All-Injured Team

It’s understandable that there are injuries in college football. While it may not be the pros, it’s still a hard-hitting, physical game. Occasionally, a star player gets hurt. Top Heisman candidates have been hurt in the past, most notably Adrian Peterson. Peterson’s collar bone injury on a celebratory touchdown dive in his junior year at Oklahoma cost him a shot at the Heisman and Oklahoma’s all-time rushing record as he missed most of the regular season. He returned only to be held to 77 yards in Oklahoma’s 43-42 loss to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. In this 2009-10 college football season, more high-impact players have been hurt than ever. In fact, if you made a team out of these fallen heroes, they would look a lot like an All-America team:
Quarterbacks
1st Team All-Injured- Sam Bradford (Oklahoma): The second sophomore in the history of college football to win the Heisman returned to Norman with high expectations, such as winning a national championship and becoming the second player to ever win two Heisman awards. All of that was jeopardized when Bradford suffered a shoulder injury in the first game of the year against BYU, a game that the then 3rd-ranked Oklahoma Sooners would go on to lose. He reaggravated the injury against Texas and was lost for the season. The Sooners, who were expected to compete for a national title, have fallen to 6-4, and are out of the Top 25 for the first time since 2005. Just like with Peterson, a horrible injury has cost OU a Heisman hopeful and derailed their season.
2nd Team- Ricky Stanzi (Iowa): Stanzi had led the Hawkeyes to a surprising 9-0 start, gotten them to number 8 in the polls, and had fans in Iowa thinking about going to the national championship game. The Cinderella story collapsed when Stanzi injured his ankle in the 2nd quarter against Northwestern. Iowa would end up losing the game by 7, a blow that ended their national title hopes. Stanzi had been a great orchestrator of late comebacks, but backup James Vandenberg couldn’t get it done. Iowa lost its shot at the Rose Bowl the next week with a heartbreaking 27-24 loss in overtime to Ohio State on a game-winning field goal. Vandenberg played well, but Stanzi’s presence could have made a difference.
Running Backs
1st Team All-Injured- Jahvid Best (California): Arguably the most exciting and dynamic player in college football suffered a concussion in the 2nd quarter against Oregon State, an event that emotionally rocked Cal, and later resulted in a Golden Bears’ loss. Best ran for 412 yards and 8 TDs in his first 3 games and looked like an easy favorite for the Heisman. Even after struggling in a few games, many thought Best still had a shot at the prestigious award if he finished the season strong. His injury not only halted his Heisman run, it also put Cal at 6-3 and hurt their bowl profile. His return is crucial for Cal if they can sneak into a respectable bowl.
2nd Team- Jonathan Dwyer (Georgia Tech): Dwyer is still 11th in the country in rushing yards despite a nagging shoulder injury that limited his carries early in the season. He recovered well and is now a Heisman contender. He’s been a huge part of the Yellow Jackets shocking 10-1 start. Dwyer only ran for 7 yards in their one loss, a game when he was limited the most by his shoulder. If he stays healthy, Tech could play in a very important bowl game at the end of the year.
3rd Team- Charles Scott (LSU): Scott was lost for the season with a fractured collarbone. His powerful north-south running had help lead LSU to a 7-2 record. He had hurt his shoulder during a loss to 3rd-ranked Alabama, and LSU’s other loss had been to number one Florida. His absence may cost the Tigers a chance to play in an important bowl game as LSU has to finish the regular season against tow tough unranked teams in Mississippi and Arkansas. He was thought to have been a Heisman sleeper after rushing for 1174 yards and 18 TDs the year before.
4th Team- Kendall Hunter (Oklahoma State): After leading the Big 12 in rushing in his sophomore year, Hunter was another Heisman candidate as a junior this year. Those hopes faded and then died as Hunter suffered an ankle injury that limited him in the first two games and then forced him to miss the next 5 weeks. He hasn’t been impressive since returning from the injury, not even recorded 100 rushing yards in his 3 games back combined. Oklahoma State hasn’t struggled too much in his absence, going 7-2 so far.
5th Team-Darren Evans (Virginia Tech): The Hokies lost their superstar back Evans before the season even began to a knee injury. He had been returning from a stellar freshman campaign, in which he had been named the ACC Rookie of the Year. He was a Heisman favorite and was also expected to lead the Hokies to another ACC Coastal Division Title. Georgia Tech won the Coastal Division as Virginia Tech went 7-3 in the first 10 games. Ryan Williams has had an excellent season replacing Evans, but the Hokies could have really used the multi-back threat that Evans would have given them.

Other notable injuries: - Oklahoma lost another key member of their high-octane offense early in the year when tight end Jermaine Gresham went down with a knee injury. He was regarded as the best returning tight end in college football before the season started.
- USC lost one of its huge playmakers in Stafon Johnson when he went down for the year with a throat injury. USC has fallen from its powerhouse status after going 7-3 so far this season. In a humiliating 55-21 loss to Stanford, the Trojans gave up the points most points they ever have under coach Pete Carroll, and Carroll suffered his first November loss with the program. Johnson’s injury may have had a role in this deep decline.
- South Florida lost 4th-year starting QB Matt Grothe to a knee injury back in September, and amazingly still managed to start 5-0. They are currently 6-3 after getting huge upsets of then 18th-ranked Florida State and 21st-ranked West Virginia.

All Suspended Team
- Dez Bryant (Oklahoma State): Regarded as the best wide receiver in college football coming into the season, Bryant was ruled ineligible and suspended for the rest of the season in October. He is still considered a high draft prospect for the 2010 NFL Draft, and he could be a great NFL receiver if he matures soon.
- LeGarrette Blount (Oregon): Blount had set a Duck’s record with 17 rushing touchdowns last season, and was regarded as another Heisman candidate for this year. That talk was dismissed after Blount punched a Boise State player in the face after Oregon lost their first game of the season. He was originally suspended for the entire season, but he was allowed to return with 3 regular season games left. The team went 7-1 without him and might have a chance at a decent bowl game if they finish strong.

All of this just goes to show how much an injured or suspended star can affect a team and their season. Anyone can go down any week, a Heisman favorite could be forced to watch from the sidelines, and a team with high expectations can fall fast. But in football, anything can happen. You can’t just predict and assume. Any hero can fall, no matter how mighty and invincible they might seem.