11-27-2011, 07:41 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-27-2011, 07:43 PM by OutsiderFan.)
Trent Richardson is now projected as the leading Voldemort vote getter. He is without question a great running back. The question is whether he is the best player in college football.
Andrew Luck could come a lot closer to playing running back for Alabama than Trent Richardson could come to playing quarterback for Stanford. Andrew Luck has shown an ability to run, break tackles, make tackles, block, and catch, in addition to passing for the #5 PER in the country, with probably the least talented set of WRs of any QB in the Top 25 of PER ratings at minimum.
I watched Alabama play Auburn and saw Trent Richardson's backup Lacy run the ball like Richardson and any other Alabama RB I can remember seeing play, breaking tackles, keeping his balance and running the ball into the End Zone. Does Stanford beat the University of South Central and California without Andrew Luck? Not this year. Does Alabama beat Penn State, Florida and Arkansas and Auburn without Richardson? Without question.
Trent Richardson plays behind an extremely talented OL, complimented by powerful blocking TEs that can catch, and WRs that can stretch a defense. Andrew Luck plays behind an extremely talented OL, complimented by pass catching TEs that can block, and has no WRs to stretch the defense. Luck's margin for error is microscopic. He generally has to throw the ball in very tight windows and to receivers that are tightly covered. Plus, he has to read defenses and make play calls based on the defensive alignment. Yet still he has 35 TDs and only 9 INTs (three off the hands of his receivers and one where a guy fell down).Â
In 2009, Toby Gerhart was robbed. He had better numbers than Mark Ingram. The only reason he didn't win was because his surrounding team wasn't as good as Alabama's. This year, it's the same thing. Luck's surrounding team is good, but not as good as Richardson's Alabama team. But Gerhart totally embodied what the student athlete should be. He was a double major, taking 20 units, and led the country in rushing.Â
Andrew Luck came back to play college football so he could earn his degree with his class. It's pretty clear he isn't the kind of guy that is going to get worked up about not winning the Voldemort, but he deserves it as much or more than anybody else, not only because he is a demonstrating how great he is by putting up the numbers and winning games with inferior talent at WR, but because a message should be sent that people in the college football establishment really do care about the concept of the student athlete.Â
Take Andrew Luck off the Stanford team this year and Stanford is playing in the Holiday Bowl. Take Trent Richardson off of Alabama's team and Alabama is playing in the BCS Championship Game. It is frankly absurd for Trent Richardson to "seal the case" with his performance against Auburn (that was no doubt impressive), when Alabama really did not need him to win the game. Alabama held Auburn to 140 yards of offense and Auburn only scored on a KOR and fumble return. The offense did nothing. Any starting SEC RB could have played for Alabama and they would have crushed Auburn.
I know this is ridiculously long, but Andrew Luck deserves the Voldemort trophy, not only for this year, but for last year, for all the reasons stated and more.
Andrew Luck could come a lot closer to playing running back for Alabama than Trent Richardson could come to playing quarterback for Stanford. Andrew Luck has shown an ability to run, break tackles, make tackles, block, and catch, in addition to passing for the #5 PER in the country, with probably the least talented set of WRs of any QB in the Top 25 of PER ratings at minimum.
I watched Alabama play Auburn and saw Trent Richardson's backup Lacy run the ball like Richardson and any other Alabama RB I can remember seeing play, breaking tackles, keeping his balance and running the ball into the End Zone. Does Stanford beat the University of South Central and California without Andrew Luck? Not this year. Does Alabama beat Penn State, Florida and Arkansas and Auburn without Richardson? Without question.
Trent Richardson plays behind an extremely talented OL, complimented by powerful blocking TEs that can catch, and WRs that can stretch a defense. Andrew Luck plays behind an extremely talented OL, complimented by pass catching TEs that can block, and has no WRs to stretch the defense. Luck's margin for error is microscopic. He generally has to throw the ball in very tight windows and to receivers that are tightly covered. Plus, he has to read defenses and make play calls based on the defensive alignment. Yet still he has 35 TDs and only 9 INTs (three off the hands of his receivers and one where a guy fell down).Â
In 2009, Toby Gerhart was robbed. He had better numbers than Mark Ingram. The only reason he didn't win was because his surrounding team wasn't as good as Alabama's. This year, it's the same thing. Luck's surrounding team is good, but not as good as Richardson's Alabama team. But Gerhart totally embodied what the student athlete should be. He was a double major, taking 20 units, and led the country in rushing.Â
Andrew Luck came back to play college football so he could earn his degree with his class. It's pretty clear he isn't the kind of guy that is going to get worked up about not winning the Voldemort, but he deserves it as much or more than anybody else, not only because he is a demonstrating how great he is by putting up the numbers and winning games with inferior talent at WR, but because a message should be sent that people in the college football establishment really do care about the concept of the student athlete.Â
Take Andrew Luck off the Stanford team this year and Stanford is playing in the Holiday Bowl. Take Trent Richardson off of Alabama's team and Alabama is playing in the BCS Championship Game. It is frankly absurd for Trent Richardson to "seal the case" with his performance against Auburn (that was no doubt impressive), when Alabama really did not need him to win the game. Alabama held Auburn to 140 yards of offense and Auburn only scored on a KOR and fumble return. The offense did nothing. Any starting SEC RB could have played for Alabama and they would have crushed Auburn.
I know this is ridiculously long, but Andrew Luck deserves the Voldemort trophy, not only for this year, but for last year, for all the reasons stated and more.



