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Making the case for and against each Heisman finalist

By Joel Deering

NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 27: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners warms up on the sidelines during the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Kansas State 51-14. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 27: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners warms up on the sidelines during the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. Oklahoma defeated Kansas State 51-14. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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Heisman finalist Kyler Murray
MORGANTOWN, WV – NOVEMBER 23: Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners warms up before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on November 23, 2018 at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

QB Kyler Murray – Oklahoma Sooners

Passing stats: 70.9% completions for 4053 yards, 40 TDS, seven INTs and a passer rating of 205.7

Rushing stats: 123 attempts for 892 yards and 11 TDs

Case for: Heisman finalist Kyler Murray lit up the stat sheet in just about every category a QB can throughout the season. He totaled 4,945 yards and 51 TDs. His yardage total is the most among any Heisman finalist. His total TDs ties Dwayne Haskins for first, while his passer rating is also first among the three QBs.

Murray didn’t just produce big numbers, but also helped his team win games while producing those big numbers. Oklahoma finished 12-1 on the season, with their only loss coming against the Texas Longhorns. Murray was able to lead the Sooners into the College Football Playoff.

If it weren’t for Heisman finalist Kyler Murray, the Sooners would be nowhere near where they are right now. Oklahoma’s defense was terrible all season long, giving up an average of 32.4 points per game. That ranks 96th in college football. Good thing Murray led the Sooners to the number one offense. With Murray’s help, the Sooners were able to average 49.5 points per game.

With the defense frequently giving up points, Murray was burdened with scoring just about every time he stepped on the field. Murray was able to carry that load on his shoulders throughout the entire season, and now will have the challenge of carrying the load against the best teams in college football.

Where would Oklahoma be without Kyler Murray? Not in the College Football Playoff. Not 12-1. Murray has meant everything to this team. He carried the load, and now he’s a Heisman finalist. Will it be enough to be become the next Heisman winner?

Case against:

It’s really hard to make a case against Murray winning the Heisman trophy this season. You could make the case that he didn’t lead his team to an undefeated record. If winning the Heisman were about going undefeated, Heisman finalist Tua Tagovailoa would automatically win the award.

While the team record does come into consideration, his stats would highly outweigh that argument. Plus, it’s hard to knock someone for leading a 12-1 team.

If there’s any real argument against Murray winning the Heisman, it has to be that QB Dwayne Haskins put up better numbers as a passer. Murray has better overall stats, but Haskins put up 527 more passing yards and seven more TDs than Murray did through the air.

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