Heisman race hot at Bedlam
Chase for the trophy OU’s Bradford the favorite, but OSU players Bryant, Hunter, building names for themselves

By Jenni Carlson Comments 1
Published: November 28, 2008

Add a little Heisman hype to the Bedlam battle.

In a football game that already has more subplots than a Shakespearean play, none is more fun than the race for the little bronze statue. It isn’t as serious as Oklahoma’s national championship aspirations. It isn’t as significant as Oklahoma State’s program building.

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11/28/2008 PASSING CompAttIntYdsTDSam Bradford2383496371042Joey Halzle223011711 RUSHING NoYdsTDDeMarco Murray16492913Chris Brown14989015Mossis Madu963493 RECEIVING...

But man, oh man, does it add to the cool factor of Bedlam 2008.

And this isn’t just about Sam Bradford.

No doubt the Oklahoma quarterback is one of the favorite for the Heisman. He’s been a strong contender throughout the season, but he was always behind other quarterbacks. First, it was Tim Tebow. Then came Chase Daniel and Colt McCoy and Graham Harrell.

But after OU throttled Texas Tech, Bradford emerged a true frontrunner.

He has thrown for 3,710 yards, 42 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

That isn’t exactly Jason White’s 40-touchdown, four-interception regular-season stat line from the year he won the Heisman. But it’s still darn impressive.

"He’s just a great football player,” Sooner receiver Manny Johnson said. "Of course, you want anybody on your team to win any individual award that they can. We know that if Sam wins the Heisman, it has something to do with us.

"We’re happy that he’s even in the talk right now.”

The Heisman could come down to Bradford and McCoy. By comparison, the Longhorn quarterback had thrown for 3,134 yards, 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions through 11 games.

Not bad, but not Bradford.

Then, there’s this tidbit: Bradford has thrown for 19 touchdowns with only one interception in the past five games. Keep up that kind of production against the Cowboys — a three- or four-touchdown day with no picks — and that would be quite a closing argument for Bradford.

"If he continues to play how he’s been playing, they won’t be able to keep him down,” Sooner tailback DeMarco Murray said.

Thing is, this Bedlam game will impact not only this year’s Heisman race but also next year’s.

Dez Bryant and Kendall Hunter have been on the fringe of this year’s Heisman discussion but never jumped into serious consideration. The Cowboy standouts are having great seasons, but they came into the year as relative unknowns. Where the Heisman is concerned, this season has been more about establishing themselves .

Big numbers against the Sooners would be a big step in that process.

Have a great day on national television against a defense that smacked down Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, and Heisman voters will remember that.

This edition of Bedlam is packed with intrigue. It didn’t need a Heisman subplot to make it exciting, and this storyline adds another juicy layer to what could become the best Bedlam ever.