Kyler Murray Wins The Heisman
Most of the season, everyone assumed that the Heisman trophy was a lock to go to Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The only problem is no one told that to Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. On the season, Murray threw for 4,053 yards, 40 touchdowns (versus 7 interceptions) and had a 205.7 passer efficiency rating. He also rushed for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns on 123 carries. He also carried his Oklahoma team into the college football playoffs, where he will actually square off against Tagovailoa and the Crimson Tide. One of the biggest shocks of the voting was how not close it was in the end. Murray ended up winning by 296 points, finishing with 517 of the 878 first-place votes. This now makes two years in a row that an Oklahoma quarterback has won the Heisman, following Baker Mayfield last year. Still, Murray has reiterated that this will be his final year playing football as he has signed a Major League Baseball deal with the Oakland A’s, who graciously allowed him to still play his last year of college football. If this is it for Murray, what a way to go out.
Coaching Carousel in Full Swing
Nothing signals the end of a college football season like the constant turnover of coaches from one program to another, and this year is no different. From Les Miles taking over Kansas to Mack Brown returning to North Carolina to Geoff Collins taking over at Georgia Tech, multiple schools have been searching to replace coaches who either retired or were shown the door.
The most recent addition to this list comes in the form of Chris Klieman at Kansas State. With Bill Snyder retiring, the Wildcats went to North Dakota to find their new coach. Chris Klieman, who is currently coaching at North Dakota State, has put together quite a resume. He has gone 67-6 there and has won three national titles thus far at the FCS level. I say thus far because he is two wins away from winning a fourth. Not only has he had success at that level, but he has coached some pretty talented players, too. One example is former North Dakota State and current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.
The challenge that Klieman will face will be juggling the remainder of the North Dakota State season (as he has agreed to finish coaching out their season) and trying to get a jump start on recruiting and putting together a staff at Kansas State. Bill Snyder, who Klieman is replacing, is retiring after a total of 27 seasons at K-State, where he went 215-117.
Urban Meyer To Step Down
Another change on the coaching carousel comes in the form of Ohio State and coach Urban Meyer. Having dealt with effects of an arachnoid cyst on his brain, Meyer has visibly been struggling throughout this season to even make it through games. Acknowledging not only his issue but the toll it has taken on him coaching, Meyer has decided to retire at the end of the season, following the Rose Bowl. Ohio State has already chosen his replacement in Ryan Day. Day took over for Meyer during his suspensio, and has been the offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes this season. Day is credited with helping to turn freshmen quarterback, Dwayne Haskins, into a Heisman candidate. Still, Ohio State is a big stage to get your first head coaching gig, but Ryan Day seems like he might be up to the task.
Does The NCAA Have A Major Problem During Bowl Season?
It all started in 2016 with running back Christian McCaffrey, when he skipped Stanford’s trip to the Sun Bowl deciding to focus on the NFL draft instead. Now, it seems as if this is becoming more and more common place, and not just for those who expect to be drafted in the first 10 picks. The most recent athlete to announce that he is skipping his team’s bowl game is West Virginia’s Will Grier. On the season, Grier threw for 3,864 yards, 37 touchdowns (versus 8 interceptions) and a 175.5 passing efficiency rating. Despite those decent numbers, it is still not certain where Grier will be drafted as this year’s quarterback class seems somewhat of a crapshoot.
Grier is not the only player skipping a bowl game this year, though. His teammate, tackle Yodny Cajuste, also has announced that he is going to skip the Camping World Bowl to focus on preparing for the draft. Aside from Grier and Cajuste, other players skipping include N.C. State linebacker Germaine Pratt, LSU cornerback Greedy Williams, Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver, Oklahoma State running back Justice Hill, and others who are looking to both stay healthy and prepare for the future careers.
Army Beats Navy
It may not be flashy, but it is tradition. On Saturday, Army and Navy matched up for their annual meeting and saw Army win for the third year in a row, 17-7. Leading the way in this game for the Army Black Knights was Kelvin Hopkins Jr. He went 4 for 9 for 61 yards in the air, but also went for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. While the game itself may not have been the most exciting (except for a questionable coin flip by President Trump), the tradition of the game from these young men who represent our military is still something special. For Army, who finishes the regular season 10-2 and has won the Commander-in-Chief Trophy (they beat both Navy and Air Force), they will be heading off to the Armed Forces Bowl to face Houston just a few days before Christmas. At 3-10, this concludes the season for Navy.
