Mark Ingram Rushes Into Crimson Tide History

Heisman Trophy an Emotional "Win" for Ingram, Bama/AP

Just when Bama fans didn’t think the season could get any better, it did. The second consecutive undefeated regular season ended—or rather began—with the Tide’s most complete and dominating performance in the SEC Championship Game the week before.

The grudge match against the Florida Gators was no doubt nothing short of circled on our collective calendars since the loss to the eventual national champion the year before. Getting back to Atlanta—and winning—meant a berth in the BCS National Championship Game. Check, check and check.

Had Nick Saban scribbled down a crude checklist of his “process,” that might have been it. Or at least all but winning the title and hoisting the crystal football.

But there was one more piece of hardware that most of us, to be honest, hadn’t dreamed of adding on a “to do” list to complete our dream season.

Even when Mark Ingram’s name made it into the Heisman discussion after his 246-yard rushing performance against South Carolina, I (and many others) probably dismissed it as a long shot. After all, Alabama had never had a Heisman winner in its storied football history.

Besides, wasn’t it too soon for Ingram, a sophomore, to be considered?

But week after week, his total yards that hovered close to or well above 100 years kept him solidly in contention. Until the game vs. Auburn.

Held to a season-low 30 yards rushing, Ingram needed the game of his young Bama career against Florida—not only to help propel the Tide to Pasadena, but also to hang on to any shot of winning the Heisman.

He answered with 113 yards on the ground, three touchdowns, and 76 yards through the air.

Still, his detractors—and there were many, as is typical in sports—knocked him for “not being the best player on his own team.” Doesn’t it make sense that it would take many good and/or great players to carry a team to an undefeated season, much less contend for a national championship?

Leading up to the Heisman Trophy presentation, I may have been trying to prepare myself to accept the rejection if Ingram didn’t win. I’d have been OK if Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska’s monstrous defensive tackle, walked away with the bronze. How can you not root for the underdog? And in Heisman lore, that would be any defensive player.

I honestly thought Texas QB Colt McCoy was the obvious choice. QB peers Tim Tebow at Florida and Sam Bradford at Oklahoma won the previous two years, respectively. Wasn’t it his time? Had Texas not struggled against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship Game, it may well have been on his mantle instead.

It deserves to go to a senior, I said, as a reward for a career of excellence, not just a season. How better to judge a career than by the contributions of an upperclassman? Besides, who wants that Heisman curse in the national title game?

Despite my attempts to brace myself for the first “loss” of the season, I was overwhelmed and overjoyed when Mark Ingram was announced as the 75th Heisman Trophy winner. And, like him, overcome with tears. Understandably, his speech was emotional, but nothing if not sincere. How could anyone at least not appreciate the moment?

But, of course, they didn’t. Screaming “bias,” many felt that Stanford RB Toby Gerhart was robbed, especially since he had more yards than Ingram did. Perhaps to bolster their argument, they left out the part where many Pac-10 teams are pass-first, while SEC teams are designed to stop the run.

(Speaking of “bias,” I find it ironic that sportswriters would accuse anyone of bias, especially when they themselves routinely vote (and keep) USC in the top 10 year in and year out, not only when they lose, but also when they are decimated. And when it happens twice, they continue to hang around the top 25.)

Or better yet, they also don’t point out that Ingram “competed” with true freshman RB Trent Richardson for carries in the backfield. Stanford’s second-leading rusher (behind Gerhart) was the quarterback.

I’m not saying that Gerhart shouldn’t have been a Heisman finalist, but what do the numbers mean if they aren’t examined in context?

Though some may try, few should doubt that Ingram had an amazing season. Even fewer still could question how much the award meant to him.

Then again, it is only fitting that the winner of the closest Heisman race ever was one of the most unlikely preseason candidates who earned his accolades—and contributed to his team’s wins—fighting for every yard he got.

Tags: Alabama, championships, controversy, Heisman, Mark Ingram, SEC