I know it's early, but four games into the season, Garrett Wolfe of Northern Illinois is on pace to break Barry Sanders' single-season NCAA rushing record of 2,628 yards.Now, granted, Wolfe will probably get 13 or 14 games to do it (depending on whether NIU makes the Mac title game or not), while Sanders did it in 11 games, but it would be an amazing accomplishment nonetheless.
Right now, Wolfe has 828 yards in four games, an average of 207 per outing. Sure, he plays in the MAC, but he has already shown that he can ball with the big boys, as he had 171 yards in the opener against Ohio State.
Wolfe has a very favorable remaining schedule to help him challenge Sanders, who won the Heisman in 1988:
Ball State
Miami (OH)
Western Michigan
Temple
Iowa
Toledo
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
It is within the realm of possibility that he could top the 2,000-yard mark against Iowa, which would give him a lot of publicity heading into his final three games.
All of college football would be watching at that point and he may pick up a ton of Heisman votes as a result. In a doomsday scenario, where the other four main candidates all fall off the map, he could conceivably step right in and capture the Heisman .
I think that, at the very least, a trip to NYC is in the offing for Mr. Wolfe.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-27-2006 @ 1:48PM
matthew said...
If Garrett Wolfe even comes close to breaking Barry Sander's single season rushing record and none of the front runners have stats witch are close to him then he do with the Heisman Trophy voting what he does to his oppontenst run away from the competetion. Most of the time the big school from the major confernece make sure that they have the easy school from the mid majors to fill up their non-confernce schedule.They are also numerous example of those schools scheduling college team from the division 1-AA. Garrett is a great player which plays in division 1-A so he deserves to be treated just like any other player in regards to how the heisman voters regard his numbers
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9-28-2006 @ 2:22PM
Mike said...
I sorta disagree with Matthew. You have to consider NIU's schedule and the weaker teams/defenses that NIU plays. I am not hating on G. Wolfe, I became a fan of his after watching him run all over my Buckeyes (Go Bucks!!) But if NIU player in a tougher conference like the Big Ten, he would in no ways reach those numbers.
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9-28-2006 @ 4:57PM
mike said...
I'm sorry....even if he does beat Barry's record....HE WILL NOT WIN THE HEISMAN....take that to the bank!
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9-28-2006 @ 6:13PM
mike said...
I'm sorry...even if he does break Barry's record....HE WILL NOT WIN THE HEISMAN!....Take that to the bank!
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10-01-2006 @ 9:22AM
manny said...
The Heisman Is Giong To Mike Hart, Go Blue!
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10-01-2006 @ 12:53PM
Jud Kastner said...
Barry will always remain one of the greatest and best showing athletes in both college and pros no matter if his record is broken. He was not only a great player but a gentleman, respectful to officials and fans and never said anything against someone else unless he needed to and could back it up. Just think, he was the best in the running game and won the Heisman in college and w/o question was one of the best running backs in the pros on a mediocre achieving Detroit Lions team. Greatness in sports is defined by consistency and longevity at every level. Garrett Wolfe may be showing signs of greatness, have a great season and beat Barry's record, but he's still playing in a level two conference, being the MAC. Also his 'greatness' will show if/when he reaches the pros and can then demonstrate his athletic prowess and ability to excel at the top of his game, and other non glamourous facets of being a pro that Barry achieved on and off the field.. I think records should be distinguished and separated for the conference they are in and "greatness" should only be determined after ones career is over and when all the stats are revealed and all the factors/facets of ones life are tallied and compared to others in their respective sports.
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10-09-2006 @ 8:56PM
Travis said...
The same can be said from the other side. What if he had an offensive line to make blocks for him, imagine how much bigger the holes will be. He's a great talent, and calling the MAC a second-tier league is rediculous, look at Michaeal Turner (a former NIU running back) shining in the shadow of LaDainian Tomlinson on the Chargers. And should we forget Ben Roethlisberger from the Super Bowls champs, who went to Miami-Ohio. Wolfe is great against any team, Big Ten, Division AAA, take your pick. He put up highly respectable numbers against OSU (only 12 yards of which were gotten against second strings), MSU, Northwestern, and next week, he's gonna put up great numbers again against Iowa. True the MAC doesn't put up first round draft picks, but those that go through the system, do well, mostly because they don't have everything handed to them on a silver platter. They made it through college working like hell for the love of the game. Granted I don't think Wolfe will win the heisman, but look how much attention he has gotten without even a campaign. #3 on the ESPN experts polls, and so far all that NIU has done to promote Wolfe for heisman, is put "GW" on the back of their helmets.
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