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Heisman Update: Tide turns on Prescott’s Heisman campaign

Ethan Levine

By Ethan Levine

Published:

Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott had an opportunity at a Heisman moment Saturday against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Instead, Prescott struggled as the Tide came crashing down on the Bulldogs’ perfect season and his ongoing Heisman campaign.

Prescott played his worst in the biggest game of the year, throwing a season-high three interceptions while completing just 56 percent of his passes in a 25-20 loss in Tuscaloosa. And while the junior signal-caller is still on the short list of players expected to be invited to the Heisman ceremony in New York next month, it’s almost certain he won’t win the award.

It’s not that Prescott had a bad game. He did, yes, but bad games can be overcome if followed by a spectacular performance. However, in Prescott’s case, he had a bad game on an unforgettable stage, and did so on the same day a number of other Heisman contenders asserted their worth as the best players in college football.

Last week’s showdown between MSU and Alabama was hard to ignore, pitting two top 5 teams against one another with major playoff implications. Even those who didn’t watch the game saw the highlights or read the stats, and everyone in America is now aware of Prescott’s shortcomings against the Tide.

His brilliance in Mississippi State’s first nine games of the year, including a run of three straight wins over top 10 teams, has now been superseded by Saturday’s dismal showing in Tuscaloosa.

That game is freshest in the minds of the fans and the Heisman voters. Those three top 10 teams — LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn — have now combined to lose 11 games with two weeks still remaining in the regular season. Prescott starred in all three games, but those games seem like a distant memory, and none of those three wins is as impressive as we once thought.

Against Alabama, Prescott struggled more than he has all season. His completion percentage was low, his turnover rate was high, he ran for fewer than four yards per carry on 22 attempts and Mississippi State didn’t reach the end zone until the fourth quarter.

It’s fair to say those are not Heisman-worthy numbers.

You know what is a Heisman-worthy number? Two — as in the number of interceptions thrown this season by Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, who appears to have overtaken Prescott as the current Heisman frontrunner. The Bulldogs’ signal caller threw two interceptions in less than three quarters against Alabama.

Mariota was off last week, but through 10 games (the same number Prescott has played this year), he has more yards through the air, more touchdowns, fewer interceptions, a better completion percentage and a better yards per carry average as a runner. Prescott needed a big game to distance himself from Mariota during Oregon’s bye week. Instead, he regressed and removed himself as an obstacle on Mariota’s path to the prestigious award.

Want another Heisman-worthy number? Try 408 — as in the number of yards Wisconsin tailback Melvin Gordon rushed for in a Week 12 win over Nebraska, breaking Ladanian Tomlinson’s FBS record. On the same weekend Prescott looked helpless, Gordon looked like the most dominant runner in the country, closing ground on Prescott as the No. 2 man in the Heisman race.

One last Heisman-worthy number for you: 11 — as in the number of touchdowns Alabama wideout Amari Cooper has amassed in 10 games following his second quarter touchdown against Mississippi State. Cooper now has more touchdowns than games played this season, and he has posted at least 80 yards in nine of his 10 games this year to lead all wideouts throughout the power five conferences.

So it’s not just that Prescott took a step back against Alabama; it’s that he did so on the same day most other Heisman contenders took two steps forward.

The nation-wide perception is that Prescott has played his way out of the Heisman race following his lackluster performance and the stellar showings by his competition. And once a player falls out of favor on a national level, it can be difficult, perhaps impossible to overcome.

Rest assured, Prescott is still on the short list of players expected to be invited to New York as a Heisman finalist.

Fans and Heisman voters were not keen on his showing against Alabama, but they haven’t forgotten how he led oft-struggling Mississippi State from preseason anonymity to the school’s first ever 9-0 start and No. 1 ranking. What Prescott did this season deserves a tremendous amount of respect, and if Mississippi State wins the Egg Bowl in two weeks it will have survived the toughest division of all-time with just one loss and four wins over top 10 foes, likely earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Those are Heisman-worthy accolades, and although Prescott may have blown his chance at staving off Mariota, Gordon and Cooper, he didn’t fall out of that realm of greatness either.

This week, Mississippi State is lucky enough to draw Vanderbilt on the schedule. No one will be impressed if Prescott has the game of his life against arguably the worst team among the power five conferences, but he can pad his stats against the Commodores to help earn himself a trip to New York.

So save Prescott a seat at the Downtown Athletic Club for this year’s Heisman Trophy presentation; just make sure he’s got a good view of Mariota when he’s giving his acceptance speech.

Ethan Levine

A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.

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