COMMENTARY : Forget the Numbers and Look at Collins

The numbers are all against Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins, the way the numbers in the polls may go against Penn State in the end. Colorado’s Rashaan Salaam has more than 2,000 yards rushing, and the other three running backs who have gotten that many in a season won the Heisman Trophy. Ki-Jana Carter, from the same backfield as Collins, would be right there with Salaam if he had the carries, because Carter averages nearly eight yards per carry. Alcorn State’s Steve McNair has thrown about 2,000 touchdown passes with an amazing amount of hype at his back.

With all that, Kerry Collins should win the Heisman Trophy a week from today, because sports has to be more than numbers, and because Collins has been the most valuable player in college this season.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t think about winning the Heisman,” Collins said yesterday. “Everybody dreams about winning the Heisman Trophy. But I’m the guy trying to come from back in the pack.”

Maybe Salaam is already a lock, because of numbers. Maybe Carter and Collins will be penalized for playing on the same team. Nobody even talked about Collins as a serious candidate until about a month ago, and that is never good if you are going for the Heisman. “It took a long time for me to get in the mix,” Collins said. “Maybe too long.”

It does not change what he has done across 11 Saturdays, quarterbacking the best offense in the country, one somehow able to produce two Heisman candidates from the same backfield. Collins has thrown 21 touchdown passes with only seven interceptions, completed 67% of his passes for nearly 2,700 yards. And he has been bigger than those numbers. Twice this season, against Michigan and Illinois, both games on the road, he was asked to take his team down the field and keep Penn State’s title shot alive. Twice he did just that.

The drive against Illinois, on a day when Penn State had fallen behind, 21-0, was the great fourth-quarter drama in a college season rich with fourth-quarter drama. Colorado beat Michigan with that miracle pass. It came at the end of the game, but early in the season. The Illinois game turned out to be the whole season for Penn State. The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 2 by then, but knew a loss ended any chance of No. 1.

Six minutes left against Illinois, and what looked like the whole field in front of Kerry Collins.

“Ninety-six yards to go in the rain, and against the wind,” Collins said. “We were up against the best defense in the Big Ten. It’s the kind of situation you dream about your whole life, because everything we’d worked for was on the line. How many times do you ever get a chance like that?”

Collins took his time and took Penn State down the field the way great quarterbacks are supposed to. He completed all seven of his passes on the game-winning drive. For the fourth quarter, he was 13 for 15 for 122 yards, and Penn State got the two touchdowns that saved its season.

“People say they’ll never forget that drive at Penn State,” Collins said. He laughed and said, “I know I never will.”

Salaam is a superb college back. Only Marcus Allen, Barry Sanders and Mike Rozier have gotten to 2,000 yards before him. So Salaam has to be the favorite for the Heisman and probably will win. But he should not automatically win because of 2,055 yards; if that is the case, he should be declared the winner right now and nobody has to bother to vote.

If it is only numbers that decide this, then McNair should win, even coming from Division I-AA.

Collins is all right with his own stats, of course. He quarterbacked an offense that averaged 47 points a game. Sometimes it looked as if Penn State with Collins at quarterback could score points as easily and as quickly as Alcorn State did with McNair.

There should be a way for Collins to come from behind to win the Heisman Trophy, the way he came from behind against Illinois. For that one Saturday afternoon, he made 96 yards in the wind and rain feel as important as all the yards from Rashaan Salaam.