"Oh my god, did you see the game that James had last weekend against USC?? 239 yards and 3 TD's, his 3rd 200 yard game of the year! Strike the Heisman pose next time you're in the endzone, LaMichael, it is coming your way!"
Well, yes, James did have quite the outstanding game and has put himself significantly above the running back competition for the Heisman. But maybe you just missed Cam Newton's game on Saturday. He threw for over 200 yards, two touchdowns, no picks, ran for 45 yards and caught a touchdown pass. Pretty good, huh?
"Yeah, but he isn't that impressive. I mean, come on, James has rushed for over 1200 yards already this year. We have four games to go, he could easily accumulate 2,000 yards by the end of the year. The last time that happened was back in '07. Only 14 players have ever done that."
It is true, James is putting up numbers that look more like a game of NFL Blitz than college football. He's been phenomenal. Borderline unstoppable in that high-octane offense the Ducks employ. But would you believe me if I said that Cam Newton is just behind James in rushing yards on the season?
"No way. Newton is their quarterback. Sure he is known as a scrambling QB, but he can't be anywhere near James...can he?"
Each player has rushed for 14 touchdowns this year. James has 1,210 yards. Newton has 1,122. Newton has also thrown for almost 1,600 yards, with a 3:1 TD:INT ratio and completing 67% of his passes. And unlike James, he handles the ball on every single play, making him the first target the defense goes after every offensive snap.
"Well come on, James is still the most electrifying player on the fastest team in the country."
And Cam Newton is single-handedly carrying Auburn through the brutal stretch of it's schedule. Did I mention that Newton also has the 3rd highest QB rating in the nation? Pretty good, right?
"*crickets chirping*"
I mean, don't get me wrong. James has been out-of-this-world this year. Unfortunately, Cam Newton looks like a genetically engineered super-human from out of this universe so far. If it were any other year, James would be a lock for the Heisman. Unfortunately for him, 2010 appears to be that one year that will cost him.
Did you write this post because you were inspired by our Skype conversation? P.S., you forgot to mention the absurd TD pass he caught two weeks ago. Don't know if you saw it or not, but he tossed it to a WR coming on an end-around, then booked it to the corner of the end zone. Had a DB draped all over him and just jumped over him, took the ball away, and came down with both feet in bounds. He honestly looked like an NFL wideout.
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