Is IU’s Tevin Coleman a darkhorse Heisman contender?
By Evan Massey
There are quite a few different players that have been talked about as potential Heisman candidates for the 2014 college football season, but there are quite a few names that have gone unnoticed as well. One of those names is Indiana Hoosiers’ running back Tevin Coleman, who has been absolutely dominant through his first three games of the season. The first two games weren’t against great competition, but he was still able to put up a big game against the ranked Missouri Tigers last week.
Coleman had quite a bit of hype before the season began from IU fans, but they weren’t expecting him to come through with the type of numbers that he has thus far. He has been one of the most dynamic running backs in the nation, and isn’t showing signs of slowing down. The Hoosiers aren’t one of the more talked about teams in the nation, which has definitely hurt his Heisman stock.
Through three games this season, Coleman has carried the football 66 times for 569 yards and six touchdowns. If you don’t want to do the math, that comes out to an average of 8.6 yards per carry. Those numbers are absolutely ridiculous through three games, and he has become a very intriguing player to keep an eye on over the next couple weeks to see if he can keep his production up.
It’s going to be extremely interesting to see what Coleman is capable of when the Big Ten season begins warming up. The Hoosiers will be playing a very tough schedule that will feature games against the Michigan State Spartans and Ohio State Buckeyes. Both of those teams are going to be difficult tests for Coleman, but he has shown the ability to rise up in big games in the past.
His 189.7 yards per game average is the best in the country, but he has been unable to get any type of notice from the national media. Hopefully that will begin changing as he continues to put up monster numbers each and every week. Indiana isn’t known for being a great football school, but they showed against Missouri that they are capable of putting up big wins on the road against good teams. Unfortunately, they won that game after losing to Bowling Green the week before.
Things are always much more difficult on players who play for teams that don’t get a lot of media attention. No matter how big a players stats are, the media still focuses more on key players for legitimate championship contending teams. The Big Ten is a very talented conference, and Coleman has a chance to be the most dynamic player in the entire conference.
Needless to say, the media needs to start paying more attention to the stat lines that Coleman puts up over the next few weeks. He is without a doubt producing the type of numbers that should have him in contention for the Heisman, and it’s unbelievable that he hasn’t even been mentioned in the national media as a contender. That will change if he continues putting up the type of numbers that he has been.
Indiana is excited about their season after the win over Missouri, and Coleman will continue being a huge piece of their offense. The Hoosiers are going to continue figuring out how to put the football in his hands with space to make a play, and Coleman doesn’t need much space to be a danger. There is always a chance that he is unable to continue this type of play when better competition begins coming around, but that seems unlikely.
All of that being said, Coleman has a lot of critics to prove wrong over the next few weeks. Hopefully the media will begin taking notice of the numbers that he has been putting up, and begins giving him the proper attention and time if he continues keeping that up. Coleman hasn’t been given the hype that other Heisman hopefuls have, but he may very well be the most dynamic player in college football this season.
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