Then there were two: Mariota vs. Gordon for Heisman

Ken Bradley

Then there were two: Mariota vs. Gordon for Heisman image

We’ve seen so many good Heisman candidates this season.

Dak Prescott, Ameer Abdullah, Amari Cooper, Brett Hundley, Trevone Boykin, Jameis Winston, Tevin Coleman, Everett Golson, Kevin White, Bryce Petty, Anu Solomon, Shane Carden, Rakeem Cato and James Connor, to name a few.

But with a week of the regular season remaining, it’s clear that the Heisman is a two-man competition: Oregon’s Marcus Mariota vs. Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon.

Quarterback vs. running back. Two of the nation’s elite performers who have stepped up on the biggest stages. Will Mariota become Oregon’s first Heisman winner or will Gordon snap the string of four consecutive wins by quarterbacks?

Here’s our breakdown:

Wins and losses

Should the win-loss record matter when determining which player is the nation’s best? It shouldn’t, but without a doubt, it factors into voters’ minds to some degree. Wisconsin has two losses; Oregon just one. The Badgers lost the season opener against LSU in a game they should have won. Gordon ran for 147 yards, but had just four carries in the second half. In the Badgers’ other loss, Gordon ran for 257 yards and a TD. In Oregon’s only loss to Arizona, Mariota threw for 276 yards and a touchdown and caught a TD pass, but was sacked five times playing behind a beat-up offensive line.

Advantage: Call it even

Best game

This is a tough call for Mariota. Statistically, it’s his 21 for 25, 329-yard, 5-touchdown game against Washington State. But we’ll say on the road at UCLA was just as important when the Ducks jumped on the Bruins early as he threw for 210 yards and two TDs and ran for 75 and two more scores. For Gordon, it’s a no-brainer. His 25-carry, 408-yard record-setting performance against Nebraska with four TDs was amazing. He averaged 16.3 yards per carry.

Advantage: Gordon

Worst game

Remember, we’re talking Heisman frontrunners here and worst game doesn’t necessarily mean a bad one. Mariota’s came in the loss to Arizona. He was 20 for 32 with 276 passing yards and two TDs, but fumbled on the Ducks’ final possession when they needed a score. For Gordon’s the stat line jumps out at you: 17 carries, 38 yards, 2.2 yards per carry -- against Western Illinois. That’s right, Week 2 vs. Western Illinois. If he’d had his “average” game for the season, we’d be talking how close he is to Barry Sanders’ all-time season rushing mark.

Advantage: Mariota

Consistency

Mariota has completed 68.0 percent of his passes for 3,103 yards, 32 TDs and two interceptions. He’s thrown at least two TD passes in every game and for at least 210 yards each game this season. Gordon has scored in every game but one (vs. Western Illinois) and has at least 122 rushing yards in every game but one (also Western Illinois). He’s scored at least twice in eight games this season.

Advantage: Slight edge to Mariota

Versatility

Gordon averages 8.3 yards per carry. He returned kicks some earlier in his career, but the Badgers use him just as a back now. He’s caught 14 passes this season out of the backfield after catching just three total the past three seasons. Mariota is one of the nation’s top dual-threat QBs and that gives him an advantage over Gordon from the start. He’s a passer first, but a threat to run anytime. He has 597 rushing yards and nine TDs. He also has a TD reception this season.

Advantage: Slight edge to Mariota

National rankings

Mariota is the nation’s leader in passing efficiency (185.2), is third in TD passes (32), 14th in passing yards per game (282.1) and fifth in total offense (336.4). The Ducks are fifth in the nation in total offense (537.0) because of Mariota’s leadership. Gordon, is first in rushing yards (2,109), first in rushing TDs (25), first in yards per game (191.7) and second in yards per carry (8.3). The Badgers are 18th in total offense (485.2) despite teams knowing where the ball is headed.

Advantage: Gordon

History

Four running backs won the Heisman in the 1990s. Since then, it’s been a quarterback award. The last four winners are quarterbacks and 12 of the last 13 are as well (Reggie Bush’s award was vacated). Oregon doesn’t have a Heisman winner; Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne won it in 1999 with a season that won’t match up to what Gordon’s putting together and another Badgers RB, Alan Ameche, won in 1954.

Advantage: Slight edge Mariota

Bottom line

Mariota has been one of the top two candidates all season. The loss against Arizona allowed Dak Prescott to climb into the top spot, but Prescott’s inconsistent play opened the door for Mariota to move up, while Gordon’s outstanding late-season push catapulted him into frontrunner status. With one week of the regular season remaining before votes are cast, the competition remains undecided. It’s Mariota’s consistency, mistake-free play against Gordon’s big-play ability.

Final call: Mariota by a slim margin

Ken Bradley