Kyler vs Tua: Heisman Race
By Colin Dixon November 26, 2018
Picture via @OU_Football Twitter
All of 2018 there has been a major debate on who will win the 2018 Heisman Trophy. For a majority of the year many people have been saying that Alabama Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would run away with the award but recently Kyler Murray has cemented his name into the conversation and he should definitely be considered as the winner.
Based off stats Kyler Murray should actually win the award. Tagovailoa has a lot of hype around his name but Murray has the head to head over Tagovailoa in almost every category.
Murray has 37 touchdown passes this year with 3674 passing yards and has a completion percentage of 70.6%. Tagovailoa, on the other hand, has a near 36 passing touchdowns, 3189 passing yards, and his completion percentage is 70.3%.
These statistics are virtually the same but Murray still has the edge on every stat. Both quarterbacks are going into their conference championships this coming Saturday and they will look to pad the stat sheets for the voters.
The main reason that Murray should win the Heisman though is the use of his legs. Murray has rushed for 853 yards this year and 11 touchdowns. Murray's legs are a major weapon in the Oklahoma offense and he is the reason that they are one of the best offenses in all of college football.
Tagovailoa only has 211 rushing yards this year with 5 touchdowns to compliment that. Tagovailoa is a tremendous quarterback who only has thrown 2 interceptions all year but because the use of his legs is not as productive as Murrays has been it may hurt Tagovailoa's chances at winning the Heisman.
On the other hand, if you look at how valuable each player is to their team the difference is huge. If the Sooners did not have Murray leading their offense they would not be a contender for the College Football Playoff but with his dominance on the field, the Sooners can possibly sneak into the playoff. On the other side Tagovailoa has a backup who is proven and if Tagovailoa was not playing for the Crimson Tide they would still be contending for a National Championship and would be a similar team to what they are now. Not saying that Tagovailoa is not a game changer, because he is but Murray is more valuable to his team.
Last year the Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield won the Heisman and now he is in the NFL, but without him, the Sooner offense has not skipped a beat and Murray picked up exactly where Mayfield left off. Also, to add Murray was a first-round draft pick in the most recent MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics and will be pursuing his baseball career after this year is over.
Both Quarterbacks will have one more game before the award is announced on December 8th in New York City. Alabama will face off with Georgia in the SEC Championship and Oklahoma will see their rival Texas in the Big 12 Championship.
If the voting was now I would say although it is close Murray should win the award but after this Saturday many things can change. If Murray has an off game and Tagovailoa has a big game my opinion may change. Many things can change after this weekend, and this award is up for grabs.
I think as of now Kyler Murray should win the award and I think he will have another big game come this Saturday, so my prediction come December 8th Kyler Murray will be standing on the Heisman stage giving his speech and his name will forever be written in the College Football history books.
Picture via @OU_Football Twitter
All of 2018 there has been a major debate on who will win the 2018 Heisman Trophy. For a majority of the year many people have been saying that Alabama Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa would run away with the award but recently Kyler Murray has cemented his name into the conversation and he should definitely be considered as the winner.
Based off stats Kyler Murray should actually win the award. Tagovailoa has a lot of hype around his name but Murray has the head to head over Tagovailoa in almost every category.
Murray has 37 touchdown passes this year with 3674 passing yards and has a completion percentage of 70.6%. Tagovailoa, on the other hand, has a near 36 passing touchdowns, 3189 passing yards, and his completion percentage is 70.3%.
These statistics are virtually the same but Murray still has the edge on every stat. Both quarterbacks are going into their conference championships this coming Saturday and they will look to pad the stat sheets for the voters.
The main reason that Murray should win the Heisman though is the use of his legs. Murray has rushed for 853 yards this year and 11 touchdowns. Murray's legs are a major weapon in the Oklahoma offense and he is the reason that they are one of the best offenses in all of college football.
Tagovailoa only has 211 rushing yards this year with 5 touchdowns to compliment that. Tagovailoa is a tremendous quarterback who only has thrown 2 interceptions all year but because the use of his legs is not as productive as Murrays has been it may hurt Tagovailoa's chances at winning the Heisman.
On the other hand, if you look at how valuable each player is to their team the difference is huge. If the Sooners did not have Murray leading their offense they would not be a contender for the College Football Playoff but with his dominance on the field, the Sooners can possibly sneak into the playoff. On the other side Tagovailoa has a backup who is proven and if Tagovailoa was not playing for the Crimson Tide they would still be contending for a National Championship and would be a similar team to what they are now. Not saying that Tagovailoa is not a game changer, because he is but Murray is more valuable to his team.
Last year the Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield won the Heisman and now he is in the NFL, but without him, the Sooner offense has not skipped a beat and Murray picked up exactly where Mayfield left off. Also, to add Murray was a first-round draft pick in the most recent MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics and will be pursuing his baseball career after this year is over.
Both Quarterbacks will have one more game before the award is announced on December 8th in New York City. Alabama will face off with Georgia in the SEC Championship and Oklahoma will see their rival Texas in the Big 12 Championship.
If the voting was now I would say although it is close Murray should win the award but after this Saturday many things can change. If Murray has an off game and Tagovailoa has a big game my opinion may change. Many things can change after this weekend, and this award is up for grabs.
I think as of now Kyler Murray should win the award and I think he will have another big game come this Saturday, so my prediction come December 8th Kyler Murray will be standing on the Heisman stage giving his speech and his name will forever be written in the College Football history books.
