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College Football: 10 greatest players to never win the Heisman Trophy

By Dante Pryor

MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 09: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs with the football in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 09: Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs with the football in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /
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2 Jan 1995: Tailback Ki-Jana Carter of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs down the field during the Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Penn State won the game 38-20. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport
2 Jan 1995: Tailback Ki-Jana Carter of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs down the field during the Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Penn State won the game 38-20. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport /

Much like Christian McCaffrey before, Ki-Jana Carter had a spectacular season when someone had a record season. Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam joined Barry Sanders and Marcus Allen as the only two players — at that time — to have rushed for 2,000 yards in a single season. Salaam reached the 2,000-yard plateau before the Buffaloes played in the postseason as well.

This does not mean that Carter didn’t have an exceptional season. The Nittany Lions went undefeated in 1994 on their way to a No. 2 ranking in the country and he led the Penn State Nittany Lions to a 1995 Rose Bowl victory against the Oregon Ducks where he was named MVP of the game.

Carter’s best game that season came against Michigan State where he ran for 227 yards. He was the catalyst for what was one of the most explosive offenses in college football that season. That was one of the differentiating factors between Carter and Salaam.

Colorado had a really good team in 1994, but some of their players had not yet come into their own. Penn State was stacked. There was also the matter of Salaam rushing for 2,000 yards. When you had a season like that, you won the Heisman in those days.

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