Bradford wins the Heisman

Close race goes to Oklahoma QB

Oklahoma sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford hoists the Heisman Trophy sporting a cast on his left wrist. (Kelly Kline/Reuters)

At the start of the season, he wasn't even regarded as the best player in his own division. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy was.

He wasn't even regarded as the best quarterback in his own conference. Missouri's Chase Daniel was.

Not to worry, said Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, who felt he was on the best team, not only in the Big 12, but in the country.

In a season full of highlights, many created by the redshirt sophomore QB from Oklahoma, Bradford capped a historic regular season last night at the Nokia Theatre in New York when he was announced as the winner of the Heisman Trophy, edging out McCoy and Florida QB Tim Tebow.

Bradford received 1,726 points, McCoy had 1,604, and Tebow 1,575.

Last season, Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman; last night, Bradford became the second.

Bradford and Tebow will meet again when the No. 2 Sooners (12-1) face the No. 1 Gators (12-1) Jan. 8 in Miami for the national title.

For the first time in Heisman history, not one of the finalists was a senior.

Bradford threw 48 touchdown passes against only six interceptions for an offense that produced an astonishing 702 points. The knock against Bradford was the game he lost - a 10-point defeat to McCoy and the Longhorns in October.

McCoy, a junior, was not quite as productive, but he carried more of the offensive load with 32 TD passes and 10 rushing TDs, with an equally astonishing 77.6 percent completion rate. His only negative wasn't even his fault - a last-second loss to Texas Tech, which knocked the Longhorns out of the national championship picture.

And Tebow, chasing the historic benchmark of becoming only the second person to win two Heismans - Ohio State's Archie Griffin did it in 1974 and '75 - wasn't as productive as last year, but he certainly carried the Gators this year with 40 total touchdowns (28 passing, 12 rushing) in what could be a national championship season.

The negative against Tebow was inconsistency in the first part of the season, which included the Gators' only loss - 31-30 to Mississippi, which prompted Tebow to say he would work harder than anyone in bringing the Gators back into contention for a national championship.

The sum total of all of this was a wide-open Heisman race, which prompted a record 904 (of 926) Heisman voters casting their ballots.

In the end, the choice was Bradford, although Tebow received more first-place votes, 309-300.

In a coincidental twist, Bradford accepted the trophy - the eighth time in the last nine years a QB has won the award - with his non-throwing hand in a cast, just as Tebow did last season. Bradford said he expects the cast to be removed in the next few days.

"I'm always amazed at his poise," said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, whose quarterback threw more TD passes in a season than any previous Heisman winner. "He's always together and ready to play."

Last night, Bradford was forced to scramble as he tried to express his emotions. "Wow," he said as he offered the standard thank you to family, friends, and teammates. "But I was surrounded by such a strong supporting cast. I feel I'm representing them. Our offense makes me look good. It's going to take a couple of weeks to have it all soak in."

While 122 points separated Bradford and McCoy, the difference among the top three was the closest since 2001, when Nebraska QB Eric Crouch, Florida QB Rex Grossman, and Miami QB Ken Dorsey finished 1-2-3.

Although players such as McCoy, Daniel, and even Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell, who finished fourth in the voting, spent time on top of the Heisman polls, it was Bradford and the Sooners who proved the steadiest, with a blowout win over Texas Tech giving Bradford and the Sooners the boost they needed.

Bradford led the nation in passer rating (186.3) and has thrown for 4,464 yards on the first major college team in 89 years to score at least 60 points in five straight games.

"This is an individual award, but I feel like I'm receiving it on behalf of my teammates," Bradford said. "I feel like our whole offense bails me out every game. They make me look good."