEWS.COM

LEADERS

1. Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech

2. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

3. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida

4. Colt McCoy, QB, Texas

STILL HAS SHOT TO BE FINALIST

1. Mike Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

2. Chase Daniel, QB, Missouri

3. Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama

Note: The Sporting News ranking by staff writer Matt Hayes