This week we’ve taken a look at all of the Heisman Trophy candidates and presented an argument why each of them should win.
We made arguments for Houston’s Case Keenum, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III and Stanford’s Andrew Luck over the past three days and today we’ll argue why Alabama’s Trent Richardson should win the Heisman.
On the surface, it would seem that Richardson shouldn’t be in the Heisman discussion. Among all the candidates, his numbers don’t begin to compare.
Keenum’s and Griffin’s numbers are far superior to Richardson’s, and the Crimson Tide running back is certainly not the most electrifying player in the nation either.
If you matched him against Michigan’s Denard Robinson, Oregon’s LaMichael James or Griffin, Richardson would be the least explosive player of that group.
But with a combination of speed, power and good hands, Richardson is easily the best running back in college football. More importantly, he’s the driving force behind Alabama’s likely berth in the BCS national championship game.
Some might argue that Alabama would still have a very good team even if Richardson wasn’t on the roster.
That’s true to an extent, but with every opponent’s defense keying on him trying to stop the run, Richardson still gained 1,583 yards on the ground and he was able to produce those numbers despite having three games this season in which he ran for less than 100 yards.
Keep in mind too that like every running back, Richardson is dependent on his offensive line creating holes. Regardless of how talented a back may be, without a good line paving the way yards will be hard to come by.
Richardson has the luxury of having a great offensive line, but where he sets himself apart from other backs is his ability to escape tackles, break tackles, run over defenders or run away from defenders every time he touches the ball.
On 263 rushing attempts this season, Richardson scored 20 touchdowns and he caught 27 passes for 327 yards and three scores.
For a player to generate over 1,900 yards of total offense facing tough competition every week speaks volumes about his production.
Statistics aren’t the only measuring stick used in determining a player’s worthiness to win the Heisman Trophy. Richardson deserves to win the Heisman because unlike the other candidates, he doesn’t have the ball in his hands on every down.
All the Heisman voters need to ask themselves this question. If you removed Richardson from Alabama’s backfield, would the Crimson Tide be in line to play for the national championship?
In case anyone is wondering, the answer to that question is no.
That level of importance is what makes a player great, and that’s the reason why Trent Richardson should win the Heisman Trophy.
