Getty Images Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins is fighting to be a leader for the Hesiman Trophy.
The Heisman Trophy voting hasn’t been all that close up to this point of the season. While there are a ton of memorable candidates fighting for the prestigious trophy, it really seems like it’s all Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa’s to lose. You look at his stats, and everything that he’s accomplished over the first month of the season, and it’s very hard to argue against him winning it. And although he remains the favorite, you can’t count out Ohio State’s quarterback, Dwayne Haskins just yet.
There’s still plenty of time left on the clock for the 2018 season. If Heisman voting wrapped up this weekend, then sure, Tagovailoa’s got it all locked up. But that’s not how it works in college football. Things change with the snap of a finger. So while the public consensus is that it’s only a matter of time until Tua Tagovailoa takes home the trophy, there’s one former college star quarterback who makes a strong case for Haskins.
Former Notre Dame star quarterback Brady Quinn was in Haskins’ position before. He wasn’t quite the Heisman winner during his playing days, but he was a finalist. As Quinn observes the race that doesn’t seem to be close on paper, he comes to the realization that Haskins‘ ‘resume’ throughout this season is better than Tagovailoa’s based off who both teams played.
Quinn’s Case for Haskins
“If you look at the stats, as impressive as Tua has been, I would say this,” Quinn said. “Who have they played? Who have they played and actually been challenged by that’s actually been decent? Have they played TCU at a neutral site that was really on the road considering where that game was? Have they been challenged by anyone like Penn State on the road? No. If you want to break down and look at completion percentage and everything else, that’s all well and fine. But I haven’t seen Tua challenged. If you want to count last year’s National Championship Game as being challenged, that’s fine. But that’s not for this year’s Heisman Trophy winner.
Quinn does make a valid point, based off of the strength of competition. There’s no doubt that Alabama is the real deal and a powerhouse. But the competition to this date hasn’t exactly been all that strong. So far, they’ve played one Top-25 team in Texas A&M, which is a program, who is barely holding on to their top rank. Other than that, this season has been a walk in the park for the Crimson Tide.
That’s not to take away from Tagovaila’s stats, though. His numbers are impeccable, for sure. But his situation hasn’t really done anything to challenge him. Haskins, on the other hand, hasn’t had it as smooth through the first month.
We all go back to the tough conference rival matchup on the road against a top-ten Penn State, where Haskins and the Buckeyes fought till the end to pull off a major victory. The situation was difficult, but Haskins flashed his Heisman-worthy performance and made a strong case for himself. Now, Brady Quinn just wants everybody to acknowledge why he’s more deserving at the moment.
Haskins is no stiff on the stat sheets as well. He’s thrown for 1,919 yards along with 25 touchdowns to only four interceptions. With the Buckeyes still remaining undefeated, there’s a good chance that there could be a Tagovaila versus Haskins matchup brewing for College’s most significant games in the winter time. By then though, the Heisman leader would pretty much be figured out. But right now, the race is a lot closer than some may think.