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How our Heisman Trophy voters voted: It was a Max Duggan type of season

kirk bohls and cedric golden, austin american-statesman
·5 min read
This was TCU quarterback Max Duggan's Heisman moment, lying on the turf, exhausted, at the end of a long drive near the end of the Big 12 championship game. Even in an overtime loss, the CFP-bound quarterback was the star of the game.
This was TCU quarterback Max Duggan's Heisman moment, lying on the turf, exhausted, at the end of a long drive near the end of the Big 12 championship game. Even in an overtime loss, the CFP-bound quarterback was the star of the game.

The American-Statesman has two votes for the Heisman Trophy. Here's how columnists Kirk Bohls, a voter since 1979, and Cedric Golden, a voter since 2009, filled out their ballots — and why:

Bohls: Max Duggan's drive, heroics earned my vote

Max Duggan defines college football. Came from far away in Iowa and beat out more highly recruited players.

Started for three seasons but was beaten out. Didn’t enter the transfer portal but instead stuck around with the goal of being the best backup. Never pouted and got a second chance because of injury to the starter. Overcame heart surgery. Took his team to a perfect regular season and just inches short of a Big 12 championship against an opponent he’d already beaten.

Oh, and he’s a damn good quarterback.

All of which are great reasons the TCU quarterback should have won the Heisman Trophy.

Hell, he probably should be Time magazine's Person of the Year as well for making the Horned Frogs the first team from the state of Texas to reach the College Football Playoff. He even had the signature Heisman moment in the Big 12 title game when he took the Horned Frogs the length of the field, fought off exhaustion and put them on his back — and legs — before two goal-line carries by teammates fell short of the end zone for a tying touchdown.

Can anyone top those heroics? Someday we’ll figure out why Sonny Dykes didn’t give Duggan the ball again on one of the last two plays.

Sure, the narrative didn’t play out perfectly since Kansas State’s defense denied TCU, but that didn’t stop Dykes’ 12-1 team from breaking through and earning the first CFP spot for a Big 12 team other than Oklahoma and making history.

He was also picked as the Big 12 offensive player of the year and was a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection. He ranks ninth in the nation in passing efficiency but tied for second among Power Five quarterbacks with 16 touchdown passes of at least 20 yards and three or more touchdowns in eight of his 12 starts. He added six rushing touchdowns and threw for 3,321 yards with just four interceptions.

Duggan did all that and earned a trip to New York as one of four Heisman finalists, all of whom were quarterbacks. He was also named the winner of this year’s Davey O’Brien Award, given to the best quarterback in the nation.

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I felt Texas workhorse/stallion Bijan Robinson also was worthy of that trip, so I put him second on my Heisman ballot. He finished just ninth in the voting — way too low — but at least was recognized as the best running back in America by earning the Doak Walker Award. If it’s heart, you’re looking for, you need look no farther than Duggan and Robinson.

Finally, I went with USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who almost willed the Trojans into the Final Four despite a painful hamstring injury, putting the favorite third on my ballot.

Golden: Duggan should win comeback player of the year, too

Max Duggan earned the Heisman Trophy.

If college football had a Comeback Player of the Year Award, he should have won it too. The TCU quarterback nearly willed his team to a 13-0 season for the first time in its Big 12 history, and he would have accomplished the feat had Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes not forgotten to put the ball in the hands of his best player during crunch time of the Big 12 title game loss to Kansas State.

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Every Heisman winner must have a signature moment, from Desmond Howard’s punt return and iconic Heisman pose against Ohio State in 1991 to  Ricky Williams’ epic touchdown run against Texas A&M in 1998 to Reggie Bush’s jaw-breaking joystick run against Fresno State in 2005.

Duggan’s moment came in the league title game as he single-handedly drove the Frogs down the field to the doorstep while gasping for air between plays. After losing the starting job in the preseason, Duggan didn’t slink off to the transfer portal. He went back to work, and when the opportunity came, he was more than ready.

Texas running back Bijan Robinson finished ninth in the voting, a sad result given that he’s arguably the most electric player in all of college football. The Heisman has largely become a quarterback’s award, but that should not diminish the great numbers Robinson posted in what should be his final college season.

Robinson got my second-place vote because he constantly delivered for an 8-4 team that let several wins slip away. He totaled nearly 1,900 yards of offense and scored 20 touchdowns, second-most among running backs. He also represented his school with class and integrity, which is often overlooked in determining the nation’s best player.

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was at the helm of one of the nation’s most prolific attacks and got my third-place vote just ahead of USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who had the numbers but not good timing. His profane fingernail paint job aimed at Pac-12 opponent Utah was a horrible look for a tremendous player.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: This year, our staff Heisman Trophy voters agreed on the same player