HEISMAN: Troy's Myth

Knute, thanks for your point. I was feeling the same way, just didn't quite know how to express it. The angst JO (and others who I've read, spewing the same message) seems to have built against Smith, has a REALLY....."uncomfortable" edge to it.

Hey, I like Quinn. Seems like a nice kid, never caused any trouble. Has had a great career at ND, hung some great numbers. In many ways, he's been the "face" of the declared "return to glory."
All good.

Yet, as a university administrator, I'm guess I'm "rooting" for Smith. In many ways, he's what is RIGHT about college athletics. Yeah, JO, you're correct. He's had some "history." Yet he's also a kid (let's keep that in mind....they're ALL kids) who has unquestionably been helped & advanced by the experience.

He's a product of a HARD environment (as opposed to the "mean streets" of Dublin, OH) that coaches and institutions have had to take chances with. They've stuck with him (although I don't want to sound TOO altruistic.....physical skills WILL make ya hang with a kid), and he's repaid that faith, by growing. As a man, as a leader, as a student.

Again, not a shot at Quinn. Great kid......but Smith is pretty special, as well. Steer carefully.....and keep some perspective.

 

That isn't an argument, unless you can use McFadden's "titanic opponents" to show that he played a weaker schedule than Rice.

Otherwise its just a waste of space.

 

Lay: Not unfair . . . but we're hard on the heels of Maurice Clarett, who Mr. Sweatervest proceeded to
flush directly down the toilet once his usefulness was over and done with . . . much like Dr. Tom,
who sold his soul to win a national championship with the running back from Deep In The Heart
of Human Scum.

I HATE Michigan, and I hope they win this damned game.

 

Just compare Rice and McFadden's most impressive performances:

McFadden
30 for 181 vs. Tennessee
28 for 145 vs. Auburn
25 for 219 vs. South Carolina
25 for 112 vs. Alabama

Rice
22 for 131 vs. Louisville
39 for 225 vs. Pitt
35 for 202 vs. USF
31 for 201 vs. UNC

Some of Rice's other "foes": Howard, Ohio Univ., Illinois, Navy, and UCONN

Plus, anyone who has watched both players play more than one game knows McFadden is the better player.

 

Uh-uh.
You argued that McFadden has Rice's numbers without the crap schedule. Well, he might have Rice's numbers -- he might be twice the back, for all I know -- but he's got the crap schedule, too.

 

If you are attempting to label the SEC regular season schedule as "crap," or even "as crappy" as the Big East regular season schedule, it really isn't worth arguing with you.

 

McFadden gained 42 yards against USC, another crappy team on his schedule.

 

USC's rush defense is among the Top 10 in the country. He averaged over four yards a carry, but they only ran the ball nine times. Big difference between 9-42 and 23-76 (which Rice had against the mighty Huskies of UCONN)

 

I hope you guys don't massage the argument like this when you're writing for the public.
To date in the SEC, Arkansas has played Tennessee, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn and Vandy in the SEC. In the league, those teams are 15-26.
Hoo-boy!
Bet Louisville and West Virginia couldn't go 3-5 in the SEC!

 

UGH.. I should've known this would turn into a race thing. If you believe that Smith actually grabbed a woman by the throat and took money from a booster, then I don't see a problem with the thug label. If you do bad things, you are going to earn a bad label.

Call this guy a biased Notre Dame homer all you like. That's fine and that is probably more the source of his venom toward Smith than anything. But please show a bit more care when it comes to bringing racism into the argument, as you and Knute both seem to be doing. There are enough cases of the real thing out there that we don't need to go throwing it around every time somebody has a problem with an athlete who happens to be black.

 

Daemon, the run defense rankings for those SEC teams are 39th (Alabama), 46th (Auburn), 82nd (Tennessee) and 83rd (South Carolina). Average rank, 62.5.

For the Rice opponents you listed it's 26th (Louisville), 35th (South Florida), 90th (Pittsburgh) and 110th (North Carolina). Average rank, 65.2.

Seems to me there's not much difference between the two groups when it comes to stopping the run.

 

If Smith has the game I think he'll have Saturday, he's gonna win the Heisman.

Bray all you want - it's the biggest regular-season game at least since Notre Dame-Florida State in 1993.

If Quinn wins it, it'll be the classic "well, there's always the Notre Dame guy" Heisman.

But, really, why sweat it so much? This is an award that, in 2000, came down to Chris Weinke and Josh Heupel, who combined for a whopping 14 points in the Orange Bowl, when everybody who knew anything about football knew OU safety Roy Williams was the best player on that field.