Heisman Watch Week 13: Baylor QB Bryce Petty climbing the ranks
Excuse us folks, Bryce Petty would like your attention.
Baylor’s junior signal caller has been one of the nation’s most effective and consistent quarterbacks and now he deserves some serious consideration for the Heisman Trophy.
This season, Petty has thrown for 2,992 yards, 24 touchdowns and just one interception. The only other Heisman candidate with fewer interceptions is Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. The difference between the two players is that Petty is undefeated and has his team knocking on the door of the BCS title game (ahead of Oregon).
Statistics can sometimes be misleading, especially when a quarterback plays in an offense as fast-paced as Baylor’s, but watching Petty play tells the tale. He’s a leader and a gamer. He reads the field exceptionally well, knows when to run, knows how to lead his receivers and can pump fake with the best of them. He’s an all-around player and one that is worthy of serious Heisman consideration.
Here’s Dr. Saturday’s Heisman Watch for Week 13:
Jameis Winston, QB, Florida St. Winston only played a half against Syracuse, but it was enough to complete 19-of-21 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns, and give the Seminoles a 38-0 halftime lead. Some might say Winston’s Heisman hopes took a hit after news surfaced regarding him possibly being involved in a year-old sexual assault case, but until he’s proven guilty – or even a viable suspect – he remains our Heisman frontrunner. | ||||||
Comp %: | Yards: | TD: | INT: | Rush Yds.: | TD: | |
Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M Manziel was off this past week, which made us sad. As we’ve said many times before, there’s no other player in the country who is a must-watch week-to-week. Manziel's Heisman prospects are very appealing when you compare his numbers this season to when he actually won the award last season. He hasn't ran the ball as much, but his numbers through the air are much more impressive. | ||||||
Comp %: | Yards: | TD: | INT: | Rush Yds.: | TD: | |
Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor Petty had gaudy stats in the first half of the season, but whether he was going to be able to put up similar numbers against better competition was the question heading into the Bears’ stretch run. So far, he has answered his critics. In the past two weeks – games against Oklahoma and Texas Tech – he has thrown for 539 yards and six touchdowns and also rushed for four scores. He had 335 of those passing yards against Tech. | ||||||
Comp %: | Yards: | TD: | INT: | Rush Yds.: | TD: | |
AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama A week after McCarron got Heisman voters to sit up and take notice with a strong performance against LSU, he struggled against Mississippi State, throwing two interceptions while completing just 56.3 percent of his passes in a 20-7 win. The game was the Tide’s last against an SEC opponent before they meet Auburn in the Iron Bowl to end the regular season. Alabama hosts Chattanooga this week – a game in which McCarron will probably play just a half. | ||||||
Comp %: | Yards: | TD: | INT: | Rush Yds.: | TD: | |
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon Mariota got a measure of redemption against Utah after a miserable game against Stanford the week before. Mariota completed 19-of-26 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Ducks to a 44-21 win. Still, Utah is a team with a losing record and Oregon was supposed to beat the Utes by 26 (if you follow point spreads). Unfortunately for Mariota, his performance against Stanford is going to continue to haunt him and he’s going to have a tough time getting back into this Heisman race. | ||||||
Comp %: | Yards: | TD: | INT: | Rush Yds.: | TD: | |
