No player has more of an opportunity to separate themselves in the Heisman pack than Ryan Mallett this week. Mallett, the 6’6” quarterback of the Arkansas Razorbacks has the individual numbers to back up the Heisman hype. He leads the nation in passing yards with 1,080. He is tied for third in touchdown passes with nine. His passing efficiency rating is fifth best in the nation and the highest for any quarterback with at least 100 passing attempts. Mallett is the best big-play passer in the nation as well. His 15.44 yards per completion is the highest of anyone that has more than 60 attempts.
But the Heisman Memorial Trophy has become more and more a team award as much as an individual one. In recent history, teams not ranked in the top 10 need not apply for the most prestigious individual award in college sports.
Arkansas Razorback fans know that all too well.
Darren McFadden, a former Razorback running back and considered by many to be the most outstanding player two years in a row, settled for a couple of Doak Walkers as he finished second in the voting to Troy Smith and Tim Tebow in straight years. Troy Smith’s Ohio State Buckeye team played for the national title. Tim Tebow’s squad was ranked in the top 10 at the time of the Heisman vote. The Razorbacks finished 15th in the nation in 2006 and unranked in 2007.
Ryan Mallett and the Razorbacks can change those fortunes as they host the University of Alabama. The Razorbacks enter the game ranked tenth in the nation according to the Associated Press. The University of Alabama, of course, is the defending BCS National Champions and widely regarded as the best team in the nation. Ryan Mallett and his head coach, Bobby Petrino, have made it clear that while they see the game against the Crimson Tide as a challenge, it’s more of an opportunity.
There is a confidence about the Hogs, a sort of swagger that the best teams all seem to have. They are not shying away from the lofty expectations of the media, their fans, or their coaching staff. They are not saying it will take a lucky break here or an Alabama mistake there. They are not trying to keep it close to the fourth quarter to give themselves a shot late. They fully believe they can and will win the game based on the merits of their team. “We need to go out and play Razorback football and we’ll have an opportunity to win the game. That’s kind of what our theme will be for the week,” said Bobby Petrino during a press conference following the road win at Georgia.
And if the Razorbacks win, it will be on the arm of Ryan Mallett. And if Ryan Mallett carries his team to a victory over the best team in the nation on live television, Mallett instantly catapults himself to the top of the Heisman heap. Likely by a wide margin.
Quite simply, Ryan Mallett is the best prototypical NFL quarterback that is not in the NFL.
Clearly, Ryan Mallett is the best and most dynamic skill player in the nation. His arm strength is unrivaled in college football. His passing accuracy combined with the velocity he can put on passes allows him to make every throw in virtually every offense ever created. Mallett is not going to rush for 100 yards in a game like Denard Robinson of Michigan or Taylor Martinez of Nebraska, but he’s nimble and strong enough to make people miss. His pocket awareness and ability to feel pressure is one of the best in the nation. And just to add one more weapon, his long strides allow him to cover a deceptively large amount of space in a short period. Quite simply, Ryan Mallett is the best prototypical NFL quarterback that is not in the NFL.
Of course, everyone has their critics, and Mallett has had his share of criticism. Some of that criticism he earned fairly, while some of it has been a result of kneejerk reactions to box score heroes that base their opinions on the stat sheet and not on visual evidence.
Some of the criticism about Ryan Mallett entering this season was that he did not win a true road game last year. The instant reaction was that he must not play well on the road. While that certainly makes sense, it’s important to note that the true road games for the Razorbacks last season just happened to be against Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, and LSU. The road schedule was brutal, especially for offenses. These four teams constituted the best four defenses in the SEC, and all were top 20 defenses nationally.
Surely, playing on the road had something to do with the lack of production for Ryan Mallett and the Razorback offense, but more likely, the strength of the defenses they faced played a much larger factor. Mallett and the Razorbacks played the Texas A&M Aggies at a neutral site in Dallas. Mallett tossed four touchdown passes and led the Hogs to a 49-17 blowout. And if playing well on the road was a question mark for the Hog quarterback, tossing three touchdowns among his 380 yards in Athens, Georgia should help to provide some answers.
The strongest criticism against Ryan Mallett is really a criticism against the Razorback offense as a whole. Last year, they dominated weaker defenses. The Hogs scored points upon points against teams that had defensive struggles like Georgia, Auburn, and Texas A&M. The elite defenses, however, showed why they were elite against the Hogs.
Against Alabama, Mallett was 12 for 35 for just 160 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Against Florida, he was only 12 for 27. Against Ole Miss, Mallett was 12 for 34. Against LSU, he was only 17 for 39. In other words, Mallett and the Hog offense were connecting on less than 40% of their passes against the elite teams. That will not win big ball games, and it certainly will not win the Heisman Trophy.
But the Razorbacks are now a year removed, and the expectations in Fayetteville are higher. More importantly, the offense is better. The wide receivers, which dropped several balls last season, have done a much better job of catching the ball before they try to run with it. Ryan Mallett, who missed several open receivers last year, has been brilliant and his accuracy is much improved. Tight end D.J. Williams has gotten more involved in the passing game and already has 14 receptions. The offensive line, which struggled in pass protection last season, has only allowed four sacks through the first three games.
Saturday, the Razorbacks and their Heisman hopeful at quarterback, get a chance to answer all the critics that have reasonable questions. I say reasonable because some “experts” have said Ryan Mallett is too tall to be an effective NFL quarterback. But really, the last remaining question for Ryan Mallett is can he play well and beat the elite defenses that are peppered throughout the SEC?
If the Hogs beat Alabama, Mallett will have answered the last remaining criticism. This would easily make Mallett the Heisman frontrunner and give him the opportunity to run away with the voting. More importantly for the Hogs is that it would set up the Razorbacks to win the SEC West, the SEC Championship, and a BCS National Championship suddenly becomes a very real possibility.
And as we all know, the Heisman’s unwritten rule is that your team be nationally relevant.
