It is six days until the deadline to cast the Heisman Trophy electronic ballot, time enough, you hope, for all 928 voters to re-read the Heisman Trust Mission Statement.
Because, curiously enough, there is nothing in the two-sentence statement mandating that the bronze statue must go to an offensive player. Nowhere does it say defensive players need not apply.
Though you might have occasion to wonder this week, because the early handicapping suggests the award will likely go to a freshman, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, for the first time and bypass one of the most deserving defenders in years.
Nothing against Manziel, who has had a remarkable season, or precocious freshmen with great nicknames (“Johnny Football”) in general, but read the Heisman mission statement and see if it doesn’t all but point to Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o in spirit and deed.
It says, “The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.”
They might as well have displayed a picture of Te’o next to the statement, so aptly does it sum up his attributes. Te’o has been the physical and spiritual leader of the nation’s top defense, a unit that has made the Irish not only relevant again but carried 12-0 Notre Dame atop the polls and into the BCS title game.
Te’o has done it with a force of personality and consistency that has inspired teammates and the university even amid his own personal tragedies this season.
Yet few of those who analyze the Heisman Trophy sweepstakes see Te’o, the only defensive player in contention, holding the trophy come Dec. 8 in New York. The award has gone to someone who was primarily a defensive performer (Michigan’s Charles Woodson in 1997) just once in 77 years, a prejudice that seems a bigger obstacle to Te’o than Manziel’s statistics.
Of the top five likely finishers this season, only Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein has a game remaining before the balloting concludes Dec. 3. Chris Huston of the respected Heismanpundit.com has the pulse of voters and has already called it for Manziel. That is noteworthy since he has correctly tabbed the winner seven of the last eight years.
Huston wrote in an email, “As for what swung it over Manti, being an offensive player was the key factor. Defensive players are at a huge disadvantage. Manziel’s highlights were spectacular and he also played well in knocking off Alabama and put up extraordinary single-season numbers. Too much for Te’o to overcome to become the first pure defender to win the Heisman.”
USA Today, which surveys 37 Heisman voters, lists Te’o second to Manziel, 90 points to 74. ESPN.com’s Heisman Watch has had Manziel running slightly ahead of Te’o.
Though he is hardly the dispassionate observer, Irish coach Brian Kelly framed the situation perfectly after Saturday’s victory over USC.
“If a guy like Manti Te’o is not going to win the Heisman, they should just make it an offensive award,” Kelly said. “Just give it to the offensive player every year, and let’s just cut to the chase. He is the backbone of a 12-0 football team that has proven itself each and every week.”
Or carefully read the mission statement.
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Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
