Early Season 2005 Heisman Update

Stay up to date with our 2007 Heisman Candidates article

We are releasing an early season 2005 Heisman update so you can keep posted on the odds of your futures wagers.

With a few games remaining in the college football regular season, it appears as though the Heisman platform is set. Vince Young has emerged as the man to beat after a 500 yard day, and it is Reggie Bush and not last season’s Heisman winner Matt Leinart nipping at his heels. Whoever else joins these three in New York is unimportant in terms of bringing home the nation’s most coveted award. But Brady Quinn of Notre Dame, Maurice Drew of UCLA, and Marcus Vick of Virginia Tech are all notables.

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Vince Young QB, Texas
6-5, 230 lbs., Jr.

Young’s passing ability has improved as the season has gone on and is starting to quiet the skeptics. Last week v. Oklahoma State he was 15/30 for 239yrds and 2 TDs. He also recorded 267yrds on the ground and 2 more TDs in perhaps the best individual performance in college football this season thus far.

On the season Young is 121/201 (60.2%) for 1,830yrds with 16 TDs and 8 INTs. He has 103 carries for 747yrds and 8 TDs.

Reggie Bush RB, USC
6-0, 200 lbs., Jr.

Despite coming off a sub par game by Bush’s standards, in which he rushed for 97 yrds on 17 carries and caught 4 passes for 40yrds, he continues to steal some of Leinart’s thunder by making spectacular plays. Every time he receives a kick/punt it seems like he could break one.

For the season, Bush has 910yrds on 111 carries (8.2yrds/carry) and 10 TDs. He has 285 receiving yards on 23 catches with 2 TDs. He also has 1 punt return for a TD.

Matt Leinart QB, USC
6-5, 225 lbs., Sr.

Despite putting up consistently good numbers, Leinart’s stock may have dropped slightly due to several games where the Trojans got off to slow starts resulting in closer than anticipated scores, while the nation watched Vince Young and the Longhorns steam roll their competition. Leinart did pull off a miraculous final drive v. Notre Dame, which may prove to be a major deciding factor for voters.

On the season, Leinart is 169/258 (65.5%) for 2,530yrds with 19 TDs and just 6 INTs. He also has 2 rushing TDs, one of which was the game winner against the Irish.

Brady Quinn QB, Notre Dame
6-4, 232 lbs., Jr.

Notre Dame was off last week which is never good in terms of the Heisman race. But the last time Quinn stepped on the field he dropped 6 TDs on BYU on 32 of 41 passing for 467yrds. This performance rivals Vince Young’s 500 yard day as the best individual performance of the year. If the Irish could have pulled off the upset against the Trojans Quinn’s stock could have soared.

For the season, Quinn is 175/266 for 2,352yrds with 20 TDs and just 4 INTs. He has also rushed for a TD.

Maurice Drew RB, UCLA
5-8, 198 lbs., Jr.

Coming into the season, Maurice Drew wasn’t on most people’s radar in the PAC 10. Now he’s in the National spotlight. Last week, he helped keep UCLA’s undefeated season alive by scoring 2 of the bruins 3 TDs in the last 7 minutes of the game to force OT against Stanford.

His ability to catch the ball out of the back field rivals Bush—in fact, his numbers are better in this regard.

For the year, Drew has 11 rushing TDs on 132 carries for 675yrds. He has 25 receptions for 370yrds and 4 TDs. He also has an astounding 3 punt return TDs.

Marcus Vick QB, Virginia Tech
6-0, 212 lbs., Jr.

Coming into the season, there were many questions surrounding Vick running the show, but with just a few weeks remaining in the regular season, he has the Hokies in contention for the national championship. Perhaps, more impressive, from a coaching standpoint, than his athleticism is his poise. It was his arm and control of the offense that took down BC and not his legs.

For the Season Vick is 109/158 for 1,534yrds with 11 TDs and 5 INTs. He has gained 319 yards on the ground with 3 TDs. A big performance against Miami this weekend could boost his status.

Smart handicappers are learning towards Vince Young, but a lot of people believe this year's NCAA heisman winner will be Reggie Bush.

2005 Heisman Preview - 2005 Heisman Update 2