Dak For Heisman is Legitimate
Sep 20, 2014; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott (15) looks to pass against the LSU Tigers during the third quarter of a game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Go ahead and yell Dak For Heisman to your heart’s content. It’s now legitimate. The Dakstruction of Death Valley certified that all the talk and all the hype over the summer was completely legitimate.
Does that mean he will win the award or is the front runner? No.
Not yet at least.
Dak had been great in the first three weeks of the season, but there wasn’t a single thing that he could have done to turn any heads or get people’s attention playing the schools we did. It was going to take a special performance in one of the worst places to try to get a win for Dak to get some recognition. Dak did just that.
So just how impressive of a win was it for Mississippi State? Consider all the following:
- Mississippi State had not won in Baton Rouge since 1991.
- Mississippi State had not beaten LSU since 1999.
- Only three teams had beaten LSU at night since Les Miles took over, all three were in the top 10.
So yeah, it was a statement game. But just winning isn’t why Dak is a legitimate Heisman contender. Dak is a contender because he completely dominated the LSU defense. Dak Prescott put up some impressive numbers. He completed 15-24 attempts for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns. He added another 105 yards on 22 carries on the ground with a touchdown. That went along with Josh Robinson’s monster game of 197 yards on 16 carries (he’s going to get some serious love himself here soon). If you went by just numbers, Dak would deserve being mentioned as a candidate for the award. But the way he stepped up in pivotal moments is what stood out.
Dak stood out on Saturday because of his ability to overcome adversity. Mississippi State was rolling 17-3 as the 2nd half opened. Mississippi State had the ball, and Dak gets stripped. LSU recovered and returned it for a touchdown. This is the point where Mississippi State normally folds. But Dak has said that he wanted to come to State to build a program into something like the program we played on Saturday night, and he has shown the determination to possibly do it. After fumbling, he followed it with a 56 yard touchdown run where he just gashed the defense. On the next series, Dak and the Bulldogs faced 3rd and 7 from the 26. LSU had Prescott in their grasps in the backfield, but he was able to elude the defenders and found a wide open Jameon Lewis for a 74 yard touchdown. Prescott didn’t let his mistake affect the rest of his performance.
Then Dak decided to try to destroy the will of the Tigers. In the third and fourth quarter, Prescott and Robinson just start running the ball straight at the vaunted LSU defense. Everyone knew it was coming, but no one could stop it. And yes, LSU almost made a come back, but that was on the coaching staff. The play calling got conservative, and the coaches started putting in reserves. The terrible snap that gave LSU a chance was on Mullen, not Dak.
So where does he stand in the Heisman race? A candidate, not the front runner. His total numbers are pretty gaudy. He has completed 58 of 96 passes for 60.4% with 964 yards and 11 TDs against 2 INTs. Then add in 378 yards on the ground on 62 carries for a 6.1 YPC average and 3 TDs. That totals out to 1,342 yards of offense and 15 TDs if you add the receiving TD he got against South Alabama. Marriota will probably be the front runner for now, but Dak is in the mix.
Having said all that, it’s still early. As great as this win is, Mississippi State probably still needs six more wins to even put Dak in New York for the awards ceremony. That’s a pretty tall order, but what looked like a monumental task entering Saturday night, now appears to be an attainable goal. And it’s not attainable if Dak isn’t our quarterback.