2008 Heisman Watch: Sam Bradford

Oklahoma has seen plenty of terrific freshman performances in school history, and Sam Bradford’s has to rank near the top. The Oklahoma City native emerged from a three man race to claim the job for the season opener against North Texas and never looked back. Although there was no questioning the talent of Bradford, the Sooners had virtually no experience under center entering the 2008 season.

In the Sooners’ 79-10 demolishing of the Mean Green, the redshirt freshman passed for 363 yards, three touchdowns and completed his final 18 passes. Bradford completed the first four passes in the Sooners’ blowout victory against Miami to give him 22 consecutive completions, falling two short of the NCAA record.

Bradford ended the season with 3,121 yards and 36 touchdowns, along with only eight interceptions. The 6-foot-4 passer’s 36 touchdowns were an NCAA freshman record. His 176.5 passing efficiency rating was tops among quarterbacks in the FBS and was also enough for a school record. He also racked up numerous freshman All-America honors and was a finalist for the Manning Award as the nation’s top quarterback.

Despite an injury limiting him to three pass attempts against Texas Tech and a sluggish performance against Colorado, Bradford would lead the Sooners to a fifth overall ranking in scoring offense and 19th in total offense. More importantly, he led his team to two key wins over Missouri — including one in the Big 12 Championship — and victories over rivals Texas and Oklahoma State.

Why he’ll be holding the hardware: The Sooners have the pieces in place to make a run at another Big 12 ring and possibly the national title. If they didn’t have a late-season stumble against Texas Tech last year, Bradford could’ve finished among the top 10 in Heisman voting. This year, Bradford should be among the top 10. His efficient, yet highly-productive statistics are hard to ignore in this race — especially if he continues to post solid efforts against Texas, Missouri, Cincinnati and Kansas.

Why he’ll be left out: One of the biggest concerns for Bradford’s Heisman campaign is the presence of sophomore running back DeMarco Murray. Murray is also a legitimate contender and two players competing for votes on one team will certainly hurt each other’s chances. Also, Bradford loses one of his favorite targets in receiver Malcolm Kelly. Although there are plenty of talented options, any growing pains by the younger receivers will hurt Bradford’s numbers — especially early in the year.

Final Analysis: Tim Tebow proved sophomore quarterbacks can hoist the hardware in New York. Can Bradford make it back-to-back? Absolutely. Bradford’s eight interceptions on 341 attempts and leading the NCAA in passing efficiency should’ve opened some eyes last year. If he repeats those numbers and the Sooners are among the top five teams, it will be hard to keep Bradford out of the top 10 — or top five.

2007 STAT LINE

Other Links:

Athlon Sports' 2008 Heisman Watch
Read the Oklahoma team preview
Watch the Oklahoma preview video