Daniel had no chance against OU's defense and he exited the discussion when he completed 23-of-39 for 219 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. Daniel was only the latest quarterback who faded a week or two after moving into the national spotlight. Once under the glare, Boston College's Matt Ryan began throwing interceptions and Oregon's Dennis Dixon was injured. Even West Virginia's Pat White might have made a pitch last weekend, but he left the Pittsburgh game with an injury. Out of uniform for a time, he donned his pads and attempted to salvage the outcome. His try was admirable, but the results were abysmal.
The various failures of the quarterbacks, plus the fact that not one of the top five teams in the BCS has a bona fide Heisman candidate, cleared the extension rackto vote for somebody from a team with three (Florida) or four (Arkansas) losses.
So this week, it was down to McFadden vs. Tebow, a throwback tailback-type from the days of the single wing. A stout runner, Tebow is also an accurate passer and proficient at reading the option. He is one of a kind and the fact that he is a sophomore was not a black mark to me.
Prefaced with "When you attempt to compare the statistical numbers of the Heisman Trophy front-runners, consider the disparity of opportunities between the nation's top quarterbacks and the nation's best running back to extension rackup yardage and touchdowns," here are the numbers that swung it for McFadden:
_Tebow ran or passed on 511 of his team's 782 plays, 65.3 percent.
-McFadden ran or passed on 315 of 855 plays, 36.8 percent.
Talk about doing more with less.
One more argument for the Razorback. Who is the best running back in the country? One answer. Who is the best quarterback? Multiple choice.
McFadden is likely to finish second again on Saturday night. It wouldn't be the first time that my candidate lost an election.
