Wednesday October 28, 2009

Spiller-The Candidate

Spiller-The Candidate
In the pre-season I wrote a blog exploring C.J. Spiller’s Heisman candidacy. I had concluded that it would be extremely difficult for Clemson’s star to get a shot at the trophy. My thoughts then were not based on any negative aspect concerning Spiller. It was based upon the fact that anyone would have a hard time breaking into the top three outside of Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford.

I was wrong on two accounts. First, the quarterback trio of the finalist from last season has not lived up to expectations and their stronghold on the trophy has been diminished. We now know that Bradford will not become the second repeat winner of the award. If Tebow or McCoy win the Heisman it will not be because of what they did on the field in 2009 which is a surprise. At one time I thought one of the three had to out play the other two and win the trophy instead of it being a lifetime achievement award. Because all three have not played as well in 2009, if McCoy or Tebow won it would be based on their career instead of their season.

Also I was wrong about it difficult for anyone to get in the race. Alabama’s Mark Ingram has gotten in the picture. Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen has also thrown his name in the hat. This week, Spiller joined the party.

ESPN's Mel Kiper said if the Heisman was handed out today, he would give it to Spiller. ESPN’s Todd McShay has Spiller second on his current Heisman list. Sports Illustrated’s (SI.com) Heisman expert, Gene Menz has Spiller fourth in his Heisman rankings this week. CBSSportsline.com’s Dennis Dodd has Spiller fifth in the race this week. ESPN.com has fifteen college football experts on their panel for their Heisman Watch and Spiller has climbed to seventh in their composite poll.

The Competition
Maybe the Heisman goes to the best player on a great team. That is what Ingram, Tebow and McCoy are hoping. Seven of the last 11 Heisman winners have played for the national title.

Here are what the other contenders have done in 2009:
Alabama running back Mark Ingram has 1004 yards rushing and 186 yards receiving. The sophomore has 11 touchdowns this season.

Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen has thrown for 2,050 yards with 16 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has one rushing touchdown.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow has passed for 1,159 yards with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. He has also rushed for 486 yards and six touchdowns.

Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has passed for 1806 yards with 14 touchdowns and eight picks. He has rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown.

Spiller has 547 yards and three touchdowns rushing. He has 267 yards and two touchdowns receiving. The senior has 182 yards and one touchdown returning punts and 459 yards and three touchdowns returning kickoffs.

Spiller’s Case
Because the trophy is wide open and because it is won on the field now, Spiller has a chance because he now has voters’ attention. The Clemson Sports Information office is cranking up the Spiller Heisman campaign. Here are ten stats that support Spiller’s candidacy:

1-Spiller now leads the nation in all-purpose yards per game with 207.86. He is one of only two players to average over 200 all-purpose yards per game.

2-He is also third nationally in kickoff return average with a 38.2 figure and is tied for first in kickoff returns for touchdowns with three.

3-Spiller has had a 60-yard play, either from scrimmage or on a return, in each of the first seven games this year.

4-He tied an NCAA record for kickoff returns for touchdowns with six with his 90-yard kickoff return at Miami.

5-Spiller broke the ACC record for kick returns for a touchdown with seven (six kickoff and one punt).

6-Spiller now has seven total kick re¬turns for touchdowns in his career, six on kickoffs and one on punt returns. The national record for a career is eight held by four players. Cliff Branch of Colorado (1970-71), Johnny Rogers of Nebraska (1970-72), Derek Abney of Kentucky (2000-03) and Chad Owens of Hawaii (2001-04) all had eight total kick returns for touchdowns over their respective careers.

7-Spiller’s 310 all-purpose yards tie for the most in a game by any player in FBS Division this year. Derrick Locke of Kentucky had 310 against Louisville on September 19. Spiller’s performance broke the previous Clemson record of 282 yards by Justin Miller at Florida State in 2004.

8-Spiller has reached the 100-yard mark in four different areas over his career, the only player in Clemson history to achieve that distinc¬tion.

9-He had 26 carries for 112 yards rushing against TCU, a defense that ranked first in the nation in rushing defense in 2008 and was near the top of the nation entering the game this year. TCU had allowed just 43 rushing yards per game entering the game with Clemson on September 26.

10-Spiller also had 106 yards in the win over Wake Forest and he now has 10 career 100-yard rushing games. Spiller also has three 100-yard receiving games, three 100-yard kickoff return games, and a 100-yard punt return game. He had 3-119 in punt returns against Boston College on September 19 of this year. That is still the third most punt return yards in a game this year by any player.

Clemson Records Held by C.J. Spiller (20)
•Most All-Purpose running yards in a career, 6,353
•Most All-purpose running yards/game in career, 141.1
•Most All-purpose running yards in a game: 310 at Miami, 2009
•Most Consecutive 200-yard All-Purpose games, 3 in 2009
ªMost 200-yard all-purpose games in career, 6
•Most Different Ways Accounting for a Touchdown, 5
•Most Different Ways recording a 100-yard game, 4
•Most TD Plays of 50 Yards or More in season, 7 in 2009
•Most TD Plays of 50 yards or more in a career, 17
•Most Touchdown Plays of 80 yards or more in a career, 9
*Most Receptions in career by a running back: 105
•Most Reception touchdowns by a running back: 9
•Most Reception Yards in career by a running back, 1080
•Most Reception Yards by a running back in a season, 436 in 2008
•Receptions in a game by a Running back, 7 vs. Duke 2008
•Yards per carry in a season (min 400 yds), 7.3 in 2006
•Consecutive Games with a play of 60 yards or more: 7 in 2009
•Most Kickoff Returns for Touchdown in a career, $6
•Kickoff returns for touchdown in a season, 3 in 2009
ªMost Kick returns for touchdown in a career, 7

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Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, Delores Weaver, Eric Boessneck, John Bowers, Jimmy Ness, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, John Petrey, Chalmers Carr, Drayton Melton, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Ann Fallaw, Bob Pollock, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs, Mike Kingsmore,Perrin Seigler, Carole White Begley.