Heisman Busters: Week 4

Named after the now common phrase BCS Buster, lets take a look at Week 4 performances that might prove to be Heisman Busters.

Note: I have decided that I will use the ESPN Heisman watch as the radar for players, and strive to bring you guys that are not on the list but should be. Once they have made ESPN’s list I will take them off my reports and let the “real” media keep you informed.

Recap:
In Week One I listed Mark Sanchez, Max Hall, and Jahvid Best as the players to watch for.
Sanchez was an easy pick as it was only a matter of time before USC picked up some momentum and the main behind the helm was acknowledge, and he was.

Max Hall was my sleeper pick, but I have been hyping his chance at the bronze stiff arm as well as BYU’s BCS Busting hopes. Finally, ESPN has recognized him and he is legitimately in the running . To quote myself from Week One’s article “Hall has a chance to be this years Colt Brennan. That is to say that a Non-BCS QB could break into the hunt if they can finish out their season undefeated.” Those dreams are still alive.

Jahvid Best: I talked about Best and his upstart Cal squad who was looking to break into the Top 25. They did, Best spent a week on ESPN’s Heisman watch and then both dropped out after week three. No surprises here, he is off the Buster’s list as well.

Week Two saw a number of players on watch, but none of them are in the running besides Penn State’s Evan Royster.



Royster’s Stats
Week 4: 9 Car 73 YDs 1 TD 1 Rec 12 YD
Season: 47 Car 379 YDs 7 TD
Why and Why Not?: With the continuing disappoint of The Ohio State University, Penn State continues to beat teams big. Their schedule hasn’t been anything to write home about, but I believe they may be the best team in the Big 10. Royster is splitting carries with freshman back Stephfon Green, but still continues to put up numbers averaging around 8 YDs per carry. Penn State’s first real test will be this Saturday when they host Illinois, which will be interesting to see how Royster performs against their toughest competition thus far.


Week 4:
There are a couple of surprising players that haven’t made the national spotlight early in this 2008 season, and I think we all need to be aware of what they are doing on the field.

RB Donald Brown: UConn
Week 4: 34 Car 150 Yds 2 TD
Season: 113 Car 716 Yds 10 TD
Why and Why Not?: The Huskies are 4-0 and are playing in a Big East conference that appears to be South Florida’s to lose. Brown is averaging 179 yards a game, and really making a statement both for himself and his team. Unfortunately, UConn has a tough schedule from here on out. They will face Louisville, North Carolina, Rutgers, Syracuse , and South Florida all of which are on the road. If he can still post these numbers down the stretch against these teams on the road, there should be Heisman talks.

RB Javon Ringer: Michigan State
Week 4: 39 Car 201 YDs 2 TD
Season: 143 Car 699 YDs 11 TD
Why and Why Not?: The Spartans are better than everyone thinks, and they proved it against Notre Dame. Granted that shouldn’t be the crowning achievement on your resume, but beating the Irish 23-7 does make a statement. Michigan State is sitting at 3-1 with their only loss coming from their road opener against Cal (38-31). Their remaining schedule isn’t as bad as it could be, hosting Ohio State and Wisconsin, while going on the road to match up against Penn State and Michigan. Ringer has proven that he is the heart of this team. If they keep playing above expectations they will take a lot of teams by surprise and open some doors for themselves.

QB David Johnson: Tulsa
Week 4: 24/39 469 YDs 3 TD 2 Int
Season: 69/96 1219 YDs 15 TD 2 Int 225.93 Rating
Why and Why Not?: Conference USA. It really is that simple. We already have one QB from a Non-BCS conference that has solidified his spot in the running, and there really isn’t room for two.

Special Recognition:
CB Glover Quinn: New Mexico
Quinn had both interceptions against Johnson, giving him three on the season. He is also the biggest reason why the Lobos were able to beat Arizona in Week 3. I had not seen a Corner control a game the way he did in a long time. Quinn made key plays when they needed them, and proved that games are not always just a matter of statistics. I was disappointed we lost that game, but I have to give it up to the man he is a great athlete.