milesl
12/29/2015, 07:48 PM
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The Orange Bowl will feature two of the top four finishers in the Heisman race, Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield and Clemson QB Deshaun Watson. (USA Today Sports)
As part of the most unfortunate theme of the 2015 college football season, injuries deprived us of great quarterback matchups in the Big 12 in November. It began when Baylor's Seth Russell was lost for the season, and it continued when TCU's Trevone Boykin missed the entire Oklahoma game and the Sooners' Baker Mayfield played only the first half. Oklahoma's 30-29 win over TCU still proved to be among the most exciting games of the year, but the 2015 season was deprived of one of the best possible quarterback matchups, as we did not get to see a duel between Boykin and Mayfield.
Finally, though, we will get to see something similar: Thursday's playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl between No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Oklahoma features the best possible quarterback matchup in college football, as Deshaun Watson and Mayfield were both top Heisman candidates. Watson finished third in the Heisman Trophy vote, behind Alabama running back Derrick Henry and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey. While Mayfield was not invited to New York as a finalist, he finished fourth.
Their matchup is somewhat rare. Quarterbacks who finished in the top five of the Heisman voting have, in the same season, gone on to meet in a bowl game 10 times before this year's Orange Bowl, which will be the 11th such matchup. Including Thursday, four of the last seven will have featured Oklahoma. It will also be the fifth to take place in Miami.
On Sunday, Oklahoma linebacker Dominique Alexander compared Watson to Boykin, and now, after missing Boykin in 2015, the Sooners defense will face the big challenge that Watson poses.
"You've got to keep him contained," Alexander said. "He's up for the Heisman. He's one of the top players in the country. He played for an undefeated team this year. To keep him contained, everybody has got to do their job. We've got to make more plays on him than he does on us."
Watson has been an excellent multi-purpose weapon this season. He's an accurate passer who throws a beautiful deep ball but has also emerged as a dangerous runner. He has completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 3,512 yards with 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and he has rushed 163 times for 887 yards 11 touchdowns.
Mayfield brings some similar qualities to the table for Oklahoma. The former Texas Tech walk-on is starring in the offense under new coordinator Lincoln Riley, particularly excelling with his improvisational ability. Mayfield is second nationally in passer rating, completing 68.6 percent of his passes for 3,389 yards with 35 touchdowns and five picks. He also has rushed 131 times for 420 yards and seven touchdowns.
"Yeah, he's a special player for their team," Watson said of Mayfield. "You know he does a great job because without him they wouldn't be in this position. It takes a special guy to lead a great team, and they're pretty good, and they wouldn't be here for no reason."
Watson and Mayfield won't literally be matching up against each other, of course, but their play has dictated just how far the Tigers and Sooners are capable of going. A back-and-forth type of game, which seems likely, will rest on their shoulders. Based on their results, this should be the best quarterback matchup this season, and based on the Heisman vote, it's one of the best postseason quarterback pairings ever. A national championship won't be on the line in this Orange Bowl, but one of the two quarterbacks will get to move on to play for the title on Jan. 11.
Here is how the other bowl games matching quarterbacks who finished in the top five of the Heisman Trophy race that year have gone (with Heisman vote finish in parentheses):
2008: Sam Bradford (1) vs. Tim Tebow (3), BCS Championship
Tebow won the Heisman the season before, and in 2008 Florida raced to its second national championship in three years, beating Bradford's Sooners 24-14 in Miami in the BCS National Championship Game. The two had relatively similar mixed passing results, but not surprisingly Tebow gained an advantage with his running. Tebow threw for 231 yards with two TDs and two INTs, and Bradford threw for 256 yards with two TDs and two INTs. However, Tebow added 22 carries for 109 yards, Florida out-gained Oklahoma 479 to 363 and the Gators converted 12 of 17 third downs. With a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, Florida went on a long drive that took nearly seven minutes, with Tebow finishing it off on a four-yard touchdown pass to David Nelson that put Florida up by 10.
2005: Vince Young (2) vs. Matt Leinart (3), Rose Bowl
The two quarterbacks finished behind USC running back Reggie Bush in the Heisman vote, with Bush later being forced to vacated the award win. In Pasadena with the BCS title on the line, Young stole the show with one of the most legendary performances in bowl history. He completed 30 of 40 passes for 267 yards and ran 19 times for 200 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winning eight-yard run on fourth-and-eight with 19 seconds left as Texas won 41-38. Young's masterful effort overshadowed a solid night for Leinart, who hit 29 of 40 passes for 365 yards with a TD and a pick but fell short. Of course, it wasn't the first time Leinart was in a situation such as this …
2004: Matt Leinart (1) vs. Jason White (3), Orange Bowl
After USC won a disputed AP national title in 2003 in a year in which White won the Heisman, the next season Leinart won the Heisman and led the Trojans to the undisputed BCS championship. USC embarrassed Oklahoma 55-19, and while Leinart completed just 18 of 35 passes, he torched the Sooners, throwing for 332 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. White's career ended on a low note, as he completed 24 of 36 for 244 yards with two TDs and three INTs in a game that was over by halftime.
2002: Carson Palmer (1) vs. Brad Banks (2), Orange Bowl
The first game on this list that was not for the national title, as Ohio State beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl in the BCS championship. In a consolation in Miami, Palmer and USC beat Banks and Iowa 38-17, with Palmer continuing his late-season surge. Palmer completed 21 of 31 for 303 yards with a touchdown, while Banks -- who had been efficient all season -- hit just 15 of 36 passes for 204 yards, a TD and a pick.
2001: Eric Crouch (1) vs. Ken Dorsey (3), Rose Bowl
Crouch may have won the Heisman, but his season ended with a thud. Nebraska got blown out by Colorado on Black Friday, then backed its way into the BCS title game in Pasadena anyway. There, Nebraska ran into Miami and one of the greatest college football teams of all time. Crouch, primarily a runner in the Huskers' option offense, completed only 5 of 15 passes for 62 yards and ran 22 times for 114 yards, while Dorsey shined, hitting 22 of 35 for 362 yards for three TDs and a pick as Miami won 37-14, after jumping out to a 34-0 halftime lead.
2000: Chris Weinke (1) vs. Josh Heupel (2), Orange Bowl
Miami hasn't always been a happy bowl destination for Heisman candidate Oklahoma QBs, as the last several years have shown with Bradford and White, but Heupel did lead the Sooners to the BCS national title in Bob Stoops' second season as head coach. In a defensive struggle, Oklahoma beat Florida State 13-2, with the only touchdown in the game coming on the ground. Weinke hit 25 of 51 passes for 274 yards and two picks, while Heupel completed 25 of 39 for 214 yards and one pick. The night belonged to the defenses, but while Heupel lost the Heisman to Weinke, he'll always have the national championship quarterback label next to his name.
1995: Tommie Frazier (2) vs. Danny Wuerffel (3), Fiesta Bowl
Wuerffel went on to win the Heisman a year later after both lost to Ohio State running back Eddie George in 1995. Wuerffel would also lead the Gators to the 1996 national title. In '95, Frazier finished off one of the greatest college football careers ever with his second straight national title as starting quarterback. The Cornhuskers beat the Gators 62-24, with Frazier throwing for 105 yards with one TD and two picks but rushing 16 times for 199 yards and two TDs, including one of the most memorable runs we've ever seen. Wuerffel, in contrast, had a forgettable night, completing 17 of 31 for 255 yards with a TD and three picks, in addition to rushing for a score.
1989: Tony Rice (4) vs. Darian Hagan (5), Orange Bowl
Colorado would go on to win the national title the next year by beating Notre Dame in an Orange Bowl rematch, but in 1989 the top-ranked Buffaloes lost the championship (leading to Miami winning the title) as they fell to the Fighting Irish 21-6. Neither quarterback passed much, with Notre Dame's Rice throwing for 99 yards and running for 50, while Colorado's Hagan threw for 65 yards and two picks and ran for 106 yards.
1970: Jim Plunkett (1) vs. Rex Kern (5), Rose Bowl
Plunkett won the Heisman, then led No. 12 Stanford to a 27-17 upset win over No. 2 Ohio State in Pasadena. In addition winning the Heisman, Plunkett is the only player to be named MVP of a Rose Bowl and the Super Bowl, as he led the Raiders to a Super Bowl XV win over the Eagles. Against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, Plunkett completed 20 of 30 passes for 265 yards and ran for 26 yards, while the Buckeyes' Kern completed 4 of 13 for 40 yards and ran 20 times for 129 yards.
1958: Randy Duncan (2) vs. Joe Kapp (5), Rose Bowl
Duncan and Iowa demolished Kapp and California 38-12 in a game that remains the Hawkeyes' most recent Rose Bowl victory (they'll have a chance to end that streak on Friday against Stanford). It's also the last time that Cal even appeared in Pasadena. Duncan got the Hawkeyes out to an early lead with a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown and was named game MVP, while Kapp finished with 126 passing yards and 34 rushing yards.
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Contact Matt at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @MattBrownCFB and Facebook.
The Orange Bowl will feature two of the top four finishers in the Heisman race, Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield and Clemson QB Deshaun Watson. (USA Today Sports)
As part of the most unfortunate theme of the 2015 college football season, injuries deprived us of great quarterback matchups in the Big 12 in November. It began when Baylor's Seth Russell was lost for the season, and it continued when TCU's Trevone Boykin missed the entire Oklahoma game and the Sooners' Baker Mayfield played only the first half. Oklahoma's 30-29 win over TCU still proved to be among the most exciting games of the year, but the 2015 season was deprived of one of the best possible quarterback matchups, as we did not get to see a duel between Boykin and Mayfield.
Finally, though, we will get to see something similar: Thursday's playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl between No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Oklahoma features the best possible quarterback matchup in college football, as Deshaun Watson and Mayfield were both top Heisman candidates. Watson finished third in the Heisman Trophy vote, behind Alabama running back Derrick Henry and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey. While Mayfield was not invited to New York as a finalist, he finished fourth.
Their matchup is somewhat rare. Quarterbacks who finished in the top five of the Heisman voting have, in the same season, gone on to meet in a bowl game 10 times before this year's Orange Bowl, which will be the 11th such matchup. Including Thursday, four of the last seven will have featured Oklahoma. It will also be the fifth to take place in Miami.
On Sunday, Oklahoma linebacker Dominique Alexander compared Watson to Boykin, and now, after missing Boykin in 2015, the Sooners defense will face the big challenge that Watson poses.
"You've got to keep him contained," Alexander said. "He's up for the Heisman. He's one of the top players in the country. He played for an undefeated team this year. To keep him contained, everybody has got to do their job. We've got to make more plays on him than he does on us."
Watson has been an excellent multi-purpose weapon this season. He's an accurate passer who throws a beautiful deep ball but has also emerged as a dangerous runner. He has completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 3,512 yards with 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and he has rushed 163 times for 887 yards 11 touchdowns.
Mayfield brings some similar qualities to the table for Oklahoma. The former Texas Tech walk-on is starring in the offense under new coordinator Lincoln Riley, particularly excelling with his improvisational ability. Mayfield is second nationally in passer rating, completing 68.6 percent of his passes for 3,389 yards with 35 touchdowns and five picks. He also has rushed 131 times for 420 yards and seven touchdowns.
"Yeah, he's a special player for their team," Watson said of Mayfield. "You know he does a great job because without him they wouldn't be in this position. It takes a special guy to lead a great team, and they're pretty good, and they wouldn't be here for no reason."
Watson and Mayfield won't literally be matching up against each other, of course, but their play has dictated just how far the Tigers and Sooners are capable of going. A back-and-forth type of game, which seems likely, will rest on their shoulders. Based on their results, this should be the best quarterback matchup this season, and based on the Heisman vote, it's one of the best postseason quarterback pairings ever. A national championship won't be on the line in this Orange Bowl, but one of the two quarterbacks will get to move on to play for the title on Jan. 11.
Here is how the other bowl games matching quarterbacks who finished in the top five of the Heisman Trophy race that year have gone (with Heisman vote finish in parentheses):
2008: Sam Bradford (1) vs. Tim Tebow (3), BCS Championship
Tebow won the Heisman the season before, and in 2008 Florida raced to its second national championship in three years, beating Bradford's Sooners 24-14 in Miami in the BCS National Championship Game. The two had relatively similar mixed passing results, but not surprisingly Tebow gained an advantage with his running. Tebow threw for 231 yards with two TDs and two INTs, and Bradford threw for 256 yards with two TDs and two INTs. However, Tebow added 22 carries for 109 yards, Florida out-gained Oklahoma 479 to 363 and the Gators converted 12 of 17 third downs. With a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, Florida went on a long drive that took nearly seven minutes, with Tebow finishing it off on a four-yard touchdown pass to David Nelson that put Florida up by 10.
2005: Vince Young (2) vs. Matt Leinart (3), Rose Bowl
The two quarterbacks finished behind USC running back Reggie Bush in the Heisman vote, with Bush later being forced to vacated the award win. In Pasadena with the BCS title on the line, Young stole the show with one of the most legendary performances in bowl history. He completed 30 of 40 passes for 267 yards and ran 19 times for 200 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winning eight-yard run on fourth-and-eight with 19 seconds left as Texas won 41-38. Young's masterful effort overshadowed a solid night for Leinart, who hit 29 of 40 passes for 365 yards with a TD and a pick but fell short. Of course, it wasn't the first time Leinart was in a situation such as this …
2004: Matt Leinart (1) vs. Jason White (3), Orange Bowl
After USC won a disputed AP national title in 2003 in a year in which White won the Heisman, the next season Leinart won the Heisman and led the Trojans to the undisputed BCS championship. USC embarrassed Oklahoma 55-19, and while Leinart completed just 18 of 35 passes, he torched the Sooners, throwing for 332 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. White's career ended on a low note, as he completed 24 of 36 for 244 yards with two TDs and three INTs in a game that was over by halftime.
2002: Carson Palmer (1) vs. Brad Banks (2), Orange Bowl
The first game on this list that was not for the national title, as Ohio State beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl in the BCS championship. In a consolation in Miami, Palmer and USC beat Banks and Iowa 38-17, with Palmer continuing his late-season surge. Palmer completed 21 of 31 for 303 yards with a touchdown, while Banks -- who had been efficient all season -- hit just 15 of 36 passes for 204 yards, a TD and a pick.
2001: Eric Crouch (1) vs. Ken Dorsey (3), Rose Bowl
Crouch may have won the Heisman, but his season ended with a thud. Nebraska got blown out by Colorado on Black Friday, then backed its way into the BCS title game in Pasadena anyway. There, Nebraska ran into Miami and one of the greatest college football teams of all time. Crouch, primarily a runner in the Huskers' option offense, completed only 5 of 15 passes for 62 yards and ran 22 times for 114 yards, while Dorsey shined, hitting 22 of 35 for 362 yards for three TDs and a pick as Miami won 37-14, after jumping out to a 34-0 halftime lead.
2000: Chris Weinke (1) vs. Josh Heupel (2), Orange Bowl
Miami hasn't always been a happy bowl destination for Heisman candidate Oklahoma QBs, as the last several years have shown with Bradford and White, but Heupel did lead the Sooners to the BCS national title in Bob Stoops' second season as head coach. In a defensive struggle, Oklahoma beat Florida State 13-2, with the only touchdown in the game coming on the ground. Weinke hit 25 of 51 passes for 274 yards and two picks, while Heupel completed 25 of 39 for 214 yards and one pick. The night belonged to the defenses, but while Heupel lost the Heisman to Weinke, he'll always have the national championship quarterback label next to his name.
1995: Tommie Frazier (2) vs. Danny Wuerffel (3), Fiesta Bowl
Wuerffel went on to win the Heisman a year later after both lost to Ohio State running back Eddie George in 1995. Wuerffel would also lead the Gators to the 1996 national title. In '95, Frazier finished off one of the greatest college football careers ever with his second straight national title as starting quarterback. The Cornhuskers beat the Gators 62-24, with Frazier throwing for 105 yards with one TD and two picks but rushing 16 times for 199 yards and two TDs, including one of the most memorable runs we've ever seen. Wuerffel, in contrast, had a forgettable night, completing 17 of 31 for 255 yards with a TD and three picks, in addition to rushing for a score.
1989: Tony Rice (4) vs. Darian Hagan (5), Orange Bowl
Colorado would go on to win the national title the next year by beating Notre Dame in an Orange Bowl rematch, but in 1989 the top-ranked Buffaloes lost the championship (leading to Miami winning the title) as they fell to the Fighting Irish 21-6. Neither quarterback passed much, with Notre Dame's Rice throwing for 99 yards and running for 50, while Colorado's Hagan threw for 65 yards and two picks and ran for 106 yards.
1970: Jim Plunkett (1) vs. Rex Kern (5), Rose Bowl
Plunkett won the Heisman, then led No. 12 Stanford to a 27-17 upset win over No. 2 Ohio State in Pasadena. In addition winning the Heisman, Plunkett is the only player to be named MVP of a Rose Bowl and the Super Bowl, as he led the Raiders to a Super Bowl XV win over the Eagles. Against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, Plunkett completed 20 of 30 passes for 265 yards and ran for 26 yards, while the Buckeyes' Kern completed 4 of 13 for 40 yards and ran 20 times for 129 yards.
1958: Randy Duncan (2) vs. Joe Kapp (5), Rose Bowl
Duncan and Iowa demolished Kapp and California 38-12 in a game that remains the Hawkeyes' most recent Rose Bowl victory (they'll have a chance to end that streak on Friday against Stanford). It's also the last time that Cal even appeared in Pasadena. Duncan got the Hawkeyes out to an early lead with a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown and was named game MVP, while Kapp finished with 126 passing yards and 34 rushing yards.
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Contact Matt at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @MattBrownCFB and Facebook.