Miami's Dorsey, McGahee Among Five Heisman Finalists
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Official Web Site
Dec 11, 2002
By ANDREA SZULSZTEYN
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) – Top-ranked Miami’s Ken Dorsey and Willis McGahee are HeismanTrophy finalists, the first time since 1994 that teammates were among the topfive in the voting.
Iowa quarterback Brad Banks, Penn State running back Larry Johnson andSouthern California quarterback Carson Palmer also were invited Wednesday forthe award’s presentation.
The winner of one of the most wide-open Heisman races will be announcedSaturday night at the Yale Club in New York.
The last time two players from the same school finished in the top five waseight years ago, when Penn State’s Ki-Jana Carter was second and Kerry Collinsfourth.
McGahee, a tailback who wasn’t even supposed to start this season, would bethe first sophomore to win the award given to college football’s mostoutstanding player.
Palmer is trying to become the first West Coast player to win since USC’sMarcus Allen in 1981.
Of the five finalists, only Dorsey opened the season as a true Heismanhopeful; he finished third in the 2001 voting and led Miami to a nationaltitle.
McGahee ended the 2001 season as Miami’s starting fullback, but moved backto tailback because of injuries and broke several single-season records.
He shattered the school record with 27 touchdowns and also set schoolrecords for yards rushing (1,686), total yards (2,036), and 100-yard games(10). In last Saturday’s 56-45 win over Virginia Tech, McGahee ran 39 times fora career-high 205 yards and broke a 69-year-old school record with sixtouchdowns.
“I doubt I can get it because I’ve only been on the scene for like oneyear, and I didn’t do as much as Kenny or the other quarterbacks did,” McGaheesaid recently. “I don’t know what the Heisman means in their terms, but in myterms it means the best overall player who has been performing the best to helptheir school win and getting the job done.”
Dorsey, a senior from Orinda, Calif., is 38-1 as a starter and led theHurricanes to another unbeaten season at 12-0. Miami will play No. 2 Ohio State(13-0) in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3.
Dorsey owns nearly every significant Miami passing record. This season, hecompleted 194 of 350 passes for 3,073 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10interceptions.
Banks, meanwhile, never started a Division I-A game until this season, butit never looked that way.
The senior from Belle Glade, Fla., led the nation in passing efficiency,going 155-of-258 for 2,369 yards, 25 touchdowns and four interceptions. He alsoran for 387 yards and five TDs on 73 carries, and was The Associated PressCollege Player of the Year.
He helped No. 3 Iowa notch its first 11-win season, its first unbeaten BigTen season since 1922, and a berth in the Orange Bowl.
Johnson emerged late in the season. He finished with 2,015 yards rushing,only the ninth Division I-A player to top 2,000 in a season. His 341 yardsreceiving are the most ever by a Penn State running back, and his 2,575all-purpose yards this year are a Penn State record and ninth best in NCAAhistory.
The senior from State College, Pa., set the school single-game rushingrecord with 327 yards against Indiana. No. 10 Penn State (9-2) will play in theCapital One Bowl against Auburn.
Palmer completed nearly 63 percent of his passes for 3,639 yards and 32touchdowns with 10 interceptions this year, leading No. 5 USC (10-2) to theOrange Bowl against Iowa.
The senior from Laguna Niguel, Calif., particularly shined during theTrojans’ final eight games, throwing for 2,676 yards and 27 touchdowns withseven interceptions. He ended the season with 425 yards passing and fourtouchdowns in a 44-13 victory over Notre Dame. It was the most yards passingever allowed by the Fighting Irish.
“It’s been an amazing year,” Palmer said this week. “As far as reallythinking you’re going to win it, you can’t even fathom it. At the beginning ofthe season, I wanted to be at the Heisman ceremony. It’s such a long shot, somany things have to go right.”
This year’s race should again be close. Last year, there was no clearfavorite for the Heisman and only four finalists were announced. Nebraskaquarterback Eric Crouch ended up beating Florida quarterback Rex Grossman by 62points, the fourth-closest vote in the 67-year history of the Heisman.
The closest Heisman vote was Bo Jackson’s 45-point victory over Chuck Longin 1985.
