Russell Wilson Should Still Win The Heisman

[uncfan103]

You forgot to adjust for the fact Wilson has TEAMMATES worth a damn and Griffin plays for BAYLOR. Can you name another player on his team without looking it up?

Seriously, Griffin does it with ZERO help. The fact he's even in the ballpark is amazing in and of itself. Do you think his numbers would be better with Wisconsin's talent?

Kendall Wright*|*Baylor,*WR*:*2012 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

His #1 WR > Nick Toon or any other Wisconsin WR. Also...http://draftbreakdown.com/robert-griffin-iii-vs-texas-am-2011 i couldnt watch that without LOL'ing. PA short pass flat. PA short pass into flat. And its the same thing repeated over and over. Granted he looked great against TCU in the first week of the season when he was tearing apart that true freshman corner that couldnt cover Kendall Wright to save his life. And, Terrance Ganaway is pretty good too.

 

[BigAppleBadger]

well if it helps i dont want luck to win it either........and why arent you passing when up big werent ya'll accussed of running up the score last year or was that the year before

No he hasn't been passing when up big. I think his longest pass (not including YAC) was against MSU.

 

[BigAppleBadger]

UW football: Wilson taking aim at Big Ten and national record marks

The impact senior quarterback Russell Wilson has had in his brief time with the University of Wisconsin football team extends far beyond the numbers.

But the numbers have become so mind-boggling, they are an important part of the remarkable story.

Quite simply, with two games remaining in the regular season, Wilson is putting together one of the most impressive seasons ever for a quarterback at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

In 10 games, Wilson has already set a school record for touchdown passes (25). He's within two games of the NCAA record of 36 consecutive games with a touchdown pass. His completion percentage of .734 puts him within range of the Big Ten Conference record of .735 set by Northwestern's Dan Persa last year. (The next two marks are held by former Badgers — Scott Tolzien, with a .729 mark in 2010, and Darrell Bevell's .678 in 1993.)

Yet, one number that stands above the rest is his pass efficiency rating of 201.6. The NCAA record for single-season pass efficiency is 186.0 by Hawaii's Colt Brennan in 2006 and Wilson is on pace to demolish it.

The pass efficiency rating is cumbersome for most fans because it involves a complex formula, which is different from the one the NFL uses.

But here's one comparison: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the NFL with a passer rating of 129.1 going into Monday night's game, nearly 27 points ahead of New England's Tom Brady in second.

Wilson's rating using the NFL system is 141.92. So, if you believe the rating, Wilson is having an even better season than that other quarterback in the state.

While Wilson does not pay much attention to statistics, he knows the efficiency rating is important because it incorporates most of the key aspects of quarterback play.

"I think passing efficiency is definitely something you want to be great at and have a high number in," Wilson said. "That means the quarterback's completing a lot of passes, the average yards per play is usually pretty good, you're scoring a lot of touchdowns and in terms of your interceptions, those are down.

"I don't focus on that. I do believe it's a significant number. At the same time, I have to keep competing every single day and just try to perform on Saturdays."

It's no wonder Wilson is challenging the pass efficiency record because he has excelled in every one of those keys areas.

His completion percentage ranks fourth nationally, but he has accomplished that in a pro-style passing game, while frequently throwing the ball down the field. His average of 11.08 yards per pass attempt leads the country and is ahead of the FBS record of 11.07 set by Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer at Brigham Young in 1989.

Wilson's average of 9.9 yards per play is also on pace to break the NCAA record of 9.2 set by Brennan in 2006. That's his combined passing and rushing yards (2,711) divided by his combined attempts (273).

Finally, Wilson has 25 touchdowns to go with three interceptions. His last interception came in the fourth quarter against Michigan State four weeks ago. He has since attempted 73 straight passes without an interception.

Even the wildest optimist could not have expected this kind of success from Wilson before the season began.

"I think the whole thing is a pretty unique situation," UW offensive coordinator Paul Chryst said. "I still go back and say, it's the meshing of the personalities, both our team's personality and his; (they) are (both) pretty unique to make that thing work.

"I think there was confidence on both sides, but not a wall of arrogance on either side. It was kind of the perfect mesh that way."

Wilson was the model of efficiency last week, when he was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for the third time after completing 16 of 17 passes for 178 yards and four touchdowns in the 42-13 win over Minnesota. His completion percentage of 94.1 was the fourth-highest for a game with a minimum of 10 attempts in conference history.

It came out afterward that Wilson has pushed his teammates during Thursday and Friday practices to go through without a single incompletion.

"He has been taking it upon himself," Chryst said. "Then it gets a little bit infectious. You don't want to be the guy to break (the streak). I like seeing that."

That's not only an example of how Wilson approaches practices, but how he loves to compete.

"One thing he does, anything you can turn into a competition, he enjoys that," Chryst said. "That's the point of it."

In addition to pass efficiency, Wilson focuses on two areas: third downs and red zone.

He has said repeatedly that great quarterbacks must function in those two areas.

It should come as no surprise that Wilson has been off the charts there, too. His pass efficiency on third downs is 231.8, higher than his overall rating.

UW leads the nation in third-down conversions (56 percent) and touchdown percentage in the red zone (87.0). On third-and-goal, which combines the two, Wilson is 5-for-5, with five TDs.

Notice a pattern here? Whatever Wilson sets his mind to, he seems to accomplish.

"I think those three things: competing, obviously, but competing on third down and in the red zone are the main things a quarterback has to do to be successful," he said.

Read more: UW football: Wilson taking aim at Big Ten and national record marks

 

[Smart]

Tom Oates gets it:

When two quarterbacks — Stanford's Andrew Luck and Boise State's Kellen Moore — took hits after their teams lost for the first time Saturday, the college football experts declared the Heisman Trophy race wide open.

In most polls, the frontrunners are Luck, Alabama halfback Trent Richardson and Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden. Behind them are Moore, Houston quarterback Case Keenum and, coming on fast, Oregon halfback LaMichael James. Surprisingly, you almost have to read the fine print to find Russell Wilson's name, which makes no sense.

The University of Wisconsin's senior quarterback should be right in the mix with those six players and possibly even the No. 1 candidate for one simple reason: No one on a highly ranked team has played better week-in and week-out. Wilson has performed at an extremely high level in every one of his 10 games, something no other candidate can say.

Badgers coach Bret Bielema is pushing both Wilson and junior halfback Montee Ball for the Heisman and both deserve consideration. But while Ball is right there with the top runners in the discussion, his numbers (other than his 27 touchdowns) and his consistency don't blow away the competition like Wilson's do.

In one Heisman poll, Wilson moved up to second behind Luck after six games, but dropped to fifth after UW lost to Michigan State and eighth after the loss to Ohio State. Wilson's stock plummeted even though he was the best thing the Badgers had going for them in those back-to-back road night games that UW lost on improbable long passes in the closing seconds.

Wilson led fourth-quarter comebacks both times, bringing the Badgers back from a 14-point deficit to tie it up at Michigan State and rallying them from 12 down to take the lead at Ohio State. What did voters expect him to do beyond that? Break up a pass in the end zone? Block for the punter?

Of course, Heisman voting is an unscientific undertaking often conducted from afar that combines a players statistics, ability to shine against good competition and his team's record.

Many voters place a high priority on winning and the top six candidates play on teams in the top 11 in the BCS standings and have lost, at most, one game. Twice-beaten UW is 17th.

Still, those who have watched Wilson on a weekly basis marvel at his Aaron Rodgers-like consistency from game to game. Indeed, he's doing some historic things as a passer, and he's not doing them in some pass-crazy spread. He's doing them in a pro-style offense that also has the nation's fifth leading rusher in Ball.

Go ahead, check out some of the records Wilson is chasing:

• He leads the nation in pass efficiency (201.6) and is on pace to destroy the NCAA record of 186.0 set by Hawaii's Colt Brennan.

• He leads the nation with 11.08 yards per pass attempt and is on pace to break the NCAA record of 11.07 set by BYU's Ty Detmer.

• He leads the nation with 9.9 yards per play, well ahead of Brennan's NCAA record of 9.2.

Wilson also is fourth in the NCAA in completion percentage (.734) and close to the Big Ten record (.735). His 25 touchdown passes put him on a pace to finish with the second-most in Big Ten history behind Purdue's Drew Brees (39) and his 25-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio trails only Keenum's 37-3 mark nationally. Wilson also has thrown a touchdown pass in 34 straight games, putting him within two of the NCAA record held by Graham Harrell of Texas Tech.

Now compare Wilson to the other top candidates.

Keenum (second), Moore (fourth), Luck (fifth) and Weeden (eighth) also rank in the NCAA's top 10 in pass efficiency. However, Keenum and Moore each have faced only one defense from a BCS conference school. Each also had a game in which he struggled — Keenum against Louisiana Tech and Moore against Nevada.

As for Luck and Weeden, Wilson simply has been more consistent. His pass-efficiency rating has been above 200 in half of his 10 games, with only three below 187.7 and a low of 158.9 against Ohio State. Weeden has had only four games above 158.1 and had a poor outing against Texas. Luck has had only three games above 175.2 and contributed to Saturday's loss to Oregon with three turnovers.

In addition, none of the other top QBs is a threat to run, which is one of Wilson's best assets. He can beat you in more ways than any of the others.

As for the top halfbacks under consideration, Richardson and James each have had three games where they failed to rush for 100 yards. And Richardson's Alabama team failed to score a touchdown in its 9-6 loss to LSU, while James missed two games due to injury.

It's unlikely to happen due to UW's record, but if Wilson plays at his current level in the next two games against defenses (Illinois and Penn State) that are ranked in the NCAA's top 10, and possibly a third (Michigan State) in the Big Ten title game, he deserves to win the Heisman.



Read more: Tom Oates: Here's a Heisman vote for Wilson

 

[BigAppleBadger]

The problem is that the Heisman, like most pro sports MVP awards, has become an individual award in name only.

 

[Smart]

Some nuggets from Wisconsin's RussellmaniaXVI twitter:

- With 25 TD passes this year, #RussellWilson has set #Badgers record & on pace to have 2nd-most in #B1G history (Brees - 39 in '98)

- #RussellWilson has throw a TD every 8.7 passes this season. Kellen Moore is second in country at 1 every 9.6 passes

- #RussellWilson leads nation with 11.08 yards per pass attempt. On pace to break #NCAA record (11.07 - Ty Detmer, 1989)

- #RussellWilson leads nation with 9.9 yards per play (total offense). On pace to break #NCAA record (9.2 - C. Brennan, 2006)

- #RussellWilson leads #NCAA with 15.1 yards per completion, almost a full yard better than No. 2 (Case Keenum)

- In last three games, #Russell Wilson has 9 TDs & 0 INTs. 25-3 TD-INT ratio on season 2nd-best in #NCAA

- On 3rd down, #RussellWilson is 41-of-53 for 527 yards (9.9 yds per attempt) w/12 TDs & 1 INT. Pass efficiency of 231.8

- In 1st half this season, #RussellWilson is 112-of-144 for 1,725 yards w/18 TDs & 1 INT. Pass efficiency of 218.3

- In 4th Q of 2 losses, #RussellWilson - 10-of-19, 173 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT (pass effic. - 170.7). Also ran for TD & completed 2-point pass

 

[mm03]

How about the game he pretty much lost for Wisconsin and ruined their title hopes? That looks pretty good on a heisman resume. If you forgot, let me refresh your memory. He throws a pick up 14-0 and starts to turn the momentum of a game in East Lansing. Then he makes a dumb play for a safety and completely turns the momentum into MSU's favor. Then when he needs to make a big drive he throws another pick in the 4th quarter. Luckily for him the defense bailed him out and gave him another chance. Yes it's a team game and Bret shouldn't of called the 2nd timeout.. but Wilson played up and down big time in the biggest game of your season.

 

[Smart]

How about the game he pretty much lost for Wisconsin and ruined their title hopes? That looks pretty good on a heisman resume. If you forgot, let me refresh your memory. He throws a pick up 14-0 and starts to turn the momentum of a game in East Lansing. Then he makes a dumb play for a safety and completely turns the momentum into MSU's favor. Then when he needs to make a big drive he throws another pick in the 4th quarter. Luckily for him the defense bailed him out and gave him another chance. Yes it's a team game and Bret shouldn't of called the 2nd timeout.. but Wilson played up and down big time in the biggest game of your season.

You missed the part where he led his team to two quick TDs to tie the game, the part where he repeatedly scrambled to buy his teammates more time to get them open, and the fact that he led his team to more points and more yards of offense than anyone else who played Michigan State all year.

That first "game turning" interception wasn't his fault at all. Toon went the wrong way on his route. Toon has said that, as has Chryst. He also had a perfect 80 yards TD pass dropped. The second pick wasn't that bad, either. He threw the ball deep to where he thought his tight end would be, and he didn't get there. He did make a couple of bad plays (the safety and missing Pedersen when he was wide open). Even with that, he still had a 165 passer rating against one of the best defenses in the country. Andrew Luck couldn't even put up a 140 rating against an inferior defense last weekend, and he made seven or eight bad plays, as opposed to 3 or so from Russell.

 

[BigAppleBadger]

Wilson threw two picks against MSU, only one was his fault, but I don't even really think that's why the Badgers lost. Obviously if that other drive was a TD and not a turnover, and everything else is the same, Wisconsin wins. But the plays that killed them were the punt block TD, the end around that MSU took for 35 yards or so for a TD, and the Hail Mary.

Against Ohio State Wilson had no TO's and played well enough to win. Not videogame numbers, but it was a great defense on the road.

And despite everything, he took his team from 2 scores down in both of those games to tie or take the lead. Long story short, if our defense doesn't allow those game-winning TD passes, ESPN would be calling Wilson the hero of both games. Obviously it does, because the Heisman isn't really an individual award anymore, but the fact that those plays went against us shouldn't really change that assessment.

 

[ForkEmBucky]

How about the game he pretty much lost for Wisconsin and ruined their title hopes? That looks pretty good on a heisman resume. If you forgot, let me refresh your memory. He throws a pick up 14-0 and starts to turn the momentum of a game in East Lansing. Then he makes a dumb play for a safety and completely turns the momentum into MSU's favor. Then when he needs to make a big drive he throws another pick in the 4th quarter. Luckily for him the defense bailed him out and gave him another chance. Yes it's a team game and Bret shouldn't of called the 2nd timeout.. but Wilson played up and down big time in the biggest game of your season.

You're wrong that he lost the game. The punt blocked for a touchdown, or the defense's inability to get it going for most of the game, and a really incredible once in lifetime last second hail mary touchdown caused the Badgers to lose that game even moreso. Terrible special teams overall as well. He could have thrown 2 picks, taken a safety, and had the Badgers won the game everyone would be looking at it going, "Yea but what about his overall interceptions....the two 4th quarter TD drives to WIN that game?"

But yea, I do have to believe that people look at that now.

 

[Ballboy534]

You Wisconsin fans should send this stuff to people with votes; I don't think you're going to convince any Hooplans of his legitimacy and even if you did, it won't change the fact that the Heisman is rigged anyway.

 

[yeodonie]

Isn't he struggling with Illinois right now? Is this his Heisman moment?

 

[mm03]

You're wrong that he lost the game. The punt blocked for a touchdown, or the defense's inability to get it going for most of the game, and a really incredible once in lifetime last second hail mary touchdown caused the Badgers to lose that game even moreso. Terrible special teams overall as well. He could have thrown 2 picks, taken a safety, and had the Badgers won the game everyone would be looking at it going, "Yea but what about his overall interceptions....the two 4th quarter TD drives to WIN that game?"

But yea, I do have to believe that people look at that now.

The defense played fine.. Wiscy was up two possessions at the beginning of the game. Then came the pick / safety / punt block.. Then comes another pick in the 4th quarter and stellar defense to actually give your offense a chance to win the game. The first pick might not of been his fault but the two other plays on the road for a heisman hopeful doesn't look good.

I feel like he hasn't done anything vastly superior to what Tolzien did last year either. Both guys are/were fantastic game managers because your o-line and running backs are top tier in the big10. Do I think Wilson adds an extra element.. sure but it hasn't won you the football games that matter so why does it matter.

 

[BigAppleBadger]

Isn't he struggling with Illinois right now? Is this his Heisman moment?

He had a backup center that couldn't even snap the ball correctly for the first half of the game.

And Wisconsin won by 2 scores. According to the "he can't win because Wisconsin has 2 losses" argument, that's all that matters. It doesn't matter if he plays well in a loss or poorly in a win.

 

[BigAppleBadger]

And I'd point out that in Wilson's "awful" game today, he was 10/13 passing with a QB rating of 160.5, one TD and no interceptions. If that's the worst game a guy plays all season, he's pretty good.

 

[Smart]

Isn't he struggling with Illinois right now? Is this his Heisman moment?

I don't know what this is supposed to mean. Russell wasn't utilized much today, which shouldn't be that surprising. His starting center was injured, and his top 2 receivers were both on the injury report. He only had 13 throws today, of which one was a bad throw. He also had a fumble where Mercilus hit him about a second and a half after the ball was snapped. On the whole, he played pretty well, though he wasn't utilized very often.

 

[Smart]

There were no voters to rob Russell of the trophy given out in New York this time around.

 

[RoboticDreams]

I thought I just counciled you about this. It's unhealthy.

 

[TigerBait1971]

There were no voters to rob Russell of the trophy given out in New York this time around.

perpetual victim syndrome.

 

[Red_Alert]

There were no voters to rob Russell of the trophy given out in New York this time around.

Malcolm Smith says hi