With Peter Warrick sidelined due to felony grand theft charges, the door stood wide open for another candidate to take charge in the race for the Heisman Trophy.
But no one stepped up, leaving no clear front-runner for the award with roughly half the season in the books.
Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton assumed the top spot more for his team's final result -- a 31-24 overtime win over North Carolina -- than his personal performance (two fumbles, two interceptions). Hamilton still accounted for three touchdowns and scored the winning TD in overtime.
Two other top candidates (Shaun Alexander and Chad Pennington) were idle, another (Ron Dayne) was banged up and a fourth had a subpar game in a loss (Drew Brees).
Warrick remains eligible for the award unless he is convicted of a felony, according to William J. Dockery, the president of the Downtown Athletic Club in New York. But Warrick won't be finding himself in uniform as long as the felony charge remains, according to Florida State policy.
| JOE HAMILTON -- GEORGIA TECH |
STATS |
| 1. |
Breaking it down: Overcame his four turnovers to lead Georgia Tech to a comeback win in overtime over North Carolina.
|
Opponent
vs. North Carolina
Season
|
Cmp-Att-Yds
14-26-273
Rush-Yds
14-7779-118-1,347
54-234 |
TD-INT
2-2
1
12-4
6 |
| SHAUN ALEXANDER -- ALABAMA |
STATS |
| 2. |
Breaking it down: 'Bama had a bye week after the big win over Florida. Back-to-back games against Mississippi and Tennessee will test Alexander.
|
Opponent
Idle
Season
|
Rush-Yds
Rec-Yds
135-720
11-208 |
TD
14 |
| RON DAYNE -- WISCONSIN |
STATS |
| 3. |
Breaking it down: Slowed by a shoulder injury suffered in the first half, Dayne still carried the brunt of the Badgers' offensive load in a tough, hard-fought win.
|
Opponent
at Minnesota
Season
|
Car-Yds
25-80
158-853
|
TD
1
11
|
| DREW BREES -- PURDUE |
STATS |
| 4. |
Breaking it down: Another wet day hampered Brees and the Boilermakers. He did catch a 12-yard pass from Vinny Sutherland, but was held without a TD pass for the first time since 1997.
|
Opponent
at Ohio State
Season
|
Cmp-Att-Yds
24-39-205
151-260-1,823
|
TD-INT
1*-0
12*-4
*one receiving TD |
| PETER WARRICK -- FLORIDA ST. |
STATS |
| 5. |
Breaking it down: For now, Warrick's situation will only be viewed as a one-game absence. But if this turns into an extended suspension, forget about the Heisman.
|
Opponent
vs. Miami (Fla.)
Season
|
Rec-Yds
36-508
|
TD
8*
*one passing TD |
| CHAD PENNINGTON -- MARSHALL |
STATS |
| 6. |
Breaking it down: Had the week off, looking forward to a stretch against Toledo, Buffalo and Northern Illinois.
|
Opponent
Idle
Season
|
Cmp-Att-Yds
111-186-1,569
|
TD-INT
14-5
|
| TRAVIS PRENTICE -- MIAMI (OH) |
STATS |
| 7. |
Breaking it down: Scored two rushing TDs and scored a third on a 30-yard reception. He now stands six TDs behind Ricky Williams' NCAA I-A record of 72 career TDs.
|
Opponent
at Bowling Green
Season
|
Car-Yds
34-209
180-846
|
TD
3
14
|
| CHRIS REDMAN -- LOUISVILLE |
STATS |
| 8. |
Breaking it down: Part of an amazing 59-52 double-overtime shootout with Army. However, the losses are mounting for 3-3 Louisville.
|
Opponent
at Army
Season
|
Cmp-Att-Yds
36-50-366
178-263-1,929
|
TD-INT
2-1
16-8
|
| COREY MOORE -- VIRGINIA TECH |
STATS |
| 9. |
Breaking it down: Hokies rolled over Rutgers, scoring on seven of their first eight possessions. Not much defense was needed.
|
Opponent
at Rutgers
Season
|
Tck-TFL-Sack
4-1-1
22-8-8
|
TD
0
1
|
| BILL BURKE -- MICHIGAN ST. |
STATS |
| 10. |
Breaking it down: Had a record performance in the biggest game of his career, upsetting No. 3 Michigan.
|
Opponent
vs. Michigan
Season
|
Cmp-Att-Yds
21-36-400
92-161-1,309
|
TD-INT
2-0
13-5
|
UNC vs Georgia Tech
