Which reminds me: Congratulations to Derrick Henry, too. His mother, Lisa McCaffrey, played soccer at Stanford from 1987 to 1990, and his father, Ed McCaffrey, played football at Stanford from 1986-1991, and then spent a majority of his 13-season professional career with the Broncos as a teammate of Cardinal legend, John Elway. Iowa would be in a similar vote, although Stanford has had a Heisman runner up in four of the last seven years.
Advertisement
So much for dreaming.
But with Henry and McCaffrey finishing first and second in 2015, running backs finished 1-2 in the Heisman voting for just the second time since 1994. Personally I think it’s McCaffrey’s because of the versatility it takes to achieve. God is good. I can’t wait to celebrate with my team and coaches. It’s a team effort.
FILE – In this Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015, file photo, Clemson’s Shaq Lawson (90) works against Appalachian State’s Davante Harris during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Clemson, S.C. Lawson has been named to the AP All-America football team. “I’m just happy and I can’t wait”. He finished Clemson’s undefeated regular season with 41 total touchdowns. McCaffrey has gained 3,496 all-purpose yards, blowing past the 3,250 that Sanders gained in his Heisman season of 1988. In those eight games, Henry was held under 100 yards rushing just twice, but still had 95 and 96, respectively, with four rushing touchdowns. Even Saban, known for his stony demeanor, couldn’t seem to hide his feelings… “I’m like a kid in a candy store seeing these guys”, he said. “And it’s the feeling that any parent would get when their children do something that’s really, really special”.
To me, Derrick Henry is the most outstanding player in college football this season though.
Henry won the closest vote since Ingram edged out Stanford’s Toby Gerhart in 2009. Explaining before the announcement what winning the award would mean to him, Henry added: “It’s the Heisman”. On Thursday, Henry’s Maxwell (top player), Walter Camp (top player) and Doak Walker (top RB) awards were precursors to Saturdays big one. During one meeting in his freshman season at Alabama, Henry admitted to coach Nick Saban that he’d thrived at Yulee largely on talent alone. Alabama junior running back Derrick Henry won the Heisman. When it became apparent that Leonard Fournette, the Tigers running back and Heisman frontrunner at the time, was going nowhere against the Crimson Tide defense, the network’s announcers immediately installed Henry as the new favorite.
“The Answer is Yes”.
It certainly was a satisfying night for the family of Henry, and luckily enough for us all, we got to see just how pleasing this night was for them as he accepted the most prestigious award in all of college football. Probably. Alabama may be a plug-and-play program, with the next five-star recruit always ready to step in and star, but this season was different for the Tide. In nine SEC games, he averaged 180 yards per game in leading the Tide to its second straight SEC Championship and 25 in school history. Henry broke a conference record set by a legendary Hall of Fame running back, Herschel Walker. “They all loved me and all supported me”.
And Henry knows exactly where he’s putting the hardware.
Linebackers – Reggie Ragland, senior, Alabama; Tyler Matakevich, senior, Temple; Jaylon Smith, junior, Notre Dame. “I’m not where they are right now”, Henry said, “but it’s an honor to be mentioned with their names”.
Advertisement
For example, the Heisman Trophy is based on voters. Seven of those schools allowed 4.02 yards per carry or fewer on the year, a stout mark in college football.
