The 2011 Ty Detmer Award
By Kyle Kensing
The Ty Detmer Award honoring college football’s premiere non-automatic qualifier conference player was conceived on a Saturday morning in June 2011, in Encinitas, California. While having breakfast with his wife, Kyle Kensing was boring his wife with discussion of David Carr’s 2001 Heisman snub and how difficult it is for non-Bowl Championship Series conference members to be recognized nationally. Her suggestion of a Heisman equivalent spurred on the concept.
What should the award be named? The David Carr Award and Marshall Faulk Award were two ideas: both were standout “mid-major” conference players bypassed for college football’s greatest individual honor. But ultimately, naming it for the non-power conference player who last set the benchmark seemed most worthwhile. Thus, 1990 Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer of Brigham Young was chosen to bear the award’s moniker.
Next question: how to decide it? Experts — a term used very loosely given some of the voters with ballots — elect the Heisman winner. Well, if the Detmer Award is to be akin to the Heisman, a panel of experts who follow the non-power conferences would have to be assembled. And this blogger can say with all confidence that while the numbers behind the Detmer Award may be lacking, there’s no questioning the panels’ overall knowledge. The bloggers who participated in the weekly votes are true experts. All fans of the non-BCS leagues should visit their sites, because these individuals do terrific jobs covering their respective conferences and teams. Without them, this honor conceived over a cup of coffee and eggs benedict could not have come to fruition.
Without further ado, here are your five finalists for the inaugural Ty Detmer Award:
Chandler Harnish, QB, Northern Illinois
The Numbers: 219-348, 2942 yards, 26 TD/5 INT; 1382 rushing, 11 TD
Despite changes to the coaching staff and losing the starting running back from an 11-win team in 2010, Chandler Harnish’s production increased in 2011. And in his senior season, the dual threat quarterback did something even the ’10 Northern Illinois Huskies couldn’t: win the MAC Championship.
Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State
The Numbers: 1656 yards, 19 TD; 20 receptions, 1 TD
There was no sophomore slump for the Mountain West Conference’s premiere running back. Ronnie Hillman was used more frequently under Andy Ludwig than he had been by Al Borges, and Hillman rose to the occasion. On the strength of Hillman’s play, SDSU went 8-4 and is headed to a second consecutive bowl game for the first time in program history.
Case Keenum, QB, Houston
The Numbers: 383-534, 45 TD/5 INT
The statistics Case Keenum posted in 2011 will live in college football lore for years to come. Sure, Houston’s offense is condusive to inflated passing numbers, but it takes a truly great quarterback to excel to the level Keenum reached.
Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
The Numbers: 300-405, 41 TD/7 INT
A 2010 Heisman Trophy finalist and four-year starter, Kellen Moore was the clear-cut favorite to win his award from the onset. That can be both a positive and negative — positive in that Moore had already made a name for himself, thus attracted eyes, but a negative in that matching the lofty standard set in 2010 would be nearly impossible without setting NCAA records. Moore was phenomenal once again though, ensuring even the most jaded observer could not ignore his production. He threw 41 touchdowns and was intercepted just seven times, the kind of numbers that cemented him in the annals of college football history.
Bernard Pierce, RB, Temple
1381 yards, 25 TD
Injuries slowed Bernard Pierce in 2010, which in turn kept Temple from a second straight bowl bid. Both were rectified in 2011. Pierce was the cornerstone of the Owls’ 8-4 finish and for much of the season’s first half, threatened the 30-touchdown mark.
****
The finalists were chosen over the course of the season. Unlike the Heisman, which has its finalists chosen a week before the ceremony, the Detmer Award’s finalists were selected by a season long vote. Panelists gave their top five of each week, with a No. 1 nomination earning five points, No. 2 earning four, and so on. Points were tallied over the duration of the campaign, and the final five faced off in a final vote.
Kellen Moore’s spectacular season, which included 41 touchdowns, his surpassing the career wins mark, and Boise State finishing 11-1 had the Bronco quarterback in contention. But sometime in October, it became clear every other nominee was playing catch-up to Houston’s Case Keenum. His 9-to-1 touchdown:interception ratio set a bar few quarterbacks have ever matched — particularly quarterbacks who threw enough to compile 383 completions.
With 78 percent of the first place votes, and 43 overall points, CASE KEENUM is the winner of the 2011 Ty Detmer Award.
The final ballots broke down as follows:
Case Keenum: 48 (8)
Kellen Moore: 36 (1)
Chandler Harnish: 29 (1)
Ronnie Hillman: 18
Bernard Pierce: 18
Matt Elder, Crystal Ball Run; BuffaloBillsDraft.com
1. Case Keenum-Houston
2. Ronnie Hillman-San Diego State
3. Kellen Moore-Boise State
4. Bernard Pierce-Temple
5. Chandler Harnish-Northern Illinois
Brett Hein, TheUpsetBlog.com
1. Kellen Moore
2. Case Keenum
3. Bernard Pierce
4. Chandler Harnish
5. Ronnie Hillman
Matt Sussman, HustleBelt.com
1. Chandler Harnish
2. Case Keenum
3. Bernard Pierce
4. Ronnie Hillman
5. Kellen Moore
Zach Bloxham, TheUpsetBlog.com
1. Case Keenum
2. Kellen Moore
3. Chandler Harnish
4. Bernard Pierce
5. Ronnie Hillman
Chad Smith, 7220Report.com
1. Case Keenum
2. Kellen Moore
3. Chandler Harnish
4. Ronnie Hillman
5. Bernard Pierce
Pat Johnston, BigEastCoastBias.com; One-Handed Grab; Founder of the Positive Impact Factor
1. Case Keenum
2. Chandler Harnish
3. Kellen Moore
4. Ronnie Hillman
5. Bernard Pierce
Mike James, Navy Bird Dog
1. Case Keenum
2. Kellen Moore
3. Chandler Harnish
4. Ronnie Hillman
5. Bernard Pierce
1. Case Keenum
2. Kellen Moore
3. Chandler Harnish
4. Ronnie Hillman
5. Bernard Pierce
Matt Hargelroad, CowboyAltitude.com
1. Case Keenum
2. Kellen Moore
3. Ronnie Hillman
4. Chandler Harnish
5. Bernard Pierce
Kyle Kensing
1. Case Keenum
2. Kellen Moore
3. Chandler Harnish
4. Bernard Pierce
5. Ronnie Hillman