Jrod’s Heisman Vote—-if he had one.
I voted for the Heisman Trophy—once—-in 2001. That year I voted for the winner, Nebraska QB Eric Crouch, who took exactly zero meaningful snaps in the NFL.
The wording on the ballot reads “The Most Outstanding College Football Player.” It doesn’t say “Most Valuable” or “Most Likely to be an All-Pro” or “Best Player on the Best Team.” Voters often get that confused, or just don’t care.
I don’t have a vote this year, but I can tell you my 1st place vote would not go to any of the 4 finalists this year. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all incredibly talented players and worthy of making that trip to New York City (which as I learned last year, is an incredible trip!).
My pick to win is same player for whom Troy Smith voted this year. He played barely 9 games, but his contributions were most glaring when he did not play. Oregon QB Dennis Dixon had the Ducks on an incredible roll this season—he beat USC, he beat Cal, he beat Arizona State. Without him, Oregon couldn’t beat Arizona and could not score on UCLA. That alone tells me there’s no more outstanding player in the country than Dixon.
Dixon tore a knee ligament in the early moments of Oregon’s game at Arizona, ending his stellar season. The Ducks promptly fell apart, losing to the Wildcats in a game that was not as close as the score. Dixon’s talents were almost stolen away by pro baseball—-he did some time in the Braves’ minor league system. But Oregon coach Mike Bellotti convinced Dixon to stay with football, and his skill level grew exponentially.
Dixon’s one of three finalists for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the Maxwell Award.
He leads the PAC-10 in passing efficiency (3rd nationally) and is third in the conference in total offense (271.9 avg.). He established single-season and career school records for completion percentage, and finishes his career sixth on Oregon’s all-time list in total offense (6,339 yards) and eighth in passing yards (5,129). In 10 outings in 2007, Dixon threw for 2,136 yards and 20 touchdowns in addition to running for 583 yards and nine more scores.
He’s a better runner than Troy Smith was a year ago, with similar stats in the passing game.
I know he will not win Heisman bronze because he’s hurt. I think he should win Heisman bronze because he’s hurt. Nobody misses a player more than Oregon misses Dixon. And that’s “Outstanding.”
