By Harry King
LITTLE ROCK — Florida quarterback Tim Tebow might just steal the Heisman Trophy election from the more qualified candidate, Colt McCoy.
The Southeastern Conference championship game in Atlanta is perfect for Tebow to deliver an election-eve blockbuster that would galvanize the undecided voters.
First, Florida vs. Alabama will captivate the nation on Saturday afternoon.
Second, many will be convinced that poor Tebow has to do it all on his own against the all-mighty defense of the Crimson Tide.
Third, everything he does will be replayed from six angles, embellished with words and flashbacks.
Shortly after the SEC game is history, McCoy will be on stage in Dallas, competing against Nebraska and expectations in the Big 12 championship game. If he puts up splendid stats against the Cornhuskers similar to those compiled by Tebow, some voters might dismiss McCoy’s numbers with a “so what.” To do so, they will have to overlook the fact that Nebraska is No. 3 in the country in scoring defense, allowing a piddling three points more than Alabama in 12 games. Those who believe Big 12 football is Texas and 11 others and that SEC football is superior to all others can take that approach with a clear conscience.
After three months of introducing new candidates into the Heisman race, it comes down to Tebow and McCoy, as it should. At this point, there is an argument over who else would be invited to New York for the Heisman ceremony. There is a case to be made for Alabama’s Mark Ingram and-or Stanford’s Toby Gerhart, but Ingram netted only 30 yards vs. Auburn and Gerhart is late on the scene. Note that Gerhart needed 75 carries to make 344 yards against Oregon State, Arizona, and Arizona State.
Ingram, Gerhart, and all others are only on the periphery.
Many in the national media are enamored with Tebow, which is their prerogative, but he has not done as much as McCoy on the field. While exemplary, Tebow’s lifestyle is not part of the criteria. Although McCoy has not aided with circumcisions during a missionary trip nor does he cite Scripture, the Texas quarterback is not exactly on a Most Wanted poster.
Numbers are not everything and McCoy throws far more passes than Tebow, but his completion percentage is almost six points higher. There is a legitimate argument that Tebow does not have a receiver comparable to Jordan Shipley, but Tebow reaped the rewards when Percy Harvin and others were Gators.
For the past five weeks, McCoy has been superb, throwing for 1,522 yards with 13 touchdowns and one interception. Against Texas A&M, his running was Tebowesque with 18 carries for 175 yards and his speed on a 65-yard scoring run surprised many, including the pursuing Aggies.
Oddly, neither is the beneficiary of a substantial running game.
A letter to Heisman voters outlining online procedures for casting a ballot simply describes the trophy as the award for the “most outstanding college football player in the United States for 2009.”
That is McCoy.
If Tebow wins, it won’t be the first time that I voted for a losing candidate. Besides, he will be No. 2 on my ballot.
—-
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
