Reprinted with permission from HeismanPundit.com.

Mark Ingram wins the 75th Heisman Trophy. (HeismanPundit.com)

In the closest race in Heisman history, Mark Ingram, sophomore running back from Alabama, has won the 2009 Heisman Trophy.

Ingram edged Stanford’s Toby Gerhart by just 28 total points, 1,304 to 1,276.   He’s the first Crimson Tide player–and the third-straight sophomore–to win the the trophy.

“I’m a little overwhelmed right now,” said Ingram upon receiving the award.  “I’m honored to be Alabama’s first Heisman winner.”

Ingram won four of the six Heisman regions:  the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the South and the Midwest (where he was born).  Gerhart won the West, while Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh won the Southwest.

Final Order of Finish, with total points

1. Mark Ingram, 1,304 points

2. Toby Gerhart, 1,276 points

3. Colt McCoy, 1,145 points

4. Ndamukong Suh, 815 points

5. Tim Tebow, 390 points

6. C.J. Spiller, 223 points

7. Kellen Moore, 100 points

8. Case Keenum, 37 points

9. Mardy Gilyard, 23 points

10. Golden Tate, 21 points

The race for the 2009 Heisman Trophy was a seminal one in the award’s history.

What started out as a battle royale between three star quarterbacks ended up as the tighest race ever between two running backs who were mere afterthoughts heading into the season. Read the rest of this entry →

The final HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll of the season is in and Alabama running back Mark Ingram is the leader following his 113-yard rushing performance against No. 1 Florida in the SEC title game. Ingram grabbed five first-place votes and totaled 48 points to retake the top spot back from Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.

Alabama soph RB Mark Ingram seized his Heisman moment (Icon SMI)

“I moved Ingram to the top of my ballot around mid-season, and nothing has made me change my mind,” said one voter. “What he did Saturday against a quality Florida defense was my final validation.”

The vote by the weekly panel of 13 Heisman voters was hardly a slam dunk for the sophomore running back, however, and the race appears to be very muddled going into Saturday’s Heisman ceremony.  Stanford’s Toby Gerhart (41 points, 2 first-place votes), Texas’ McCoy (37 points, 1 first-place vote) and Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh (35 points, 3 first-place votes) all garnered significant support.  A total of six different players received first-place votes, tying the poll’s season high.

Voter commentary reflected the split:

“It’s long past time Heisman voters abandon their traditional, restrictive criteria and award the “most outstanding player,” regardless of position. Suh was hands down the most dominant player in the country on either side of the ball, and his performance in the Big 12 title game firmly solidified his stature. ”

“C.J. Spiller may be more exciting and Toby Gerhart more punishing, but no running back has been more effective against a tougher schedule than Ingram.”

“Golden Tate is as outstanding as he is underrated. Why he isn’t getting more Heisman love is beyond me.  He should not be penalized because his team stunk.”

“Toby Gerhart was consistently excellent this season. He never had a bad game. Stanford’s four losses or his lack of playing on the final weekend should not be held against him.”

Regardless of the outcome, some sort of history is sure to be made on Saturday.  Ingram could become Alabama’s first Heisman winner or runner up, while McCoy could become the first Heisman runner up to come back and win the award since Herschel Walker did it in 1982.  Meanwhile, Gerhart would be the first non-USC winner from the Pac-10 since 1970 and Suh would be the first pure defensive player to win.

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Venti: Stanford RB Toby Gerhart

Stanford RB Toby Gerhart made a strong Heisman Trophy case with three rushing TD and one passing against Notre Dame in his final game (Icon SMI)

Flat out stud. Durable and clutch. Other than the 24-17 loss to Wake Forest in Week 2 where he inexplicably had 6 second half carries, “Touchdown Toby” has averaged 27-149-2.3 TD per game. And other than the Wake game he has been the model of consistency, scoring in every game and never carrying less than 20 yards or gaining less than 100 yards.

And counter-intuitively, he’s gotten better as the season has worn on, just as other backs are wearing down. Mr. November has run for 742 yards and 13 scores against while facing 4 bowl teams, including 223 and 3 against Rose Bowl bound Oregon and flat out embarrassed the USC Defense in their own house to the tune of 178 and 3TD and was the key in Stanford’s ability to hold on the ball for nearly 19 minutes in the second half.

Grande: Florida’s Tim Tebow

Timmy might not have the numbers of his youth, but no single player has meant more to his school this season. Each and every week Tebow puts the Gators on his back and does not allow them to lose, or at least gets them in a spot to take advantage of a few…ahem…questionable calls by those wonderful SEC officials.

Sure the raw numbers aren’t great. But if I’m building a team, I want Gerhart in the backfield and TD Timmy under center. Maybe it is not the perfect marriage of system and talent, but Tebow may be the greatest college football player in history. Certainly the Heisman is not a lifetime award, dont get me wrong, but the point is Tebow can produce eye popping numbers, we’ve all seen that trick. This year is all he is doing is winning each and every time he takes his team onto the field. Read the rest of this entry →

In place of the usual Saturday Morning College Football Breakfast Burrito, let us focus on how Colt McCoy wrapped up the Heisman Trophy this week.

Colt McCoy runs in a 65-yard TD, one of his five on Thanksgiving Night (TexasSports.com)

I know Alabama RB Mark Ingram was nicked up yesterday, but Texas QB Colt McCoy took the lead in my two man race for the 2009 Heisman Trophy with his huge five TD performance on Thanksgiving Night.

Toby Gerhart, Tim Tebow and CJ Spiller have created stellar seasons, but to me the combo of 2009 stats and team success now tilts strongly in the main Longhorns favor. And with this season’s race for player of the year as tight as ever, the “body of work” vote has to go to McCoy. Read the rest of this entry →