On Graham Harrell

I'm feeling a bit testy about members of the national media making comments like these or speculating that Graham Harrell should be the Heisman race leader because of his circumstantially "better" stats (ESPN PTI), so I gathered some inspiration from maybe my favorite blogger and decided to write something contrarian.

Said Gary Danielson on Colt versus Matt Stafford as a pro:

"I'll take Stafford. He's a 235 pound player; more of a pro....If Stafford played in one of those junk offenses, he'd be putting up numbers just like McCoy. I think he's more the pro body type, he's more Matt Ryan. I think he's just a brilliant football player, I really do. He's gonna be an NFL franchise quarterback."

F. That.

Colt vs. Graham Harrell for the Heisman
Graham Harrell will not win the Heisman, and it has nothing to do with his playing ability. Definitely don't misunderstand this and think that I am trying to convince myself that Harrell isn't a phenomenal player. It's because he doesn't act like a phenomenal player. Watching Graham against Kansas and A&M this season, and every time he's played against the Horns, it has become really clear to me that he is that kid that played on your little league basketball team who would throw tantrums and kick the ball across the gym because your team was down. When he scores, he taunts the opposing student section, when he gets sacked, he calls for a late hit, if he throws an interception he actually has the audacity to run to the ref and try to win a favorable call. It's football! Get up and go to the line, quit being a diva. I may be viewing this through burnt oranges sunglasses, but you just can't get behind a football player like that. Colt was hit really hard against Mizzou after he got off the pass and didn't get a flag, but he jumped up before the defenders that hit him did, adjusted his helmet, and ran back to the line of scrimmage while trying to get the crowd to make some noise. Differences like that are tough to ignore for your average Heisman voter.

Some stats: (Team: Sacks Comp-Att)

Colt
#6 OSU: 1 38-45
#11 MU: 1 29-32
#1 OU: 3 28-35
CU: 3 23-30
Rice: 2 19-23
UTEP: 2 20-29
Total: 12 157-194 or 80.9% completion

Graham Harrell
SMU 1 37-55
#19 KU 2 38-48
Total: 3 75-103 72.8%

Colt has taken more hits from stronger opponents and completed more passes in those games. That's all I need to know. With the amount of time Tech's o-line has given Harrell to operate this season, he should be blowing Colt out of the water. Also, did I mention Harrell plays on the same team as Michael Crabtree, the Adrian Peterson of receiving?