Ryan Williams, Heisman Candidate?

[Ed. Note: Bumped from FanPosts]

With Sam Bradford injured, Colt McCoy flying under the radar and Tim Tebow looking... human the Heisman race is wide open. Going into last weekend Cal's Jahvid Best was the unofficial front-runner. Best is more than deserving of the praise, because he's a fine runner and dynamic play maker. However, what I found particularly interesting is how favorably Ryan William's numbers compare to Best's.

The thing that pops out as you eyeball the table is Best bests (pun intended) Williams' yards per attempt by almost a full yard. Is that a negative? No not necessarily, having a durable running back that can grind out yards as well as break the big one is a luxury.

Statistically William's best game was against a lowly Marshall. But Heisman campaigns aren't built on top of scrubbing a bad team. Therefore, his most impressive game was against #9 Miami. He rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. Cliché or not he ran harder as the game progressed. His grueling carries in the 3rd and 4th quarters helped gouge time off the clock and seal the deal for the Hokies. Yes, he did do that much damage against the same Hurricane defense that smothered both Georgia Tech's and Florida State's rushers.

On the flip side, his worst game was against #19 Nebraska. It was a rushing effort akin to hurling a boulder up a mountain. Take away his long run of 46 yards and his stats are a meager 61 yards on 20 carries.

Before laying an egg against Oregon Best had been in top gear all season long. However, the competition was mediocre. As of today, these are the rush defense rankings of Cal opponents: Maryland (110), Eastern Washington (I-AA), Minnesota (70) and Oregon (60). Even though Minnesota sports a slightly below average rush defense the game versus Cal was competitive and was Best's signature performance (so far). He accounted for a third of the Bear's offense and all five of their touchdowns.

I think it's fair to say that, through four games, Williams is on par with the (perceived) best back in the Nation, Jahvid Best. Unfortunately for Ryan he has no chance of winning the Heisman in 2009, Even if he continues to pile up gaudy numbers Williams won't be seriously considered for the award until 2010+. The Heisman is supposed to be a year-to-year award, but very rarely does it go down that way. It requires a "buzz year" for both America and the Media to become familar with a stud player. For right now all we can do, Hokie fans, is jump aboard the RW Express and watch in awe as it steams through 2009.