Alabama’s Mark Ingram was the last running back – and only Crimson Tide player – to win the Heisman Trophy when he did so in 2009.
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Only three college football players are going to NY for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, which came as a surprise in a season that seemingly produced at least half-a-dozen candidates.
Henry broke Herschel Walker’s SEC record for rushing yards in a season, and McCaffrey shattered Barry Sanders’ all-purpose yards in a season.
Running back Christian McCaffrey of the Stanford Cardinal stiff arms cornerback Iman Marshall of the USC Trojans on a kick return during the first quarter of the Pac-12 Championship game at Levi’s Stadium on December 5, 2015 in Santa Clara, California.
Watson and No. 1 Clemson could meet Henry and Alabama in the national championship game.
The native of Gainesville, Ga. has completed 287 of 413 passes for 3,512 yards and 30 touchdowns.
He threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 131 and two more scores as the Tigers beat stubborn North Carolina 45-37 for the Atlantic Coast Conference title.
But even as locals celebrate McCaffrey’s achievement, a new talking point has emerged in the run-up to the naming of the Heisman victor. “Exactly a year later he will be in NY as a Heisman finalist”.
The vote is also expected to close, whereas the past few winners were decided by large margins, and Stanford will hope to get a bit of revenge against Alabama. He has 10 games with 100-plus rushing yards, which includes three with over 200 yards.
“Deshaun Watson is the epitome of what the Heisman Trophy is all about”, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
The 2015 Heisman Trophy will be handed out on Saturday night in one of the most anticipated evenings of the college football season.
McCaffrey is second to Henry in rushing yards with 1,847, but doesn’t rank almost as highly in rushing TD’s recording just eight (t-80th) on the season. Henry has put the Alabama offense on his back bulldozing through defenses en route to 1,986 yards.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said Watson gives the Tigers an edge that no one else in college football has the best player in the country.
Watson jumped right up, handed the ball to the referee and ran back to an excited Gainesville sideline. “The stereotype works against him even though I would vote for him for Heisman”.
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It’s been alleged that Sanders, who amassed 3,250 yards in 11 games in his Heisman-winning 1988 season, should still be considered the single-season all-purpose yards record holder. So it’s not like there’s a backlash against Nick Saban’s players. For what it is worth, in October, Fournette auctioned off one of his game-worn jerseys to support flood relief in SC.
