San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Hubbard doesn’t help Heisman cause
It was Week 3 of the 2019 season when Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard opened the game against Tulsa with a 75-yard touchdown run and tossed his name into the Heisman Trophy discussion.
Hubbard finished the day with a career-high 256 rushing yards in a game that propelled him toward a nation-leading 2,094 yards for the season.
It is Week 3 of the 2020 season, which, for a variety of coronavirusrelated reasons, is actually Week 1 for the Cowboys.
On Saturday, Hubbard had his first chance to become the No. 1 Heisman hopeful not named Trevor Lawrence.
Again against Tulsa. On Oklahoma State’s first play, Hubbard took a handoff — and gained 2 yards. He had only 35 yards by halftime, needing a 20yard run in the fourth quarter to reach 75 yards on the way to 93 yards for the game.
It was Hubbard’s 3-yard TD run to open the fourth quarter that helped No. 11 Oklahoma State rally for a 16-7 win over Tulsa.
And just like that, any Heisman hype for Hubbard will have to wait. Too bad. He’s a good story, coming from that college football hotbed that is Alberta, Canada.
Watching Hubbard in an Oklahoma State uniform also allows us to remember the Heisman-winning 1988 season by Barry Sanders, who had arguably the best season in college football history when he rushed for a record 2,850 yards and 44 touchdowns for the Cowboys.
Sanders’ effort is particularly notable locally because it concluded with 222 yards and five touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl, numbers achieved despite sitting out the fourth quarter in OSU’S 62-14 win over Wyoming.
Hubbard and Sanders will always be linked by school and position, but there’s otherwise no comparison.
Failing to rush for more than 100 yards — after gaining 161 yards a game last season — is no way for Hubbard to follow in Sanders’ footsteps.
It has been difficult enough this century for running backs to curry favor with Heisman voters.
Quarterbacks have won the Heisman 17 times over the past 20 seasons. Three running backs — Alabama’s Derrick Henry and Mark Ingram and USC’S Reggie Bush — are the only ones to prevent QBS from sweeping the award.
Recall the days when running backs dominated the Heisman — winning 35 times in the first 50 years it was awarded and 11 straight years from 1972-83 (including Ohio State’s Archie Griffin twice) — and you’re likely to hear, “OK, Boomer.”
Heisman Watch lists by ESPN and USA Today both included three running backs — Hubbard (who was eighth in the voting a year ago), Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Alabama’s Najee Harris.
It is left to Etienne, who is stuck in Lawrence’s shadow, and Harris, who debuts next week at Missouri, to carry on.
N is for knowledge
When the Big Ten announced last month the season was postponed, there were plenty of perturbed people.
Including all of Nebraska, where the Cornhuskers seemed determined to disregard the decision.
“Our University is committed to playing no matter what, no matter what that looks like and how that looks. We want to play no matter who it is or where it is,” Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost said then on social media.
At the time, Yahoo Sports asked Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren if Nebraska could go off on its own and schedule games.
“No,” Warren said, “Not and be a member of the Big Ten Conference.”
The Big Ten reversed course this week, but it doesn’t appear the conference and the Cornhuskers patched things up in the weeks between then and now.
Not if the Big Ten schedule released Saturday is any indication.
Nebraska’s opening game is at Ohio State, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation in the AP’S preseason top 25 poll.
Nebraska plays Wisconsin, Northwestern and Penn State over the following three weeks, which means the Cornhuskers are staring at a potential 1-3 start. And that’s if they can get past a Northwestern team they edged 13-10 at home last season.
Didn’t see any tweets from Frost on Saturday.
Leaders of the Pac
After major midweek movement on the final Power 5 conference returning for fall football, what’s the holdup with the Pac-12 making it official?
“It’s this,” wrote the Oregonian’s John Canzano, “Some Pac-12 Conference coaches are giving conference headquarters the middle finger.”
It seems coaches aren’t too happy about watching some of their players opt out and others transfer and taking a hit in recruiting because of the appearance that the Pac-12 isn’t as serious about football as its peers.
So some coaches have suggested it could take up to two months to prepare to play. There were those who proposed half that time when they were eager over the summer to get going.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott has mentioned an early November start, which would leave time for only six or seven games.
The Pac-12 CEO Group is expected to make a decision on the matter when it meets Thursday.
“Be sure,” Canzano wrote, “part of the delay today is rooted in the lack of leadership the coaches see coming from the conference. They’re not happy with how this went down. None of us should be.”
Sad sack
Devito was trending Saturday for a time on Twitter.
Fans of actor Danny Devito held their collective breath before realizing the beloved actor was fine.
The references were to Syracuse quarterback Tommy Devito. He was the most-sacked quarterback in the nation last season, finding himself flat on his back nearly five times a game.
Devito quickly assumed the national lead this year when he was sacked seven times last week against North Carolina.
Coming into Saturday’s game against Pitt, ESPN’S Kirk Herbstreit said: “Look at Tommy’s clean jersey while you can. There’s about to be a lot of grass stains on that thing.”
Herbstreit was right. Devito was sacked another seven times against Pitt. He left the game for a series in the second quarter after one of the sacks.
Backup QB Rex Culpepper — son of former NFL lineman and “Survivor” reality TV contestant Brad Culpepper — threw a 69yard touchdown pass two plays after Devito departed. It was Culpepper’s first TD pass since being sidelined two years ago with testicular cancer.
Devito’s jersey may stay clean next week against Georgia Tech.
Never give up
Navy lost to BYU 55-3 in its first game and trailed Tulane by 24 points on Saturday, setting the stage for ... the greatest comeback in school history?
Yep.
The Midshipmen scored 27 straight points, capping a 27-24 victory with a 33-yard field goal as time expired.
“I don’t have much to say other than, ‘Wow,’ ” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said afterward. “A testament to the young men at the United States Naval Academy.”
“These guys are going to protect us, serve our country. These are the type of young men that you have, that will not quit.’’
Navy is off next week, then plays Air Force on Oct. 3, giving Mountain West fans a chance to size up the Falcons.
Parting thought
A year ago this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s name was in the sports pages regarding a bill on his desk dubbed the Fair Pay for Play Act (the legislation passed to let players profit from name, image and likeness, beginning Jan. 1, 2023).
This week, Newsom’s name again was in the sports pages, claiming there was nothing in state guidelines preventing Pac-12 players (or Mountain West, for that matter) from playing.
Can only imagine what next year brings.
kirk.kenney@sduniontribune.com