Thursday, December 9
Benson not among Heisman finalists
Not that there was much doubt, but Texas running back Cedric Benson is officially out of the Heisman race after the list of five finalists announced on Wednesday did not include him. It’s unfortunate, too, because Cedric has had a remarkable year. While the five finalists are all amazing players, four of the five come from two teams, OU and USC, and compliment one another. Would OU’s Peterson be as effective without White? Would Leinert throw as many touchdowns without Bush? The fact is, those four players benefit tremendously as individuals from having a balanced attack. Poor Cedric had to overcome an impotent passing game to earn his yards. While Vince Young was busy not throwing long completions, defenses were sending eight and nine defenders into the box to stop Cedric. Benson still racked up amazing numbers and looked like a man among boys much of the time.
Benson was also the victim of yet another OU loss. Imagine, for a moment, that Texas beats OU (just go with it for argument’s sake, ok?). Suddenly Texas is an undefeated team playing in the Orange Bowl and getting all the media attention. And when you look closely at Texas, what do you see? That Cedric Benson is carrying this offense on his shoulders, earning tough yards in a system with no passing game. It’s impressive and Benson deserves to be among the five finalists, even if he doesn’t win. Don’t feel too sorry for Benson, though. He’ll be getting paid a lot of money to play on Sunday very soon.
--PB--
Benson was also the victim of yet another OU loss. Imagine, for a moment, that Texas beats OU (just go with it for argument’s sake, ok?). Suddenly Texas is an undefeated team playing in the Orange Bowl and getting all the media attention. And when you look closely at Texas, what do you see? That Cedric Benson is carrying this offense on his shoulders, earning tough yards in a system with no passing game. It’s impressive and Benson deserves to be among the five finalists, even if he doesn’t win. Don’t feel too sorry for Benson, though. He’ll be getting paid a lot of money to play on Sunday very soon.
--PB--
