By Shelton Griffith

 After a convincing victory over Clemson on Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs are now No. 6 in the AP poll  One could point to the improved defense or the commitment to the running game as the cause for such a walloping defeat, but the real reason for Georgia’s domination over Clemson was the play of Heisman trophy candidate Todd Gurley. As of now, ESPN has Gurley No. 1 in its Heisman ratings after the first week of college football action.  Not only is Gurley a special player but also he is on pace to finish his career as the second greatest running back in the history of Georgia Football.  He is also projected as a top 10 draft pick in the 2015 NFL draft according to Dan Kadar at SB Nation.

 

Player	Year	Total Rush Yds	Totals Yds Avg	Total TD
Herschel Walker	1980-82	5,259	5.3	49
Tim Worley	1985-88	2,038	5.8	27
Rodney Hampton	1986-89	2,668	5.7	22
Garrison Hearst	1990-92	3,232	6	33
Terrell Davis	1991-93	1,919	5.4	16
Robert Edwards	1993-96	2,033	5.2	27
Verron Haynes	2000-01	737	5	8
Musa Smith	2000-02	2,202	4.9	19
Knowshon Moreno	2007-08	2,734	5.5	30
Todd Gurley	2012-	2572	6.1	30

 

 

So the question now is whether Todd Gurley can win the Heisman trophy? To answer that lets compare Gurley to previous RBs in past who won the Heisman and past Georgia RBs including Herschel Walker who won the Heisman during his time at Georgia.

 

Name	Year	School	Conf	Pos	G	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
Mark Ingram	2009	Alabama	SEC	RB	14	271	1658	6.1	17
Reggie Bush	2005	Southern Cal	Pac-10	RB	13	200	1740	8.7	16
Ron Dayne	1999	Wisconsin	Big Ten	RB	12	337	2034	6	20
Ricky Williams	1998	Texas	Big 12	RB	11	361	2124	5.9	27
Eddie George	1995	Ohio State	Big Ten	RB	13	328	1927	5.9	24
Rashaan Salaam	1994	Colorado	Big 8	RB	11	298	2055	6.9	24
Barry Sanders	1988	Oklahoma State	Big 8	RB	11	344	2628	7.6	37
Bo Jackson	1985	Auburn	SEC	RB	11	278	1786	6.4	17
Mike Rozier	1983	Nebraska	Big 8	RB	12	275	2148	7.8	29
Herschel Walker	1982	Georgia	SEC	RB	11	335	1752	5.2	16

 

Gurley is on pace to finish the season with 2772 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns which will rival only Barry Sanders’ amazing 1988 Heisman season. While it seems unrealistic to expect Gurley to finish with these numbers, a less than stellar passing game this season and a plethora of running backs could lead to Georgia being a high rate running team.

Not often do running backs win the Heisman trophy, but with Georgia’s commitment to the running game, Gurley could find himself following in the footsteps of Herschel Walker and hoisting the Heisman trophy at season’s end in New York.