After leading the nation in rushing in 1995, Iowa State’s Troy Davis had his tally–“2,010”–tattooed onto his left biceps.
One year later he celebrated becoming the first player in NCAA history to break 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons by having “2,085” and “Nuff said” tattooed onto his right biceps.
But Heisman Trophy voters had the last word. Davis, who took fifth in 1995, had to settle for being the runner-up to Florida’s Danny Wuerffel in ’96.
Davis was stung.
“How much more do I have to do to prove I’m the best?” he asked.
Northern Illinois’ Garrett Wolfe might ask that same question on the evening of Dec. 9, when the 72nd Heisman Trophy is awarded.
Although the 5-foot-7-inch Wolfe has more rushing yards after five games (1,181) than any player in Division I-A history, he still ranks third behind Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith and Oklahoma tailback Adrian Peterson on ESPN.com’s Heisman Watch, which is based on a panel of 15 “experts.”
That said, ranking third means Wolfe leads Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, a Heisman darling from the moment he finished fourth last year. And Wolfe has a nice lead on fellow tailbacks Steve Slaton (West Virginia), Marshawn Lynch (Cal), Kenny Irons (Auburn) and Mike Hart (Michigan).
If he finishes third, Wolfe will earn a trip to New York for the presentation. The Heisman Trophy Trust typically invites four or five finalists, although last year only three (Reggie Bush, Vince Young and Matt Leinart) got the call.
“I don’t think my teammates would ever admit to it, but I think they really are pushing for me to go to New York,” Wolfe said. “I think they’re making a lot of sacrifices for me to be able to achieve that.”
His offensive line might have been trying a little too hard to help him Saturday at Ball State. Two of his touchdown runs–a 70-yard burst and a 45-yard dash–were called back because of holding.
But the line, which features a true freshman guard and redshirt freshman center, did manage to clear holes that allowed Wolfe to rush for 353 yards and three touchdowns that stood up on 31 carries.
The 353 was the 13th highest single-game total in NCAA Division I-A history and it put Wolfe on pace for a 2,834-yard season, easily better than Barry Sanders’ 1988 regular-season rushing record of 2,628 yards, accomplished in 11 games.
The Huskies (3-2) have 12 regular-season games plus they hope to play in the Nov. 30 MAC championship game and a season-ending bowl.
ESPN aided Wolfe’s cause by leading its “College Football Final” wrap-up show with two highlights from the Ball State game. There was a 51-yard TD run in which Wolfe blazed past safety Marcus McClure, and a 48-yard gem in which Wolfe used a Bush-like cutback along the left sideline to prevent cornerback Trey Buice from laying a glove on him.
Host Rece Davis said: “When we start with Northern Illinois and Ball State, you know something special happened.”
ESPN will broadcast NIU’s Sunday night game at Miami of Ohio. And Heisman voters will look to an Oct. 28 game at Iowa to judge how Wolfe stacks up against a Big Ten defense–as if that’s still a question.
“Regardless of what happens against Iowa, people fail to realize that I had 285 all-purpose yards against the best team in the country,” said Wolfe, referring to his 171-yard-rushing, 114-yard-receiving effort at Ohio State in the season opener. “So I don’t think it gets any better than that as far as a measuring stick.”
And lest anyone forget, Wolfe ran for 148 yards and a touchdown on only 17 carries last year against Michigan–in the Big House.
In 1993 San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk readied himself to make a statement. But he ran for only 53 yards in a 52-13 home loss to UCLA in a game that was televised by ESPN, a big deal back then.
A year earlier Faulk had finished second in the Heisman voting to Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, an eventual seventh-round NFL draft pick.
Faulk was bitter that ESPN’s Lee Corso pushed for Torretta by publicizing his won-lost record (26-1 as a starter) at every turn. It should be noted, however, that an injury prevented Faulk from playing in his team’s season finale against Miami and that most of his 1,630 yards came against Western Athletic Conference foes.
“They did everything but spell out that Gino was going to win,” Faulk said at the time.
Small-conference guys always fight an uphill battle in the Heisman race. Exposure remains an issue. And skeptical voters will point to the level of competition.
No Mid-American Conference player has finished higher than fourth, which is where Marshall’s Randy Moss landed in 1997. The other top 10 finishes since then: Marshall quarterbacks Chad Pennington (fifth in 1999) and Byron Leftwich (sixth in 2002); and Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (ninth in 2003).
Moss, Pennington, Leftwich and Roethlisberger . . . did any of those four make it in the NFL?
So maybe Heisman voters will dismiss the argument that MAC players are inherently inferior to those from the Big Ten or Big 12. If that happens, Wolfe will be able to breathe the Big Apple’s air on Dec. 9.
“We’re all rooting for that,” Huskies tight end Brandon Davis said. “We want to see him there.”
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A seat at the head table
A few players from non-major conference schools who made serious runs at the Heisman (serious enough, anyway, to get an invitation to New York for the announcement).
GARRETT WOLFE
Northern Illinois
Numbers to date: 1,181 yards rushing, 11 TDs. If he keeps up the pace he’ll finish with 2,834 yards rushing and 26 TDs.
The skinny: Third in rankings in ESPN.com’s Heisman Watch. He may want to keep Dec. 9 open.
MARSHALL FAULK
San Diego State, 1992
The numbers: As a sophomore, rushed for 1,630 yards, 6.2 per carry, and 15 TDs.
The winner: Miami QB Gino Torretta with 1,400 points.
The voting: 2nd 1,080 points
RANDY MOSS
Marshall, 1997
The numbers: The sophomore caught 90 passes for 1,647 yards and 25 TDs.
The winner: Michigan’s Charles Woodson, the first defensive player to win, had 1,815 points.
The voting: 4th 253 points
ALEX SMITH
Utah, 2004
The numbers: The senior passed for 2,624 yards, 28 TDs and just 4 INTs. Ran for 563 yards and 10 TDs.
The winner: USC’s Matt Leinart with 1,325 points.
The voting: 4th 635 points
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tgreenstein@tribune.com
