The 2011 Heisman Trophy winner will be announced on Saturday night on ESPN some time after 6:00 p.m. MT. Who will be the next collegiate athlete to join former Colorado Buffaloes running back Rashaan Salaam and the many others who joined this prestigious list of winners?
Buffs fans are familiar with Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck, who threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns against Colorado in October. Baylor Bears quarterback Robert Griffin III made a late charge, at least to many who weren't following him after his team upset TCU to open the season, and could be a winner who plays for a three-loss team. LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu has come up with many game-changing plays, and probably none bigger than those against Alabama in November.
Speaking of Alabama, running back Trent Richardson is representing the Crimson Tide this year and looking to follow in the footsteps of Mark Ingram, the 2009 winner and latest one from Alabama. He rushed for over 1,500 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. Wisconsin hasn't had a Heisman Trophy winner since 1999 when running back Ron Dayne won the award and Montee Ball is up for the award this year. He has 1,759 rushing yards and 38 total touchdowns (32 rushing, 6 receiving), one short of Barry Sanders' record.
Salaam, who hit hard times and sold his Heisman ring over the summer, is the only Colorado player to win the Heisman Trophy. In 1994, he rushed for 2,055 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. He beat out Ki-Jana Carter and Steve McNair for the award.
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