Good time to be a Big 12 quarterback.
With the Heisman race as wide open as ever this year, a few Big 12 signal-callers are putting themselves in the conversation with strong seasons.
Missouri’s Chase Daniel made a case for himself to be in the running with a 421-yard, 5-touchdown evening in a 55-10 win over Colorado on Saturday. The last three games had seen his stock fall quite a bit, but he got back on the map with the performance. Daniel is closing in on 3,000 yards, and has 23 touchdown passes this season, along with three rushing touchdowns. If the Tigers can win out and then upset Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, Daniel could very well find himself on a plane to New York the next week.
But, Daniel isn’t the only Big 12 QB in the Heisman race. Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford threw for 284 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-14 win over Texas A&M on Saturday, and now has 25 touchdown passes this season. His stock is helped not only by his play, but the fact that the Sooners are in the national championship hunt. But, he’s only a freshman, so his chances are slim for this season, but he’ll definitely be near the top of the watch list come next season.
But, every QB in the conference, and in the country, is looking up at Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell in the major stat categories. Harrell was 30 of 37 for 433 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-7 win over Baylor, and is over the 4,000 yard mark for the second year in a row. Harrell leads the nation in passing yards with 4,412 and in touchdown passes with 39. With two regular-season games and then a bowl game left, Harrell should easily eclipse 5,000 yards and could make a run at 50 touchdown passes.
With games left at Texas and at home against Oklahoma, Harrell could really put himself in the thick of the Heisman race if he could lead the Red Raiders to upsets. That’s quite the long shot right now, but with the way Texas’ defense is playing, it could happen. And, remember, the last time Oklahoma came to Lubbock, the Red Raiders (controversially) emerged victorious, on the way to the Cotton Bowl. Then again, this OU team is faring a lot better than that one.
Harrell and Daniel are both juniors, so like Bradford (and Colt McCoy, more than likely) will be among the top contenders next season. And, so could Kansas’ Todd Reesing, who had a statement game against Nebraska, throwing for 354 yards and six touchdowns. The sophomore has come out of nowhere to have a monster season, throwing for 2,339 yards and a school-record 23 touchdowns, with only four interceptions. And, he’s got the stage to make his case for next year, as the Jayhawks are now very much in the nation’s conscience. But while next year might be his year, the last four games could vault him into serious consideration this season if he finishes strong and Kansas ends up 13-0. Either way, he’s having a career season for a KU passer, and will be in contention for an All-America team - if he can work his way past Daniel, Harrell, and Bradford (and there are guys like Dennis Dixon and Colt Brennan on the national level).
It could end up being that one of these guys doesn’t make first-team All-Big 12, but ends up being an All-American. That’s just a testament to how many good quarterbacks there are in the conference.
The conference is full of talented QBs, and while those guys might be the best of the best, there’s also Oklahoma St.’s super soph, Zac Robinson (1,939 yards, 15 TD passing, 471 yards, 4 TD rushing), who has all but guaranteed Bobby Reid won’t get his job back anytime soon, Kansas St. sophomore Josh Freeman (three 300-yard games this season), Texas A&M’s Stephen McGee (1,539 pass yards, 7 TD, 793 rush yards, 4 TD), and Colorado’s Cody Hawkins (2,190 yards, 15 TD), a redshirt freshman who should get better and better in his time in Boulder, and if he does, will silence any critics that think him being the coach’s son had something to do with him being the starting QB.
The great thing is that we’re going to see all of these guys in the same uniform next year (several of them for two more years, and in Hawkins’ case, three), unless Daniel or Harrell bolt for the pros early. Good news for the fans, bad news for opposing defenses.