Written by Matt Zemek at The Comeback
The convergence of the past and present is constant in college football, and the Heisman Trophy — to be given to its 2015 recipient on Saturday in New York — has a way of forging that connection quite often.
For fans of the snubbed players on Saturday, past snubs of note — Gino Torretta over Marshall Faulk in 1992, Eric Crouch over Rex Grossman in 2001 — will be cited. For fans of the winning player, past victories could be celebrated. If odds-on favorite Derrick Henry takes the trophy, you will see many comparisons made to the 2009 ceremony, in which Alabama running back Mark Ingram won a crowded race in which no overwhelming choice emerged.
The convergence of past and present in college football is regularly brought to the surface of memory by the Heisman. This year, however, that convergence is shrouded in mystery and a whiff of sadness.
It is now 10 years since Reggie Bush of USC won the Heisman in a mano-a-mano competition with Vince Young of Texas.
Yes, it might have been better for USC as a team had Young won the award. It’s beyond clear that Young used this snub as potent fuel for the 2006 Rose Bowl. While USC head coach Pete Carroll should have had Bush on the field as a decoy for LenDale White on that unforgettable fourth-and-two play in the final minutes, the fact remains that Bush was not entirely “there” in the Rose Bowl. He wasn’t the first Heisman winner to play a below-par bowl game, and he won’t be the last.
Winning the Heisman creates a target for the opposing team in a bowl game. It creates a unique emtional stew which can be very hard for a 2o- or 21-year-old athlete to handle. Bush appeared to buckle under the weight of Heisman publicity. Young played with something — a lot of somethings — to prove. Texas won a national championship. USC barely missed in its attempt to win three straight national championships and become a next-level college football dynasty.
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