It's Heisman time again. The glorious time where people pick on reputation and emotion rather than performance. This year, one of the finalists is Montee Ball, a running back who is basking in the sunlight the NCAA, media, and Big Ten supporters are giving him as he "approaches" a long-standing NCAA record. Outside of some Wisconsin and Big Ten scoring records, any record Ball sets will be fraudulent and a slap in the face to the athlete who is widely considered to have had the greatest individual season in college football history.
Everybody is comparing Ball to Barry Sanders and his 1988 season in which he set the record for most touchdowns in a season. If people simply looked at the facts, they would see that Ball has already missed Sanders' scoring mark and can only break Sanders' record by a fraudulent manipulation of the record books by the NCAA. In the 1988 regular season, Sanders had 2,628 yards rushing in 11 games. He had 39 total touchdowns (37 rushing) in 11 games. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry in 11 games.
Take a look at Ball's regular season stats. Including the Big Ten Championship game, Ball has played in 13 games. In those 13 games, he has 1,759 yards rushing (869 yards fewer than Sanders, even after playing two additional games), 38 total touchdowns (32 rushing, five fewer rushing and one fewer total than Sanders, even after playing two additional games), and 6.4 yards per carry (1.2 yards fewer than Sanders). The WORST rushing total Sanders had in a single game in 1988 was 154 yards. That is BETTER than nine of Ball's games this season. Ball will have to run for over 1,300 yards and score seven touchdowns to top Sanders' stats in 1988 projected over a 14-game season instead of 12 games.
In 1988, for some unknown reason, the NCAA did not count stats from bowl games towards official records. Even since counting non-regular season games as part of their records, the NCAA won't allow past bowl games to be added to records and totals. Because of that, Sanders' 222 yards and five touchdowns do not count.
The NCAA and the mouth-breathers who think Ball is the greatest thing since sliced bread just pretend that Holiday Bowl never happened. To them, anybody who believed the game actually happened is a conspiracy theorist who is still looking for Kennedy's second shooter. The Holiday Bowl, Wikipedia, ESPN (ESPN again, and again, and again, and again), and the New York Times all believe there was a Holiday Bowl in 1988. Oh yeah, Sanders didn't even play in the fourth quarter of that game. I can't imagine what his stats would have been if he played the entire game. But the game never happened, so who cares if he supposedly only played in three quarters?
Obviously, the NCAA and the mouth-breathers are correct in their assertion that this game didn't take place, primarily because they say so. Heck, even ESPN is recanting their own video evidence that the 1988 Holiday Bowl took place and is now saying Ball is better than Sanders. The ESPN writer actually attempts to make a case that Ball's season is better than Sanders in 1988. Unreal. At least Sporting News clarifies the exclusion of 1988 Holiday Bowl, which never happened.
(Side note, somebody needs to edit Brian Bennett's articles. Sanders' big season took place in 1988, not 1998 and in the Holiday Bowl, he scored five touchdowns, not four. It's the giant in the sports media industry and nobody can do a simple copy edit. Of course, the 1988 Holiday Bowl never happened, so getting the number of touchdowns supposedly scored in that mythical game wrong is not a big deal.)
Nobody can deny the fact that Montee Ball is having a great season. He is the best running back in the nation this season, but he is not having the greatest season of all time. Ignore the hype: Barry Sanders in 1988 blows Montee Ball in 2011 out of the water and it isn't even close.
Everybody is comparing Ball to Barry Sanders and his 1988 season in which he set the record for most touchdowns in a season. If people simply looked at the facts, they would see that Ball has already missed Sanders' scoring mark and can only break Sanders' record by a fraudulent manipulation of the record books by the NCAA. In the 1988 regular season, Sanders had 2,628 yards rushing in 11 games. He had 39 total touchdowns (37 rushing) in 11 games. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry in 11 games.
Take a look at Ball's regular season stats. Including the Big Ten Championship game, Ball has played in 13 games. In those 13 games, he has 1,759 yards rushing (869 yards fewer than Sanders, even after playing two additional games), 38 total touchdowns (32 rushing, five fewer rushing and one fewer total than Sanders, even after playing two additional games), and 6.4 yards per carry (1.2 yards fewer than Sanders). The WORST rushing total Sanders had in a single game in 1988 was 154 yards. That is BETTER than nine of Ball's games this season. Ball will have to run for over 1,300 yards and score seven touchdowns to top Sanders' stats in 1988 projected over a 14-game season instead of 12 games.
In 1988, for some unknown reason, the NCAA did not count stats from bowl games towards official records. Even since counting non-regular season games as part of their records, the NCAA won't allow past bowl games to be added to records and totals. Because of that, Sanders' 222 yards and five touchdowns do not count.
The NCAA and the mouth-breathers who think Ball is the greatest thing since sliced bread just pretend that Holiday Bowl never happened. To them, anybody who believed the game actually happened is a conspiracy theorist who is still looking for Kennedy's second shooter. The Holiday Bowl, Wikipedia, ESPN (ESPN again, and again, and again, and again), and the New York Times all believe there was a Holiday Bowl in 1988. Oh yeah, Sanders didn't even play in the fourth quarter of that game. I can't imagine what his stats would have been if he played the entire game. But the game never happened, so who cares if he supposedly only played in three quarters?
Obviously, the NCAA and the mouth-breathers are correct in their assertion that this game didn't take place, primarily because they say so. Heck, even ESPN is recanting their own video evidence that the 1988 Holiday Bowl took place and is now saying Ball is better than Sanders. The ESPN writer actually attempts to make a case that Ball's season is better than Sanders in 1988. Unreal. At least Sporting News clarifies the exclusion of 1988 Holiday Bowl, which never happened.
(Side note, somebody needs to edit Brian Bennett's articles. Sanders' big season took place in 1988, not 1998 and in the Holiday Bowl, he scored five touchdowns, not four. It's the giant in the sports media industry and nobody can do a simple copy edit. Of course, the 1988 Holiday Bowl never happened, so getting the number of touchdowns supposedly scored in that mythical game wrong is not a big deal.)
Nobody can deny the fact that Montee Ball is having a great season. He is the best running back in the nation this season, but he is not having the greatest season of all time. Ignore the hype: Barry Sanders in 1988 blows Montee Ball in 2011 out of the water and it isn't even close.
Ball is not the best back this year. That'd be Trent Richardson. Everything else
ReplyDeleteis spot on.
If you are judging by stats and say that Sanders season is better than Ball's, I would agree; but those same stats show that Richardson is not the best back. With only 12 more carries, Montee out-stat'ed Richardson in the ways it counts- yards, yards/att, and TDs. Against the only common opponent, Penn State, Ball had 45 MORE yards, 1.9 MORE yards/att, and 2 MORE TDs.
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