NCAA Heisman Watch: The Doctor’s Top 10 October 25, 2011 — Week 8

Eight weeks into the 2011 college football season and injuries are taking a toll, as well as big performances by some Unusual Suspects, on the Heisman Watch landscape. The 2011 Heisman race has some new names popping up for consideration. There have been quite a few really great individual game performances this year but reality is that the Heisman Award is given out for an entire season’s body of work and not just one or two great games.

QB Kellen Moore has had a typical Kellen Moore season so far in 2011. (2,010 passing yards, 76% completion percentage, 24 TD passes and only 5 INTs on 174 completions out of 288 attempts)

Stanford’s QB Andrew Luck has some pretty good numbers so far this season but right now they fall short of Boise State’s Kellen Moore. (1,888 passing yards, 71.8% completion percentage, 20 TD passes with 3 INTs on 145 completions out of 202 attempts)

Should Michigan’s QB Denard Robinson stay in the Heisman Watch or should he be replaced by Kansas State’s QB Collin Klein? (Denard Robinson: 1,155 passing yards, 52.3 percentage completion, 11 TD passes with 10 INTs on 67 completions out of 128 attempts; Collin Klein: 934 passing yards, 59.4 completion percentage, 8 TD passes with 3 INTs on 82 completions out of 138 attempts) (Denard Robinson: 716 rush yards on 112 carries, 6.4 yards per carry and 9 rushing TDs; Collin Klein: 670 rushing yards on 151 carries, 4.4 yards per carry and 14 rushing TDs) Right now it looks like a slight edge for Klein because Kansas State is 7-0 while Michigan is 6-1.

Baylor’s Robert Griffin III did not play this past week but is still very much in the hunt for the 2011 Heisman.

Jumping into the Heisman Watch is Houston Cougar Quarterback Case Keenum. All he has done so far this year is lead the Cougars to a 7-0 record after the first eight weeks on 2,685 passing yards, 72.9 completion percentage, 23 TD passes with 2 INTs on 194 completions out of 266 attempts.

Oregon’s RB LaMichael James is still down for an eight count but stays in the Top 10 Heisman Watch on the strength of his three 200 yard rushing games and 852 rushing yards, 95 carries, 9.0 yards per carry and 8 rush TDs; 11 receptions for 159 receiving yards, 14.5 yards per catch and 1 receiving TD; 6 punt returns for 116 yards and 1 TD and 1 kick return for 21 yards. His body of work for the year, even though he missed another game, gives him another week’s pass.

University of Wisconsin Quarterback Russell Wilson and the Badgers took it on the chin this week in a last second loss to the Michigan State Spartans (37-31). Wilson had his worst game of the year but still had a passer rating of 168.2 on 14 completions in 21 attempts, 66.7% completion percentage for 223 yards for 2 passing TDs but with 2 INTs but he also had 30 yards on 8 carries and 1 rush TD. A bad game like this does very little to hurt Wilson’s Heisman Watch status.

Clemson Quarterback Tajh Boyd has led the Tigers to an 8-0 record so far on 2,379 passing yards, 61.9% completion percentage, 24 passing TDs 3 INTs on 172 completions out of 278 attempts.

Wisconsin Badger running back Montee Ball now has 19 total touchdowns (114 points/16.3 points per game) and continues to lead the nation in scoring. Ball had another hundred yard rushing game (115 rush yards on 18 carries, 21 receiving yards on 2 catches with 1 rushing and 1 receiving TD).

Alabama’s running back Trent Richardson trails only Wisconsin’s Montee Ball in scoring (18 total TDs) and is second in the nation in rushing with 989 yards on 149 carries for a 6.6 per carry average.

This week’s Doctor’s 2 to watch are undefeated (7-0) Oklahoma State Quarterback Brandon Weeden and Texas Tech (5-2) Quarterback Seth Doege, who is fresh off a huge upset of the previously unbeaten Oklahoma Sooners. Weeden’s numbers after eight weeks are 2,436 passing yards, 71.8% completion percentage, 19 passing TDs and 7 INTs on 222 completions out of 309 attempts. Doege’s numbers after eight weeks are 2,608 passing yards, 69.6% completion percentage, 22 passing TDs and 4 INTs on 238 completions out of 342 attempts.

Top 10 Heisman List by the Doctor’s Gut Feeling

1Russell WilsonWisconsin

QB

2Robert Griffin IIIBaylor

QB

3Kellen MooreBoise State

QB

4Trent RichardsonAlabama

RB

5Montee BallWisconsin

RB

6Andrew LuckStanford

QB

7Tajh BoydClemson

QB

8LaMichael JamesOregon

RB

9Case KeenumHouston

QB

10Collin KleinKansas State

QB

Let’s see how the numbers stack up at the end of the year when the Heisman ballots are cast and counted.