Stanford's Toby Gerhart should be the Heisman front runner

[Upton]

Need a refresher on the Heisman's real criteria? Here you go:

The award "annually recognizes the ouststanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work."

Right now that player is Toby Gerhart.

On Saturday, the senior ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns in the Cardinal's stunning 55-21 win over No. 11 USC at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. (By now I'm sure you've heard that the double-nickels was the most points ever scored against the vaunted Trojans. Ever.)

Gerhart carried the ball 29 times, which was essentially an easy night for him.

The previous Saturday against then No. 8 Oregon he carried the ball 38 times, rushed for 224 yards and another three touchdowns.

In 10 games, Gerhart is averaging 26 carries and 140 yards. He has 19 of the Cardinal's 28 rushing TDs. He's ranked third in the nation in rushing, behind Ryan Mathews of Fresno State and Donald Bukram of UTEP.

After back-to-back Goliath thwackings, the Cardinal stand 7-3, and 6-2 in the Pac-10, which puts them in the hunt for the Rose Bowl. Stanford has tread there only once (in 2000) since 1973.


http://sports.yahoo.com/top/blog/roy_s_johnson/post/Paint-the-Heisman-Gerhart-Cardinal-red?urn=top,202611


Gerhart is third in the nation in rushing, second in TDs...and I haven't seen a power runner like him in a long time. He just runs right through defenses averaging 5.3 yards a carry. He's rushed for over 100 yards in all but 2 of Stanford's games and even in those he went for 82 and 96. He leads Alabama's Heisman candidate Mark Ingram in almost every category.

Where is the national sports media on this? It's only this past weekend that I've heard Gerhart's name mentioned in the same sentence as the Heisman...hell, Toby Gerhart should be the front runner.

[JonLP24]

1. I wholeartedly agree

Those 224 yards against Oregon.... A Stanford single game rushing record. Yeah in short yardage and goal line situations he is damn near impossible to stop. I saw him play against Washington and was sold ever since. Also Andrew Luck is phenomenal, it's going to be a scary 2-3 years for Pac 10 teams that have to play him.

[Upton]

3. This is an example of why I complain about East Coast bias

Heck, up until Saturday's big win over USC, I doubt if half the East Coast sportswriters even knew who Gerhart was..If he was playing for some school back east, he'd be the toast of ESPN and the Heisman favorite...

[Capt. America]

2. Not to sound offensive to anyone, but I believe he has to be one of the few (if only) white running

backs in college or the pros.