Manziel Proving Skeptics Wrong
Thanks to some offseason bad press and incorrect decisions on his part, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has not been the frontrunner this season in the race for the Heisman Trophy.
Of course, he won the honor last season and most felt prior to the negative press he received, he would be the odds on favorite to win again this season.
Even though Florida State’s Jameis Winston and Baylor’s Bryce Petty continue to have impressive seasons, there is not a more exiting quarterback, or player for that matter than Manziel.
The sophomore Aggies quarterback has the wins, stats and swagger to back it up. However, for some strange reason the Heisman talk has not centered round him this season.
Manziel nevertheless is having a better year this year than last season when he won the Heisman. In his 10 games played thus far, Manziel is No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the SEC in passing yards with 3,313. He ranks second in the nation with a 73% completion percentage and 31 touchdown passes.
Manziel is also third in efficiency rating. The Aggie is leading the SEC in passing yards per game with 331. He is 12th in the SEC with 611 yards rushing and eight rushing touchdowns.
In six games, Manziel has had over 300 yards passing. In four of those six games, he threw for more than 400 yards. In seven games, he has thrown for three touchdowns or more. His 88.5 QBR is ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Manziel has thrown for 533 more yards this season and 13 more touchdowns than last season.
The one difference between this season and last, is Manziel is not rushing as much or for as many yards, but his passing skills have vastly improved over last season.
Many thought that the offseason problems and his great fame would cloud his on-field vision. His skeptics said it was impossible to duplicate such a great freshman season. They said he would not be focused. The stats say his skeptics could not be further from the truth.
Manziel has lost two games and he has thrown 11 interceptions. However, last season he threw nine picks and lost two games, yet won the Heisman.
In his only two losses, he played well. He rallied the Aggies from a deficit of 35-14 to lose by 49-42 to Alabama. In the game, he had 464 yards passing, 5 touchdowns along with 98 yards rushing.
In his other loss to Auburn 45-41, Manziel had 454 passing yards and 4 passes for touchdowns and 48 yards rushing with one touchdown on the ground. He even threw for 102 yards on 10 completions and rushed for a touchdown after he had injured his shoulder.
My vote goes to Manziel to join Archie Griffin as a two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy.
