College football

One will strike the pose

Who wins the Heisman? The Longhorn, or one of the Trojans? We find out tonight.

By ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published December 10, 2005

This is the day Vince Young has dreamed about since the beginning of the season.

When the critics said he couldn't throw well enough to be a big-time college quarterback, he envisioned this. When they doubted that he was the right person to lead Texas to conference and national titles, he envisioned this.

A chance to prove doubters wrong and be named the best college football player in the country.

Tonight, Young may get his wish. Along with USC teammates Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, Young is a finalist for the 71st Heisman Trophy, which will be presented by the Downtown Athletic Club in New York City.

"At the beginning of the season I told Coach (Mack) Brown, I wanted to be a candidate or in the race for the Heisman, the Big 12 and the national championship," Young said. "And it's all coming in one season. It's a good blessing right now to be involved with all of it. To be going to New York and be one of the top (players) with Bush and Leinart, it's more of a blessing."

Leinart is the reigning Heisman winner and has spent the past year dealing with all that entails. He says his life hasn't been the same since he won.

"It definitely increases the level of attention that you get from the media and all that," he said. "You're now known as Matt Leinart, Heisman Trophy winner, not Matt Leinart, USC quarterback. Everywhere I go, it's always being talked about, winning the Heisman. Everywhere I go, especially it being in Southern California and I'm from there, pretty much it's an SC place and there's a lot of alumni. So wherever I usually go there's always more attention than I ever used to get, especially when I didn't play. But it's been fun. It's been a great experience, being back here for all this stuff."

It has been 30 years since Ohio State running back Archie Griffin won back-to-back trophies. Leinart doesn't expect to achieve that feat, despite leading his team to an undefeated season and a shot at an unprecedented third straight national title.

"It's tough, obviously, to win that trophy once but to have a chance to do it again, which I'm not anticipating doing - hopefully my teammate will win it," said Leinart, who Friday accepted the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation's top senior quarterback. "But just to be considered with these other guys this year, me being there my second year and Reggie being there two years in a row, it's such a great honor, especially with all the past winners and all the guys that have ever been up for it."

As a previous winner, Leinart is a Heisman voter. His ballot included the two players he'll compete against tonight.

"I was honest," he said. "I put Reggie and Vince Young both on the ballot because I think those guys are deserving. Obviously Reggie speaks for himself, and I'm with him every day. But Vince Young, for what he's done for his team and the way he's handled all that. He's been a great leader and a great player. I think he deserves everything as well."

Over the past few weeks, Bush has emerged as the frontrunner based on his play the past three weeks, including 513 all-purpose yards in a 50-42 win over Fresno State and 260 rushing yards in a 66-19 win over UCLA in the season finale. Bush said those games may have sold Heisman voters on him.

"I think I made a great push for it anyway," Bush said. "I wouldn't say that I captured it, but I definitely would say I made a great push for it. Some of those games were a great opportunity for me to make plays and showcase my talent and make a push for the Heisman."

Bush, who finished fifth in the voting last year, and Leinart have been here before. They know how the evening will go, down to the final announcement. For Young, who plans a side trip to New Jersey this afternoon to watch No. 1 Duke play No. 2 Texas in basketball at Continental Airlines Arena, this is an all new experience. He didn't find out until midday Wednesday that he needs to have a speech prepared just in case. But he has an idea of what he'll be thinking about while he's waiting to hear the winner's name called.

"All the people I've come in contact with that helped me get to the spot I am today," he said. "It's a lot of people that put a lot of work in with me. There are a lot of guys I looked up to who play football.

"There's just a lot of things I'm going to be thinking about on that stage."

AGE: 20

HOMETOWN: Spring Valley, Calif.

POS: Running back

HT/WT: 6-0, 200.

CL: Junior

2005 STATS: 187 carries for 1,658 yards (8.9 yards per carry), 15 TDs, zero fumbles; 31 receptions for 383 yards, two TDs.

DID YOU KNOW? There is a bootleg tape circulating with highlights of Bush's high school career, using real footage from his high school games. "Yeah, I saw it," Bush said. "I have no idea where it came from but, yeah, I remember some of those plays."

AGE: 22

HOMETOWN: Santa Ana, Calif.

POS: Quarterback

HT/WT: 6-5, 225

CL: Senior

2005 STATS: 254-of-391 for 3,450 yards, 27 TDs, seven INTs, 158.2 passing efficiency.

DID YOU KNOW? Leinart took a ballroom dancing class this semester, learned about eight types of dances, including the waltz, and actually had a two-page paper to complete Tuesday night before leaving for Orlando on Wednesday to appear at news conferences for the awards show. "You'll never see me on Dancing with the Stars," Leinart said. "I don't have that kind of rhythm."

AGE: 22

HOMETOWN: Houston

POS: Quarterback

HT/WT: 6-5, 233

CL: Junior

2005 STATS: 182-of-285 for 2,769 yards, 26 TDs, 10 INTs, 168.5 passing efficiency; 136 carries for 850 yards (6.3 avg.), nine TDs.

DID YOU KNOW? Young is making his first trip to New York and has been getting mentally prepared for the cold weather all week. "I heard it's going to be real cold, so I'm trying to get my body temperature ready for that coldness," he said. "I've never really been around places that's 30 degrees."

[Last modified December 10, 2005, 00:51:18]