Columnist Steve Guiremand: Miami duo makes move toward the Heisman

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Nov. 15, 2002 | 9:40 a.m.

Steve Guiremand covers college football for the Sun. He can be reached at steveg@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-2324.

Think trying to figure out who is going to be playing for the national championship in the Fiesta Bowl is confusing? Try something even more complicated -- picking the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner.

With less than a month to go before the winner of college football's most prized individual award is announced, there is no clear-cut front-runner.

Remember Rex Grossman? Or Chris Simms? Or Onterrio Smith?

They were considered the preseason favorites for the Heisman. Now the two leaders for the honor are from the same school -- Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey and running back Willis McGahee.

The Rocky Mountain News this week surveyed 10 Heisman voters -- two from each region of the country -- and asked for their top five picks in order. The tabulations were made on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis, with five points for a first-place vote, four for a second-place vote and so on.

And the winner this week is .... McGahee.

The sophomore running back for the defending national champs, who is sixth in the nation in rushing with 1,188 yards on 190 carries and 17 touchdowns, finished with 36 points to edge teammate Dorsey (31).

Marshall's Byron Leftwich and Colorado running back Chris Brown tied for third (24) followed by Iowa quarterback Brad Banks (15).

Of course this vote was done before Colorado coach Gary Barnett openly lobbied Buff alum Chris Fowler and ESPN's GameDay staff to start paying closer attention to Brown, the nation's top rusher (1,617 yards, 17 TDs, 161.7 avg.).

Leftwich didn't help his cause by missing Tuesday night's ESPN contest with Miami of Ohio with a leg injury. Still, like Fresno State's David Carr a year earlier, he'll get his award in April when the NFL Draft rolls around.

It will be interesting to see what happens if Miami can run the table and go undefeated for the second straight year.

Dorsey, who ranks a so-so 44th nationally in passing (152 of 279 passes, 2,265 yards, 21 touchdowns, 8 interceptions), would probably get strong consideration for being the field general of potential back-to-back national championship squads.

But there are many who believe that McGahee has been even more important for the Hurricanes this year.

A split vote would likely hurt both players.

Brown could make a run if he continues to pile up big numbers and the Buffs were to upset Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game.

Here's two names that could pop up on a lot of ballots if they perform well the final month of the season: USC quarterback Carson Palmer and Washington State quarterback Jason Gesser.

Palmer ranks eighth in the nation in passing with 2,746 yards and 22 touchdowns with just eight interceptions and already has rewrote most of USC's record book. He also will be on center stage the next three weeks with televised games against Arizona State, UCLA and Notre Dame.

If Palmer can lead the Trojans to three straight wins and a BCS berth, he could pick up a lot of late support, especially if he were to shine against the Fighting Irish.

Gesser also has a couple of big-name opponents left in Washington and UCLA. He's 24th nationally in passing with 2,696 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions despite playing several games with a dislocated rib.

If the Cougars were to reach the Fiesta Bowl, Gesser also could get a late groundswell of support.

Whoever emerges to win the 2002 Heisman Trophy certainly figures to go on to better things in the NFL than the 2001 winner.

Do you remember Nebraska's Eric Crouch?

Once around the MWC

AIR FORCE: It was 24 years ago this week that Georgia Tech's Eddie Lee Ivery rushed for 356 yards in one game against the Falcons. Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge is 76 rushing yards and 256 passing yards shy of becoming just the 16th player in NCAA history to run and pass for 1,000 yards in a season.

BYU: Tailback Marcus Whalen needs 149 yards in the Cougars' final two games against New Mexico and Utah to hit the 1,000-yard plateau. Wide receiver Reno Mahe has extra motivation to play well against the Lobos Saturday. His wife, Sunny, gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Sunday.

COLORADO STATE: November is a "Sonny" month in Fort Collins. In nine seasons since Sonny Lubick took over at Colorado State, the Rams have compiled a 21-4 record in November. "If you're playing for a conference championship or a bowl game, that makes a big difference," Lubick told the Rocky Mountain News. "We've never been in a position where we're just playing out the string."

NEW MEXICO: New Mexico plays at BYU on Saturday. The last quarterback to lead the Lobos to victory in Provo? How about Lobos coach Rocky Long in 1971, 14-0. Long rushed and passed for more than 100 yards in that contest. New Mexico (5-5, 3-1), which must win two of its final three games to become bowl eligible, has lost its last 14 games at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

SAN DIEGO STATE: In their last two games against BYU and New Mexico, the Aztecs have rushed for just 48 yards and quarterback Adam Hall has been sacked nine times. San Diego State, which hosts Colorado State Saturday, was held to just 183 yards in total offense in a 15-8 loss at New Mexico last week.

UNLV: Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry on UNLV quarterback Jason Thomas: "He reminds me of Donovan McNabb of the Eagles and (Daunte) Culpepper of the Vikings. He's a big guy (6-foot-4, 230), but it's amazing how he can make you miss, how he can avoid you, how he can step aside and not let you have a real shot at him. He was a thorn in our side last year on the bootlegs and keeping the ball." Thomas ranks third in the Mountain West and 40th nationally in total offense with an average of 223.1 yards per game.

UTAH: In his four games as a starter, sophomore quarterback Brett Elliott is averaging 287.3 yards passing. He also has thrown seven touchdown passes in his past two games. Expect more glossy stats like that this weekend when the Utes travel to Wyoming. Utah has outscored the Cowboys 69-0 over their last two meetings.

WYOMING: Among 117 Division I teams, Cowboys rank 116th against the pass (304.1 ypg), 114th in total defense (503.2 ypg) and 102nd in rushing defense (199.1 ypg). Pokes have allowed 84 points and 1,176 yards over their last two games against BYU and UNLV.