Dwayne Haskins didn't win the Heisman, but he provided the content for the best tweet I saw all weekend, so it's really hard to declare Kyler Murray the unconditional winner.
When your mom introduce you to an old friend that can't believe how tall you've gotten pic.twitter.com/rGoj1JgCqW
— YT: Kofie Why? (@KofieYeboah) December 8, 2018
ICYMI
- Dwayne Haskins finishes third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
- Brian Hartline sheds his interim tag and is named Ohio State's permanent wide receivers coach.
- Dwayne Haskins' season deserved much more attention than it got.
- Though he didn't win the Heisman Trophy, it was still a rewarding experience for Dwayne Haskins.
- In order to sustain the lifeblood of the program, Ryan Day must recruit at a high level.
- Ryan Day will have to lean heavily on his offensive staff to keep recruiting at a high level.
Word of the Day: Eleemosynary.
THE ABSOLUTE DISRESPECT. If you were on the Internet at all on Saturday, you probably saw the (mostly fair) criticism of ESPN's coverage of the Heisman Trophy candidates.
Angry folks claimed ESPN's coverage focused far more on Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa that it did Dwayne Haskins, primarily because it did.
Honestly, I didn't have an enormous beef with that because regardless of who deserved the trophy, those were the two who actually had a realistic shot of winning it after votes started coming in. If they would have just said that, fine. I would have been upset, but at least that logic makes sense.
Instead, we got this:
Let me take a swing. Its not intended as a slight. Ill bet if you time the words, Dwayne got more coverage. Plus, 3 at same time is an unwieldy interview. Two is max. They are playing each other. Theyre likely 1-2. Simple as that. Never cease to marvel at what bothers people https://t.co/76LN9KHStW
— Rece Davis (@ESPN_ReceDavis) December 8, 2018
Satellite talk back was our situation.and the 2 guys we had on are playing each other in the CFP. & why is talkig one on one w/ a Heisman winner disrespectful? But Ive typed about this 2x. Thats time I wont get back. Good luck to all. All good qbs and nice young men.
— Rece Davis (@ESPN_ReceDavis) December 8, 2018
Here's the thing, Rece: If you're claiming the issue is your inability to interview three people at a time, you're unintentionally clowning on yourself. If you're claiming the issue is technical, you're unintentionally clowning on your network when another network had no problems last year – worldwide leader, indeed.
But somehow, ESPN was still far from the most disrespectful outlet that weekend.
From Ari Wasserman of The Athletic ($):
Then a reporter walked up and asked Haskins a question that caught him off-guard: “Who do you think should win the Heisman, Tua or Kyler?”
Haskins paused. He looked confused, clearly pondering how someone could stand next to him and even consider that he wasn’t going to win.
“I couldn’t tell you,” Haskins said, fighting back an eye roll. “They both have their own claim for why they should win, but I think I should have the opportunity to win the Heisman Trophy, too.
“It would be hard for me to say which quarterback should win because I haven’t been able to watch them the way I’ve been able to watch film of myself this year. I am excited for all three of us to have the opportunity to go win this Heisman.”
That bothered Haskins. You could feel it.
“It was annoying,” Haskins told The Athletic in passing after the interviews were over. “But I’m straight.”
A credential member of the media expected a Heisman Trophy candidate to assume he should not even be considered for the award while at the Heisman Trophy Ceremony.
That fellow did not deserve the answer Dwayne so kindly gave him.
I would never under any circumstances advise Dwayne Haskins to return to school next season, but I selfishly, I want to see what the best quarterback in Ohio State history looks like with that chip on his shoulder after all of this.
I guess we'll get our chance against Washington.
SCHIANO ON THE MOVE? We're in the thick of coaching carousel season and it's looking like Greg Schiano may be on the move.
Sources: Greg Schiano, Butch Jones, Alabamas Josh Gattis interested in Temple football head coach job | Inquirer https://t.co/wXTtDzId6n
— Philly Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) December 9, 2018
From reading the piece, it seems like at this time, Schiano is more interested in Temple than Temple is Schiano. But at the very least, this seems to be an indicator that he's on the move.
IT WAS JUST A MIRAGE. Chase Winovich has an extremely interesting perspective on Michigan's blowout loss to Ohio State this season.
Chase Winovich said any recruit whos discouraged about coming to Michigan because of the Ohio State game should know its a mirage. Were building a powerhouse, he said.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) December 9, 2018
I'm not confident "mirage" is really the word Winovich is looking for, but if we assume it is...
Here are some definitions:
- Something that appears real or possible but is not in fact so.
- An unrealistic hope or wish that cannot be achieved.
- something illusory and unattainable.
Bases on those, he's either very much in denial – because that 62-39 shredding was absolutely real – or he's actually completely spot on in describing a potential Michigan win over Ohio State, especially this year.
Michigan wants a win over Ohio State like a dying man in the Sahara wants a rushing river. And this season, that river seemed more real and attainable than ever before to the point that they opened their mouth and dove in headfirst – and got mouth full of sand.
Chase's Tweet got me thinking about how much happier and better off the Michigan faithful would genuinely be if they just stopped playing football, or at least stopped playing Ohio State.
Losing hurts so bad that it takes a lot of winning to compensate the fewest of defeats. And folks, Michigan is 1-14 against their biggest rival the past 15 years. And it's not like the blue team has been terribly exceptional outside of that game, either.
I just don't feel like it pays to be a Wolverine. There's not enough winning for it to be anywhere near worth it, unless you're a masochist.
This is my earnest plea to the Michigan faithful: Just stop. Call it off. Don't watch anymore, it's ruining you. This isn't fun. It's not entertainment anymore, it's a burden. It's added stress in your life with little return.
You don't have to do this anymore. Enjoy your degree from that fine academic institution, enjoy your nice job and comfortable salary and just turn the TV off on fall Saturdays. It's just not worth it.
WALK ON, TO SCHOLLY, TO CAPTAIN. It's been quite a ride for Joey Lane.
As a freshman, he was just a walk on. As a sophomore, he earned a scholarship. Now as a senior, he's a team captain and has played first-half minutes in consecutive games.
From Bob Narang of the Chicago Tribune:
“Being awarded a scholarship and now being named a co-captain shows that the coaching staff and my teammates appreciate and respect me as a person, player and a leader,” Lane said. “I know that a tremendous responsibility comes with being a captain. I have to provide leadership on and off the court. All the playing time is gravy. I know my importance to this team is beyond what happens on the court during a game.”
Lane grew up as a Buckeye fan because his mom is an Ohio native and most of her family attended Ohio State.
“It’s impossible for me to put into words how honored and proud that I am to be able to put on the scarlet and gray,” Lane said. “I always feel like I’m not only representing the school and the players and the students that came before me, but also my family.”
I'll say this, it's certainly been great to see Joey have a chance to go after those elusive first-half trillions. Not many ever have that opportunity.
QUINNEN WILLIAMS FOR HEISMAN? If you took a gander at the final voting tally for this year's Heisman Trophy, you probably had a "one of these things is not like the other" moment.
Along with 517 first-place votes for Kyler Murray, the 299 for Tua Tagovailoa, the 46 to Dwayne Haskins and the ones given to Will Grier, Gardner Minshew, McKenzie Milton or Jonathan Taylor, was one single vote to a defensive player – Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
That vote came from Creg Stephenson, who explained his decision at AL.com:
Williams was a wrecking ball all year long, for Alabama’s first game to its last. He had 66 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and eight tackles for loss, which are incredible numbers for a defensive tackle.
Williams dominated in Alabama’s four most-important games of the year. Against LSU, Mississippi State, Auburn and Georgia, Williams totaled 27 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
He was especially impressive against LSU (10 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks) and Georgia (8 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack), arguably Alabama’s two signature wins of the season. (He did most of his damage against Georgia in the second half, when the Alabama defense took over the game).
For what it’s worth, the guys at Pro Football Focus, whose work I really respect, made Williams — not Tagovailoa — their overall SEC Player of the Year. And Williams won the Outland Trophy as the outstanding interior lineman in the country (I didn’t have a vote for that, but would have given it to Williams, obviously).
I kind of wanted to hate this, but I really don't at all. Honestly, I think there should be more of this. The voters should vote for the player they think is the best, most dominant player in the country. If that happens to be a defensive tackle, it's a defensive tackle.
I'd honestly have a much bigger problem if he earnestly thought Williams was the best player in the country and didn't vote for him to win the Heisman Trophy – which I'm confident happens often.
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