Heisman Trophy: Ranking the last 15 Heisman winners
By Gabe Encinas
2005 Heisman Stats: 200 carries, 1,740 yards, 16 touchdowns
Reggie Bush was a physical specimen at USC. There are too many highlights of him hitting the perimeter, cutting back inside to reverse field, and weave his way down the field and into the end zone. That just seemed to be something you could expect to see out of him on a weekly basis.
While he may no longer physically have his Heisman Trophy after having to vacate it due to NCAA sanctions, he is still one of the greatest to ever win and it’s not like fans have to forget it actually happened. We can’t forget the 500-plus all-purpose yards he had against Fresno State when he looked like a player from a video game doing anything he wanted to do on the field while a defense tried to slow him but failed miserably.
Averaging nearly nine yards a carry, Bush could have produced even bigger numbers if he didn’t split carries with Lendale White, who had 197 carries for 1,302 yards and 24 touchdowns. Although he served as a compliment in the ground-and-pound game, the carries that were split definitely meant that Bush would have eclipsed 2,000 yards on the season.
He was also pretty dynamic in the passing game and could have been an All-American receiver if he wasn’t a running back, with just under 500 yards to give him more than 2,200 yards of total offense. But there’s more. He was also the kick and punt returner for the Trojans, and he was one who could take anything back to the house. With 494 yards in kick returns, and 179 yards in the punt return game, Bush had 2,890 all-purpose yards.
While he might have won the Heisman Trophy, he did not win the National Championship in his Heisman year, losing to Texas in a thriller.
Next: 1. Cam Newton