Why This Year’s Heisman Vote Was My Toughest in 25 Years
Heisman #Heisman
All Sooners on FanNation 1 hr ago John E. Hoover
Caleb Williams won the 2022 Heisman in a landslide, but I cast my ballot for another outstanding quarterback.
This year’s Heisman Trophy was as difficult a vote as I can remember in 20 years as a Heisman voter.
The most dynamic candidates in my eyes all had major flaws or massive obstacles down the stretch: injuries cost Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and Michigan’s Blake Corum, losses set back USC’s Caleb Williams and TCU’s Max Duggan suffered losses in conference championship games.
Saturday night, it was Williams who was crowned the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner — the nation’s “outstanding college football player,” according to the Heisman mission statement — after following Lincoln Riley and transferring to USC from Oklahoma and immediately turning the Trojans into a winner.
For Williams, it seemed a fulfillment of his destiny. He came to OU to from Washington, DC, to play for Riley and win a Heisman. It happened for Baker Mayfield, it happened for Kyler Murray, and it almost happened for Jalen Hurts. Williams’ incredible playmaking ability is matched only by Riley’s pedigree as a quarterback whisperer.
When Riley bolted for USC and took Williams with him, he also took with him yet another Heisman statue out of OU’s Heisman Park.
I almost voted for Williams. Instead, I went with Duggan.
(My third-place vote went to Hooker, who energized Tennessee to new heights under former Sooners QB and offensive coordinator Josh Heupel. Hooker finished fifth this year.)
Going into last week’s championship games, Williams had a slight edge over Duggan on my ballot.
Ultimately, it was Duggan’s heroic performance in the Big 12 title game that won me over. Frankly, we’ve not seen that kind of singular will to win since Tim Tebow ran the table following his “promise” and beat the Sooners for the national title.
In addition to Duggan’s title game performance — in a loss — my most important criteria for casting my Heisman vote is how a player did against the top competition.
Duggan, who began the year as Chandler Morris’ backup but stepped in and never gave it back when Morris went down in the season opener, did his best work against TCU’s best opponents: 212 yards and three touchdowns against Iowa State, 327 yards and two scores against Baylor, 280 yards and three TDs against No. 17 Kansas State, 286 yards and three scores against No. 6 Oklahoma State, 308 yards and five TDs against No. 18 Kansas, and 302 yards and five touchdowns against No. 18 Oklahoma. He repeated with 251 yards and two TDs in the Big 12 Championship Game against Kansas State.
That’s stellar performances against five ranked teams, the Big 12’s best defense and the Big 12’s defending champ.
Ultimately, in addition to a tougher schedule, I narrowly pushed Duggan past Williams because of their performances in their respective championship games.
As Williams’ Trojans were blown out by Utah, he threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns but was severely limited by a hamstring injury. If he’d stayed healthy, who knows what would have happened?
A day later, Duggan’s Horned Frogs lost in overtime to K-State, and he completely only 18-of-36 passes for 251 yards, but incredibly ran 15 times for 110 yards and a touchdown and helped deliver 11 points in the final 7 1/2 minutes to tie it, most of it with his legs. Down two scores, he put the team on his shoulders and sent it to OT with a field goal drive, a touchdown run and a 2-point conversion pass.
Like Duggan, Williams played his best against quality competition. He had 381 yards and five touchdowns in a loss to No. 20 Utah 470 yards and two TDs against No. 16 UCLA, 232 yards and a touchdown against No. 15 Notre Dame.
Williams threw for 4,075 yards and 37 touchdowns with just four interceptions, while also rushing for 372 yards and 10 TDs. Facing pressure this season, Williams led the nation in passing yards and threw 14 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Duggan threw for 3,321 yards and 30 touchdowns and four INTs, while also rushing for 404 yards (two 100-yard games) and six scores. He led the nation in completion percentage (.500) on deep throws this year.
Williams received 544 first-place votes, while Duggan received 188. Stroud got 37, Bennett got 36 and Hooker 17. Williams was the runaway winner with 2,031 poll points (three points for a first-place vote, two points for second, one for third), while Duggan got 1,420.
Both lifted their teams to unexpected heights in 2022. TCU was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 but went undefeated in the regular season, while USC went 4-8 last year but immediately turned things around to an 11-2 record.
Ultimately, Duggan went 12-1 against a tougher schedule than Williams (11-2): USC’s strength of schedule ranked 30th this season, while TCU’s ranked eighth.
As Williams pointed out in his acceptance speech, he’s got the Heisman, but fellow finalists Stetson Bennett, C.J. Stroud and Duggan are all going to the College Football Playoff.
“Can’t win ’em all,” he said.