 "Photo: Sam Grenadier")
Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell always has been considered a politically correct quarterback during interviews. Ask him what receiver is playing best, and he'll find a way to put every wideout's name in the answer. He's just that kind of person, giving credit where credit is due.
In the past few weeks, he has put that political skill to the test, jumping to the forefront of the Heisman Trophy chatter after three-straight victories against top-ranked foes catapulted his football team to places few ever imagined.
"There's definitely a lot of deserving people out there," Harrell said. "The Heisman Trophy, I think, like I've said in the past, has become an award that is more about team wins than individual actual numbers and things."
So let's talk numbers.
Harrell leads the nation with 4,077 yards passing, throwing for 36 touchdowns and only five interceptions in the process. In his last three wins over then-No. 19 Kansas, then-No. 1 Texas and then-No. 8 Oklahoma State, the Ennis native has 1,316 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 76.3 completion percentage with a 183.04 passer rating.
Somehow, those are not the most important numbers. After all, that type of production is expected from Mike Leach's quarterbacks.
However, what has not been expected from his quarterbacks is leading their teams to victory when it matters, and more importantly, winning against the best teams in the Big 12 Conference. So when Tech running back Baron Batch said after beating Oklahoma State, "The only thing we deserve right now is to be 10-0," he forgot to say Harrell deserves a shot at the trophy.
With a head-to-head win over Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, anyone with a pulse plopped Harrell at the top of their list. One of those people was Chris Huston, the creator of the five-year-old Web site, www.Heismanpundit.com and a former assistant sports information director at Southern California.
Huston played an integral role in the successful Heisman campaigns of USC's Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart in 2002 and 2004, respectively. The Web site has turned into an authority on the annual race to the Heisman Trophy.
Huston complemented Tech on its politically-themed Heisman campaign for receiver Michael Crabtree and Harrell on passorcatch2008.com, calling it "fantastic, creative and fun," with "nifty" videos of the two candidates delivering tongue-and-cheek jabs.
On a more serious note, Huston said Harrell deserves every second of face time right now.
"Harrell either had to throw for 60 touchdowns and 6,000 yards or he had to lead his team to an undefeated record," Huston said. "At this point, he's done everything that's been asked of him. If he can get Tech into the BCS title game, I think the Heisman Trophy voters are going to reward him accordingly."
On the other hand, there is the tricky situation of Crabtree catching touchdowns from Harrell. In Crabtree's last three games, he has 27 catches, 286 yards and six touchdowns - including the game-winner against UT.
Huston said Crabtree has become the most dominant player in college football. However, he said he does not see Crabtree joining Harrell in New York, predicting the sophomore will finish fifth in the voting. But he added that Crabtree will be the first receiver to win the Fred Biletnikoff award twice.
It is not Crabtree's fault though. After all, he is just doing his job. But the only receivers to ever win a Heisman Trophy (Tim Brown in 1987, Desmond Howard in 1991) played a role in returning punts and kickoffs.
"Unfortunately, when it comes to the Heisman Trophy voting, there are inherent biases in the vote," Huston said. "Voters tend to give credit to the quarterback more often."
Huston said voters most likely will settle on either Harrell or Crabtree; in this case Harrell, for several reasons. One of them being Harrell's rise could be seen as "an ode to the legacy of the Texas Tech quarterback," a maligned position throughout the years, with the "system" stamp all over it.
Another reason is the success of McCoy, OU's Sam Bradford and defending Heisman Trophy winner, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, who has climbed back into the mix. But for Tebow to win, Huston said he will need to pray for Big 12 quarterbacks to trip up, which they have not done all season.
"Mind you, (McCoy was) two seconds away from clinching the Heisman against Texas Tech, and then Bradford is off to maybe the best start of any quarterback in NCAA history," Huston said. "Those three guys are gonna be tough to beat. Then you're gonna have Tebow, who is kind of finishing strong and has great name recognition. For Crabtree to get to go to New York, I think is a long shot."
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