Keenum has all a Heisman winner needs

John S. obviously you don't follow UH football nor C*USA football...and I can't say I blame you because you are a UT fan so obviously you'll be more of an expert on Big 12 and the Horns and other BCS programs due to the fact that well...you see and hear more about them than us. But let me go ahead and shine some light on some of your assumptions...

In comparing the the three rivals which Texas and Houston have in common...although Keenum threw more yards and had more touchdowns, Texas (as a team) scored more points than Houston. One can conclude that if McCoy only puts up half the numbers that Keenum does and yet the team can still score more, then Texas must be more balanced. If Texas were as one-dimensional as Houston, and McCoy were required to carry the team, he could probably put up the same numbers.

(UH is a VERY BALANCED team contrary to what you see on the ESPN highlight reel… Keenum tends to hand off, throw short passes and screens to his open receivers and backs more often does he throw bombs. The receivers (i.e. Cleveland, Carrier, Edwards, Rodriguez, Johnson,etc) or runners (Beall and Sims) would then find big gaps and runs it for major gains…and if they can’t find a hole…they fight for every single yard they can get…

Second, Houston let up 76 more points (almost 11 touchdowns) than Texas against those three opponents. Houston had no choice but to ask Keenum to throw as often as possible in order to keep up with the opponents. Texas, on the other hand, dominated their games and could allow the running game to develop - they even had a second string QB take some snaps - thereby taking the ball out of McCoy's hands.

(Again, if you follow UH football…you would know that is DEFINITELY a VERY balanced team. Keenum may be the center of it all, but he knows how to spread the ball around to ALL his receivers and backs… and there were a couple of games where Cotton Turner [Keenum’s backup] did come in and finish the game because we were far ahead….but yes I’ll admit…the defense DOES need A LOT of work… )


Aside from my defense of McCoy...I'll admit that Keenum is a great QB but let's not just hand him the Heisman already. Is he worthy to be a Heisman candidate, maybe, but not exactly the winner. High-caliber competition?! Texas Texas and Oklahoma State are the only teams that have better than a 5-4 record. Point being, a majority of the teams Houston plays are a bit better than average. Clutch performances?! You make it sound like beating Southern Miss and Tulsa (currently 5-4 and 4-5 respectively) at the last minute should be hard.

(To you, Southern Miss and Tulsa may not be considered High-caliber competition, the thing you don’t know about C*USA is that both schools are considered big RIVALS to UH, and as you know with all rivalry games, ALL bets are off and records, whether good or bad, gets thrown out the window. Also, it’s not like either of those two teams are total jokes either, I’ll be the first to admit that both schools have pretty good programs… in the 2006 season, Southern Miss got us in the regular season and was slated to become conference champions…I do believe they were ranked that season, if not close to being ranked, but in the Conf Championship Showdown that same season, we got them back despite being the underdogs. As with Tulsa… they were ranked #25 last year and have consistently been near the top of C*USA if not at the top [if we don’t take it from them of course]…and for the last 4 years… the winner of the UH-Tulsa game has gone onto win the C*USA championship game [unfortunately at the rate of 3-1 in their favor]… Let me put it in a way for you to understand John S…. Tulsa and Southern Miss is to UH, is equivalent to OU and lets say…Tech is to UT…records don’t matter when those teams meet. Rivalry games can help make or break you in the rankings…unfortunately the voters and BCS computers does not know a lot about these budding rivalries that UH has with those two programs…cause lets face it… we’re not a BCS conference and nobody is going to pay any attention to a non-BCS school no matter how great a game and rivalry is… to prove my point… this past weekend UH beats Tulsa, UH stays at #13 in the AP and #15 in the BCS… LSU loses to Bama… but managed to stand pat at #9 in the AP and rose one spot to #8 in the BCS [which I’m personally STILL upset about] simply because they kept up in a rivalry game…]

Lastly, every college football fan should know that, just like everything else in college football, you are judged greater by your failures. Houston's failure to beat a 3-6 UTEP really hurt Keenum's reputation to be a game changer, which is what I think the Heisman should be awarded for.

( I agree that in football, you’re judged by your failure, but to equate that to Keenum’s inability to be a game changer??? Again…refer to the games against OSU, Tech, Miss St, Southern Miss, Tulsa…you tell me he isn’t a game changer… also…for the UTEP game…check out his stats… Keenum completed 51 of 76 passes for 536 yards and five touchdowns and even ran for 8…bringing him up to 544 yards for that game [his second highest offensive production of the season behind his 569 effort against Southern Miss] the ONLY reason we lost that game… is that Defense was non-existence… Keenum and the rest of the offense did EVERYTHING they could to put up the points and yardages…if anything they kept the Cougars in the game…And since you want to argue that numbers can only mean so much… take a look at Keenum’s ability to make decisions and call audibles on the field, he’s VERY poised, calm, and cool…and I have to agree with what someone said earlier…very Peyton Manning like. Because of it, the coaches and the offense have TOTAL trust in his abilities as a QB AND a LEADER… so in my book… Keenum is more than qualified to be the second Houston Cougar to win the Heisman next to Andre Ware. )

John S: You sir are an idiot. The Heisman is an INDIVIDUAL award. Not a team award. Keenum is better than McCoy in every way this year. Sure Colt has had an impressive career, but the Heisman is not a lifetime achievement award. It is an award for the years most outstanding player, and as accurately identified in this article, is Case Keenum. Tebow is good, he can win, but his numbers suck, and the Florida defense is the reason they are number 1, not because of Tebow. The only argument against Case is that UH is in Conference USA and the opponents are weaker. UH will play anybody, thats if anybody wants to play us. Texas is too scared to. LSU already backed out for next year. The Cougars offense is unstoppable. The UTEP game was a fluke. If the Cougars win out, Case will win the trophy. Now all of you stop being idiots and comparing TEAMS when you are supposed to be comparing PLAYERS.

As a graduate from Texas I feel obligated to argue in support of Colt McCoy. Stats alone cannot prove Keenum's superiority over McCoy. In comparing the the three rivals which Texas and Houston have in common...although Keenum threw more yards and had more touchdowns, Texas (as a team) scored more points than Houston. One can conclude that if McCoy only puts up half the numbers that Keenum does and yet the team can still score more, then Texas must be more balanced. If Texas were as one-dimensional as Houston, and McCoy were required to carry the team, he could probably put up the same numbers.

Second, Houston let up 76 more points (almost 11 touchdowns) than Texas against those three opponents. Houston had no choice but to ask Keenum to throw as often as possible in order to keep up with the opponents. Texas, on the other hand, dominated their games and could allow the running game to develop - they even had a second string QB take some snaps - thereby taking the ball out of McCoy's hands.

Aside from my defense of McCoy...I'll admit that Keenum is a great QB but let's not just hand him the Heisman already. Is he worthy to be a Heisman candidate, maybe, but not exactly the winner. High-caliber competition?! Texas Texas and Oklahoma State are the only teams that have better than a 5-4 record. Point being, a majority of the teams Houston plays are a bit better than average. Clutch performances?! You make it sound like beating Southern Miss and Tulsa (currently 5-4 and 4-5 respectively) at the last minute should be hard. Lastly, every college football fan should know that, just like everything else in college football, you are judged greater by your failures. Houston's failure to beat a 3-6 UTEP really hurt Keenum's reputation to be a game changer, which is what I think the Heisman should be awarded for.

Keenum should win the Heisman because he plays more like Peyton Manning bcuz he reads the defense and audibles to a play of his choice just like manning...If you have ever seen manning play and then watch keenum then you would see the similarities. Plus keenum does not even have the talent around him that teebow or mccoy has and he is still out shining those guys. taking nothing away from colt mccoy bcuz he is the truth and will be a NFL caliber qb, but teebow probably wont even get drafted bcuz he is not a NFL caliber qb. Keenum will be a great NFL qb bcuz he is already leading his team the way a Pro qb should. Tebow is way overrated and if he had Keenum's team he would not even be in the running for Heisman but if Case had Florida's talent plus the good D, Case's numbers would be all over the place. GO COOOOGS!!!! ps did I mention TIm Tebow is trash

I watch Keenum every game make outstanding plays one after another. He doesn't just have an accurate arm, he is a great ball-handler. His fakes are some of the best in the nation. This guy is so calm, cool, and collected under the gun. Actually performs better in high-pressure situations. He is the best QB in the country. Scary to think what our record would be without Keenum.

After Saturday's game against Tulsa, I say case Keenum for Heisman!! This guy is fun to watch, and super clutch. The Heisman is for the best college player, and I don't see how Houston would be 8-1 without Case. He is worth at least 2 or 3 of those wins.
It will be Tebow again for his 2nd Heisman. He is the best player on the best team, and sportswriters would love to make him the 2nd two time winner since Archie Griffin. The only thing news writers love more than reporting a great story....is creating a great story!

You'll also noticed that most teams would set up and then look to the sidelines for more instructions. Case Keenum and the Houston offense is run differently. Keenum calls all the play - that is how much the coaching staff have confidence in him.

This is why Keenum is so good: the Houston defense doesn't play. The seem to almost be trying to force Case to come up with miracles, and time and time again he does it. Imagine how much everyone would freak out if Tebow or McCoy put up those exact same numbers against the exact same team. They'd probably just give them the Heisman on the spot.
Seriously, this double-standard stuff has to stop.

Another QB that deserves attention is FSU's Ponder. His numbers are super and he is a tremendous leader. If FSU had a average or even less than average defense they would probably be a one loss or maybe even an undefeated team. Ponder has done so much just to get them where they are at in the W-L column. Also, there are no other big name players on the offense and Ponder and FSU spread it around a lot. Unlike UF and Tebow who will run the QB from the 1 yard line 3 times in a row to pad Tebow's stats.

like Philip said he's calling the audible/changing the plays after reading the D unlike 99% of the teams out there who have to turn to the side line and look at bingo cards, 3 back up Qb's and a coach sending in the aduble from the sideline. He's a true leader on the field. Put the talent some of these other guys have around Keenum and these numbers could be beyond NCAA 2010 stupid that they are. That said I think the talent on the UH offense could move the ball against any team, there D is the problem.

That last minute drive against Southren Miss was more like 36 seconds. It's like watching a fastbreak when Keenum gets them rolling.

how can we make sure that the folks at the Downtown Athletic Club read your last paragraph

Thank you, Olin, for giving Case the Heisman love that he absolutely deserves. People throw sad excuses from every direction as to why he does not deserve a second look, but if they would actually watch the Houston offense, even more Case Keenum, drive down the field in rapid succession, they would finally see just how incredible this guy is at the QB position. Oh yeah, he's a leader, too. Just watch him read the D and call the plays. He's one of the great ones, no doubt.