BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper will be in New York this weekend as one of three Heisman Trophy finalists, but ESPN analyst Trevor Matich said Wednesday one of Cooper's teammates should have accompanied him.
Matich, a former BYU and NFL offensive linemen who now hosts ESPN's College GameDay on radio, was a guest on Ivan Maisel's "Championship Drive" podcast Wednesday. He said that Alabama quarterback Blake Sims should be a Heisman finalist along with Cooper, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon.
"If I were filling out a ballot, I'd have Marcus Mariota as my No. 1, and I the other two guys that are in New York would be highly ranked," Matich said. "But I would have a guy in New York that they don't right now. ... That's Blake Sims of Alabama."
Matich noted that Sims ranks second nationally, behind only Mariota, in Total Quarterback Rating, a statistic created by ESPN to capture a quarterback's complete effect on a game both as a passer and as a runner, adjusting for factors such as quality of opposition, down and distance, score and other game situations. Mariota's QBR of 91.9 leads the country, with Sims second at 88.4.
Matich also credited Sims for his quick development in his first year as a starter while playing under a new offensive coordinator in Lane Kiffin. Sims has passed for 3,250 yards and 26 touchdowns with just seven interceptions, while rushing for six touchdowns and being sacked only 10 times for the top-ranked Crimson Tide.
"Mariota is in his third year starting in the same system," Matich said. "(Sims) is in his first year starting in a system, and it's his first year starting ever. Mariota is 12-1 and has his team ranked No. 2. This other guy that I think should be in New York (Sims) is 12-1 and has his team ranked No. 1."
Cooper has set numerous school and SEC records this season, totaling 115 receptions for 1,656 yards and 14 touchdowns. While Matich added that Cooper was "deserving" of being a Heisman finalist, by the nature of his position he (or any other wide receiver) cannot affect a game in the same ways Sims can at quarterback.
"Now Amari Cooper, his teammate at wide receiver, is going to New York and Cooper is deserving of going to New York," Matich said. "But given everything that Sims has done, and that Cooper touches the ball about a dozen times a game -- Sims will touch it 70 times a game -- and the fact that only Mariota is rated as having a more positive effect (statistically) for his team than Blake Sims is, I think Sims deserves a lot more credit than he's getting for the quality of his play this year."
You can listen to the full interview with Matich HERE (Sims comments begin at the 26-minute mark).
Matich and fellow ESPN analyst Andre Ware, the 1989 Heisman Trophy winner at Houston, also discussed Sims' Heisman case on Tuesday. You can watch that video below (if you're on an iPhone, click HERE):
Continue reading...
Matich, a former BYU and NFL offensive linemen who now hosts ESPN's College GameDay on radio, was a guest on Ivan Maisel's "Championship Drive" podcast Wednesday. He said that Alabama quarterback Blake Sims should be a Heisman finalist along with Cooper, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota and Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon.
"If I were filling out a ballot, I'd have Marcus Mariota as my No. 1, and I the other two guys that are in New York would be highly ranked," Matich said. "But I would have a guy in New York that they don't right now. ... That's Blake Sims of Alabama."
Matich noted that Sims ranks second nationally, behind only Mariota, in Total Quarterback Rating, a statistic created by ESPN to capture a quarterback's complete effect on a game both as a passer and as a runner, adjusting for factors such as quality of opposition, down and distance, score and other game situations. Mariota's QBR of 91.9 leads the country, with Sims second at 88.4.
Matich also credited Sims for his quick development in his first year as a starter while playing under a new offensive coordinator in Lane Kiffin. Sims has passed for 3,250 yards and 26 touchdowns with just seven interceptions, while rushing for six touchdowns and being sacked only 10 times for the top-ranked Crimson Tide.
"Mariota is in his third year starting in the same system," Matich said. "(Sims) is in his first year starting in a system, and it's his first year starting ever. Mariota is 12-1 and has his team ranked No. 2. This other guy that I think should be in New York (Sims) is 12-1 and has his team ranked No. 1."
Cooper has set numerous school and SEC records this season, totaling 115 receptions for 1,656 yards and 14 touchdowns. While Matich added that Cooper was "deserving" of being a Heisman finalist, by the nature of his position he (or any other wide receiver) cannot affect a game in the same ways Sims can at quarterback.
"Now Amari Cooper, his teammate at wide receiver, is going to New York and Cooper is deserving of going to New York," Matich said. "But given everything that Sims has done, and that Cooper touches the ball about a dozen times a game -- Sims will touch it 70 times a game -- and the fact that only Mariota is rated as having a more positive effect (statistically) for his team than Blake Sims is, I think Sims deserves a lot more credit than he's getting for the quality of his play this year."
You can listen to the full interview with Matich HERE (Sims comments begin at the 26-minute mark).
Matich and fellow ESPN analyst Andre Ware, the 1989 Heisman Trophy winner at Houston, also discussed Sims' Heisman case on Tuesday. You can watch that video below (if you're on an iPhone, click HERE):
Continue reading...
