After watching Shonn Greene and having him continue to amaze me it got me thinking why Javon Ringer is solely getting all the talk of the Big Ten. Sure he is the leading rusher but in my opinion Greene deserves some love.
Earlier this morning ESPN's Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg responded to an email asking the same question as I have. Rittenberg responded by saying that Ringer is the best player on a 6-1 team and Greene is on a 4-3 team. He also went on to say that Greene hurts his case because he hasn't found the end zone enough.
Well, after today I'll make my case for Greene. For one the Hawkeyes now have a convincing win under their belts. Greene also answered the call by scoring 4 touchdowns. He also rushed for 217 yards today and averaged 8.7 yards per carry. The 217 yards brought Greene's season total to 1,154 yards rushing. Lets also not forget that Greene is the only running back in the country that has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his first 8 games. After today's performance Greene should be getting recognition. If not then it is because the Big Ten isn't getting enough love due to the lack of national respect it receives. In my opinion, the Big Ten is a much stronger league than the past and it deserves more recognition. Javon Ringer isn't the only top notch player in the Big Ten. I'll argue that Greene is the best running back in the Big Ten right now and the fact that he was out of football for an entire year makes the numbers look even better. So someone give Greene some love as he has been the most consistent player in the Big Ten week in and week out.
5 comments:
I agree. It's definitely time to start making a case for why Greene should be included in he Heisman talk. If Wells and Ringer are being discussed, then Greene should definitely be included. He's every bit as good if not better. Time will tell where he ultimately stands, but as of now he needs to at least be included in discussion.
Last I checked the Heisman was the award for the best player in college football, not the best player on the best team, which is what it has turned into thanks to the media.
I completely agree with you Nagel. I hate how many Heisman voters look at the team a player plays on just as much as how talented the athlete is himself.
Shonn Greene - 1154 yds on 177 carries, that's an average of 6.5 yards per carry.
Ringer - 1179 yards on a shocking 263 carries, that equates to an average of only 4.5 yards per carry.
With those stats I don't see how only Ringer is mentioned at all among Heisman hopefuls! Personally, I think the student section had the right idea when they started a "Greene for Heisman" chant after his fourth score.
Here is the deal...Ringer will get worn down. If McNace stats are right, Ringer has 86 more carries than Greene. And that's a good thing! In fact, it's the smartest thing Ken O'Keefe has done all year!
This biggest thing that Shoon Greene can do to up his Heisman chatter, is to stay healthy.
If he can continue these 100-150 yard games, no one will be able to deny him the hype. And hopefully his success will translate into team success...still shooting for that 8-4 record.
Hey me and a few other guys were starting up "Greene for Heisman" chants in the 2nd qtr. :D
Everyone else just followed suit.
The Hawkeyes record and the fact that Greene hadn't found the end zone very often were the reasons he hasn't gotten any respect when it comes to the Heisman.
He still has a long ways to go if he wants to finish the season with a trip to New York, but he is on his way right now.
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