TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Heisman Hopefuls Center Stage Today

ADVERTISEMENT

By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 20, 2007

Updated: 10/20/2007 12:12 am

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Andre Woodson has pretty much stopped watching ESPN. Tim Tebow just laughs when someone brings up the subject. The quarterbacks at the universities of Kentucky and Florida, respectively, have grown weary of thinking about a bronze, stiff-arm-wielding replica of 1934 New York University star Ed Smith atop a marble base.

After today, one of them may not have to talk about the Heisman Trophy anymore.

While today's 3:30 p.m. matchup between the No. 14 Gators and the eighth-ranked Wildcats almost certainly is an elimination game in the race for the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title, it also may be a knockout round in a wide-open race for college football's most prestigious award.

In a straw poll of nine Heisman voters this week at HeismanPundit.com, Tebow and Woodson came in Nos. 1 and 2. Never mind that Tebow is a sophomore, and no sophomore has won the 72-year-old award. In a race with no clear favorite, voters will look for anything that separates one candidate from another. A head-to-head matchup offers that opportunity.

Just don't expect the principals to participate in the debate. Tebow praised Woodson this week, but he pointed out that Kentucky's defense - not its senior quarterback - will stand in his way today. Woodson, meanwhile, said in a teleconference that as long as he helps Kentucky keep winning, awards and a high NFL draft position should follow.

'I know a lot of people talk about it, but the coaches have always stressed how important it is to just worry about winning games,' Woodson said. 'When you do that, everything else will take care of itself. The NFL will be watching. The Heisman voters will be watching.'

Those voters may be watching in greater numbers today, though. Woodson against Tebow on national television should give them an easy measuring stick for two of the candidates that remain standing through half of a wild season.

Prior to the season, it seemed Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden, Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm or Southern California quarterback John David Booty would duke it out for the Heisman. But McFadden's Razorbacks and Brohm's Cardinals have floundered, and team performance has become a major factor in Heisman voting. Meanwhile, Booty is expected to miss his second consecutive game with a broken finger.

That leaves a group that includes Tebow, Woodson, Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, Michigan tailback Mike Hart and California receiver DeSean Jackson. None has separated himself from the pack, meaning the trophy likely will go to the one who strings a few strong games together down the stretch.

If Tebow plays well the next few weeks, Florida coaches probably won't allow a formal Heisman campaign. Offensive coordinator Dan Mullen remembers dealing with quarterback Alex Smith's late-blooming Heisman candidacy at Utah in 2004. By the end of the season, Mullen said, the Heisman hype put even more pressure on Smith. Mullen believes Tebow faces enough pressure already.

'He's got a long, long way to go,' Mullen said. 'If he continues to improve, maybe at this point next year a campaign is something we'd consider even thinking about.'

But in discussing Woodson's candidacy, Kentucky coach Rich Brooks pointed out that a formal campaign isn't really necessary when your team plays regularly on national TV. In this unpredictable season, exposure plus eye-popping numbers plus wins could equal a Heisman Trophy for one of the quarterbacks on the field today at Commonwealth Stadium.

'Promotion ends up on the field in his numbers and our winning,' Brooks said. 'If we continue to beat the people we're beating, Andre Woodson is right at the first discussion in every Heisman ballot, and he should be.'

No. 14 Florida (4-2, 2-2 SEC) at No. 8 Kentucky (6-1, 2-1)

KICKOFF: 3:30 p.m.; Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, Ky.

TV/RADIO: WTSP, Channel 10/WDAE, 620 AM

THE LINE: UF by 6 1/2

KEEP AN EYE ON
Florida - The Gators are trying to snap the first losing streak of the Urban Meyer era. Florida hasn't lost three consecutive games since the end of the 1999 season.
Kentucky - The Wildcats will try to avoid a letdown after last week's win against then-No..1 LSU, which may be the biggest victory in the program's history. Kentucky is in the Bowl Championship Series standings (No..7) for the first time in school history.

KEY STAT
Florida - The Gators have won 20 consecutive games against the Wildcats, but this may be Kentucky's best chance to break that streak since the "Doering's got a touchdown" game in Lexington in 1993. In that game, the Gators needed a last-minute Danny Wuerffel-to-Chris Doering touchdown pass to put away Kentucky.
Kentucky - Dating to last season, the Wildcats have won their past eight home games. That's a record for Commonwealth Stadium, which opened in 1973.

INJURY UPDATE
Florida - CB Markihe Anderson (knee), WR Andre Caldwell (knee) and WR Riley Cooper are probable. DT Brandon Antwine (back) is out.
Kentucky - RB Alfonso Smith (ankle) and LB Johnny Williams (heel) are questionable. RB Rafael Little (thigh) is out.

AT STAKE
Florida - The Gators probably need to win their next four games - all against SEC Eastern Division foes - to have a chance to repeat as East champs. A loss would leave Florida scrambling to stay in contention for a New Year's Day bowl.
Kentucky - Like the Gators, the Wildcats must keep winning to stay alive in the SEC East race. But because both of Florida's losses came to Western Division opponents, the Gators would hold an advantage in most tiebreaker scenarios if more than two East teams finish the season with two conference losses.

KEY MATCHUPS
When Florida has the ball - Gators QB Tim Tebow should have plenty of choices now that Andre Caldwell and Riley Cooper are healthy. Kentucky's defense held LSU to 142 passing yards last week, but the Wildcats could have a difficult time containing all of UF's receivers. Tebow averages 242.5 passing yards and 83.3 rushing yards a game this season.
When Kentucky has the ball - With a strong showing today, Kentucky QB Andre Woodson could earn an invitation to New York in December as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Woodson has thrown for 1,786 yards and 21 touchdowns in an offense that relies on short, high-percentage passes. Florida LBs Dustin Doe, Brandon Spikes and A.J. Jones must tackle well, or those short passes to playmakers such as TE Jacob Tamme could turn into long gains.

PREDICTION
Kentucky has a veteran coach (Rich Brooks) and a veteran roster, but the Wildcats still may struggle to overcome the hangover produced by the win against LSU. Meanwhile, Florida has had two weeks to prepare, and Gators coach Urban Meyer is 22-2 in his head coaching career (15-2 excluding season openers) when his team has had more than a week between games. Both defenses should struggle, and the team that can create turnovers and play well on special teams should win.
Score: Florida 38, Kentucky 35

Compiled by Andy Staples

Reporter Andy Staples can be reached at (352) 262-3719 or astaples@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT