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 Friday, December 13, 2002
Wait to cast your vote
By Gary Danielson
Special to BCSfootball.com
Respond to Gary's rankings.
Each Monday, ABC college football analyst Gary Danielson will break down the top quarterbacks around the country and rank his Top 10.
I received my Heisman Trophy ballot on Monday. I get to vote first, second and third. I am going to wait and implore everyone else to wait, until after the conference championship games. That will allow the three front-runners to finish their tremendous seasons.
Michael Vick would have been right there also if not for his injury.
|  | | Josh Heupel has tried to block out all the Heisman hype. |
All three of them have had their ups and downs, but you have to measure it by the whole season, which won't be over until Oklahoma plays in the Big XII Championship Game.
Saturday was an up-and-down day for two of the three. Drew Brees had an opportunity to do something that has never been done at Purdue -- win a Big Ten title outright and go to the Rose Bowl. Josh Heupel went into enemy territory for a team that was primed for an upset. Chris Weinke had a game that everybody figured he would post big numbers.
Remember, I don't have a personal favorite. All three are deserving and all three have had great careers.
My original prediction was Weinke. So let's see how they did this past week.
No. 1 -- Josh Heupel, Oklahoma
at Texas A&M: 28-42-263, 1 TD, 2 int.; rush: 8-26
Season: 213-315-2770, 16 TD, 7 int.; rush: 51-113, 6 TD
This week: Texas Tech
I measure quarterbacks on how they handle adversity, and Josh certainly faced some in College Station. Texas A&M had a defensive game plan that was designed to take away easy throws. The crowd at Kyle Field affected everyone's thinking, and he faced a pressurized situation. Heisman did not enter his mind. If Oklahoma lost to Texas A&M, the Sooners possibly would have missed the Big XII Championship Game.
He struggled at times and he was brilliant at times, but I loved that he never lost his composure. His team reacted to that. I noticed a number of times when he had bad series, the defense would tap him on his helmet as if to say, "We're with you."
To some, it would look like a below-average outing measured on Heupel's record, but to me, it was another A performance. You can't throw perfectly every week. It's impossible. You measure Tiger Woods on his recovery shots, and Josh had some great recovery shots in this game.
To me, he does not lose any standing.
No. 2 -- Chris Weinke, Florida State
at Wake Forest: 23-36-324, 5 TD, 2 int.; rush: 1-(-3)
Season: 243-387-3813, 30 TD, 9 int.; rush: 25-(-85), 1 TD
This week: Florida
Chris is carrying Florida State to a potential chance to repeat as national champions. He seems more comfortable distributing the ball to different players this year compared to last year. He doesn't make as many off-balanced throws as he did. He seems healthy and he will have the best stage this week against Florida.
Weinke is making a late run. He was never out of it, but he is making a late re-entry to win the Heisman. It will be a very tight ballot. If Chris finishes it up strong and beats Florida, the voters, especially in the East, will take notice.
No. 3 -- Drew Brees, Purdue
at Michigan State: 26-43-279, 1 TD, 3 int.; rush: 5-4
Season: 266-444-3177, 23 TD, 11 int.; rush: 81-443, 4 TD; rec: 1-5, 1 TD
This week: Indiana
|  | | Purdue quarterback Drew Brees walks off the field dejected after the Boilermakers lost to Michigan State. |
Drew Brees will probably not win the Heisman. It is not all his fault. I watched the film of Purdue's loss to Michigan State. Sometimes things happen that are beyond the control of the quarterback. He had one knockdown by a defensive lineman, he had a receiver not do his job and shield a defensive back on a pick play, and a guy was there when he shouldn't have been. He ended up getting a couple of cheap interceptions. That's part of the game. Quarterbacks get a lot of glory, and sometimes, they get a lot of the blame.
Drew doesn't care two hoots about the Heisman right now. He should focus on getting Purdue to the Rose Bowl. Remember, Bob Griese did not win the Heisman when he took his team to Pasadena, and not many people Purdue people are too upset. And Bob has had a pretty good life without the Heisman.
Drew will focus on Indiana, and accomplish a great finish to his career -- taking his team to the Rose Bowl.
In the system he is running at Purdue, much like Heupel, it lends itself to mistakes because every play, he must make a huge number of decisions and reads. He has the ball all the time, and you can't play perfectly every week.
So hold your ballots. There's no hurry. As we are learning by watching our Presidential election, let's get it right. Let's not be in a hurry.
Around the nation
All the quarterbacks around the country are playing brilliantly. Miami's Ken Dorsey is having a tremendous finish, Marques Tuiasosopo is beyond words in Washington, while Oregon State's Kevin Smith was unbelievable against Arizona. Smith throws the ball like a young Joe Theismann. He's not overly big, but he has a rocket for an arm. He's a tremendous story as a former walk-on. And Oregon's Joey Harrington continues to win.
The quarterbacks this year continue to play at a high level.
Gary Danielson writes a column every Monday for BCSfootball.com
Respond to Gary's rankings:
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