Miami Hurricanes Football: Can Duke Johnson Use Florida State to Launch Him Into Heisman Discussion?

Duke Johnson does not have much of a chance to win the 2014 Heisman Trophy; however, his impressive season could earn him a trip to New York for the Heisman presentation as a finalist for the most prestigious individual award in college football. Generally, there are 4 to 6 finalists chosen. I know Canes’ fans would appreciate the recognition for Duke Johnson, the soon to be all-time leading rusher in school history.

Where Duke Johnson Currently Stands

According to ESPN, the top Heisman candidates preceding the November 15^th Miami-Florida State matchup are, in order, QB Marcus Mariota of Oregon, QB Dak Prescott of Mississippi State, RB Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin, QB Trevone Boykin of TCU, and WR Amari Cooper of Alabama. On the outskirts loom Duke Johnson and Jameis Winston. Duke has a full stiff arm lead on Nebraska tail back Ameer Abdullah, at least partially due to Abdullah’s questionable health status. Unfortunately, Melvin Gordon has 10 more all-purpose touchdowns than Duke Johnson and about 100 more all-purpose yards. Rushing alone, Melvin Gordon is well ahead of Duke. Overcoming Wisconsin’s workhorse will be a challenge.

The list of impressive quarterbacks ahead of Duke Johnson will also be a challenge to pass. Handing Jameis Winston his first loss of his career, paired with Winston’s rather letdown of a season, should hold Winston behind Duke Johnson. In all likelihood, the only quarterback that Duke Johnson can leapfrog is TCU’s Trevone Boykin because both Prescott and Mariota seem to have solidified their places atop this list. Boykin has thrown for 2,691 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. Pair this with 546 rushing yards, 7 rushing touchdowns, and a national championship-contending team and Boykin has a legitimate chance to win the Heisman. TCU’s remaining schedule includes Kansas, Texas, and Iowa State; none of these teams pose a real threat to either a TCU loss or Trevone Boykin poor performance.

Good news: top receiver Amari Cooper and Alabama take on a couple very difficult opponents in Mississippi State and Auburn in the coming weeks, or in other words, opportunities to lose and have poor performances. I think Duke Johnson’s best bet to earn a trip to New York is to outplay Amari Cooper the rest of the season.

What History Suggests For Duke Johnson

Let’s take a look at the recent history of Heisman finalists. Since 2009, 8 running backs have been selected as Heisman finalists (Mark Ingram, Toby Gerhart, C.J. Spiller, LaMichael James, Trent Richardson, Montee Ball, Andre Williams, Tre Mason) and 1 has won it (Ingram). Of these 8 tail backs, 4 played on championship-contending teams that season. A lot of people believe that because Miami may only win 8 or 9 games this season, Duke Johnson should not be considered amongst the Heisman finalists. Well, 3 of the previous 8 Heisman finalists at the position won 9 or fewer games that season. Although it would be nice if the Hurricanes competed for a national championship, the team’s record will not decide Duke Johnson’s Heisman fate.

Duke Johnson has averaged 7.7 yards per carry this season. Of the previous 8 running backs named Heisman finalists, the most yards per carry any of them has averaged is Montee Ball’s 6.3. Think about that for a moment. Duke Johnson may average a yard and a half more per carry than any of the previous 8 Heisman finalist running backs. Where does Duke come up short? Touchdowns. Duke has 9 rushing touchdowns on the season and 2 through the air. All but 1 of the 8 running backs has had 17 or more touchdowns on the ground alone. The only one with less, C.J. Spiller, had 12 rushing touchdowns but tacked on 4 receiving and 5 on special teams (as Miami fans may recall). It would be difficult to imagine Duke Johnson, even in the midst of an impressive hot streak, to match any of these guys in the touchdown department before season’s end.

Duke Johnson vs. Florida State

This game will define Duke Johnson’s Heisman campaign. A primetime, nationally televised game against not just the defending champions, not just the No. 3 ranked team in the country, but Miami’s biggest rival. Duke Johnson has played at an all-world level the past few weeks, and if he can continue to dominate en route to a victory, he will find himself as a likely Heisman finalist.