Look for Surprises in Heisman Voting

There will be a rare measure of suspense when the Heisman Trophy winner is announced Saturday. The Downtown Athletic Club is so uncertain of the outcome it has invited eight candidates to the ceremony honoring the best college football player in the country, including apparent favorite Andre Ware of Houston.

It may have been the most confusing Heisman race in years, with a variety of players making strong but not completely convincing arguments. Air Force quarterback Dee Dowis is perhaps the sentimental choice, Indiana running back and Walter Camp Award winner Anthony Thompson set an NCAA record for career touchdowns and Notre Dame quarterback Tony Rice has tradition and a winning record. All three are seniors.

Houston’s Ware, a junior, may have been the most obscure choice to begin the season, a little-known player in the muddled Southwest Conference. Then he spent the season setting or threatening virtually every NCAA passing record. However, with Houston on probation, he has not appeared on national television.

“We’ll be as surprised as anyone,” said Rudy Risa, sports director of the Downtown Athletic Club, which annually gives out the trophy. “We’ve had absolutely no indication. Usually someone has the great year. But this year we invited eight, to be on the safe side.”

The invitees are Ware, Rice, Thompson, Dowis, as well as quarterbacks Major Harris (West Virginia, junior) and Darian Hagan (Colorado, sophomore) and running backs Emmitt Smith (Florida, junior) and Blair Thomas (Penn State, senior). Ware and Smith will not attend the ceremony because Houston is playing at Rice and Florida is hosting Florida State. CBS has arranged to interview Ware during its live coverage of the announcement (5:30 p.m. EST, CBS), as soon as he comes off the field.

Ware, operating Houston’s prolific run-and-shoot offense, completed 329 of 527 passes (62.4 percent) for 4,299 yards and 44 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. He has amassed those statistics in just 10 games, and despite missing eight quarters because Houston frequently held such large leads. He has broken six NCAA records, including Jim McMahon’s marks for touchdowns, yards passing and total offense in a season, set in 12 games at Brigham Young in 1980.

“We put up big numbers each and every week, while the other guys had their ups and downs,” Ware said. “There’s always been the dark cloud of university probation, but I think the voters are aware now that I had absolutely nothing to do with it. Hopefully, if they vote for someone else, it’s just because they think they are better than me.”

Rice, an option quarterback, directed Notre Dame to 23 consecutive victories, including a 12-0 mark and the national championship last season, and 11 victories this season. But Rice’s chances may have diminished last week when Notre Dame suffered a loss to No. 4 Miami, in part because of his poor performance. He also has suffered because, as a role player in Notre Dame’s offense, he has not built the eye-catching statistics of other candidates.

“All he does is win,” Coach Lou Holtz said.

Rice carried 174 times for 884 yards rushing, an average of 5.1 yards, and scored seven touchdowns. As a passer, he completed 68 of 137 attempts (49.6 percent) for 1,122 yards and two touchdowns, to nine interceptions. Two interceptions came against the Hurricanes, who limited him to 50 yards on 20 carries.

Dowis is the top rusher among the quarterbacks with 1,199 yards from the Falcons’ wishbone.

Thompson, like Rice, would be honored more for career achievements than any great feats this season. A 6-foot, 209-pound senior, his total of 65 touchdowns broke the previous NCAA record of 59 and his 394 points bettered the record of 393. Thompson finished collegiate career with 4,965 yards, fifth all-time.

Thompson won the Camp Award with 30 percent of the votes cast by head coaches to 25 percent for Ware. Asked then if he felt he was the best player in the country, Thompson said, “I don’t think so. When I was younger, my mother told me there’s always someone better.”