Heisman goes to Alabama’s Derrick Henry

“Everybody always asks me about carries, what I thought about it, how I felt”, Henry said, “but when you’ve got teammates like that who love you and care for you, it don’t matter how you feel or how bad it hurts”.

Alabama running back Derrick Henry has won the 2015 Heisman Trophy. He had received the most points (1,832) for the award versus fellow nominees. Not only did Henry score in every game he played this year, he leads the nation in rushing yards (1,986), rushing touchdowns (23), and is second in average rushing yards per game with 152.8.

“I credit it all to the team”, Henry said, “All I’m trying to do is help the team win”. Henry winning also ended a run of five consecutive QBs earning the honor.

“We sat down in the living room”, Watson said.

Watson is Clemson University’s first-ever Heisman Trophy finalist. In those eight games, Henry was held under 100 yards rushing just twice, but still had 95 and 96, respectively, with four rushing touchdowns. He’s the best player in college football, and, in my estimation, the most impactful one.

“One of the things that pleases me about Derrick being recognized as being the outstanding player in college football by winning this award is sometimes as a coach you look at what does a particular player do for his team”, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. Earlier in the day Saturday, Cardinal head coach David Shaw managed to sound both philosophical and disbelieving about the possibility that his player would not win the Heisman. It just defines how good he was that year. Whether I’d have won it or not, it doesn’t change my attitude. For Watson and McCaffrey, maybe this is just a test run. They were greeted in the Big Apple by a traffic jam that turned a 7-mile trip from LaGuardia Airport to the Times Square into a 2-hour journey.

Last year, it was OR quarterback Marcus Mariota. Only the top three vote-getters were invited to New York City for the award ceremony. “Just being able to bring my mama here, she’s never been, it’s been pretty fun”. Earlier he was presented with the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back, was named the Walter Camp Player of the Year, and won the Maxwell Trophy, presented to the nation’s best college player. This time last week, he was celebrating an ACC Championship with a pizza party.

Even though he didn’t win the award, the moment was more poignant for Watson because one year ago Saturday, he underwent surgery to fix a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Henry was the engine that made the Alabama offense go, which in turn lifted the Crimson Tide to a 12-1 record, an SEC title, a second-place ranking, and a place in the College Football Playoffs.

Christian McCaffrey’s Heisman Trophy highlight reel was already running overtime before his coach called a pass play.