Top 5 Heisman Moments for Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota lapped the field with a spectacular season to win the 2014 Heisman Trophy
Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday by the second largest margin in the history of the voting. Mariota had 53 total touchdowns, with only 5 total turnovers. The only suspense in the Heisman race was whether Mariota would make it so easy that the voters would take his production for granted. Here are the Top 5 Heisman Moments in Marcus Mariota’s astonishing season.
Comeback vs. Michigan State
Oregon’s biggest early season matchup was against another playoff hopeful, at home against Michigan State. The talk going into the game was whether the Spartans would out-tough Oregon, and whether Oregon could withstand the brute force of their B1G foe. Michigan State led at halftime, and it was back and forth throughout the 3rd quarter. But behind the flawless play of Marcus Mariota, the Ducks began to pull away at the end of the 3rd, and slammed the door in the 4th quarter for a convincing win.
No More Stanford Monkey On His Back
Oregon had lost its prior two matchups against The Cardinal, and had been prevented from winning the Pac 12 by Stanford in 2012 and 2013. The Ducks came in determined to reverse their misfortune. They didn’t just beat Stanford. They thoroughly dismantled them.
Mariota As Superman
Wyoming came into Autzen Stadium sporting a scrappy and competitive team. They left stunned and slightly awed by what Marcus Mariota can do with his arm and his legs. This Duck can FLY.
Sending Arizona Packing
The Arizona Wildcats were the only team to trip up the Ducks in 2014. Several injuries on the offensive line left the pass protection suspect in October, and Mariota could get nothing going in the loss. The matchup in the Pac 12 Championship provided a large dose of redemption, when the Ducks once again dominated an opponent that had previously had their number. Despite the high powered attack and nasty defense that the Wildcats had previously used to beat up the Ducks, the championship game was never competitive. In this definitive play, Marcus frustrated the rush with his feet, then fired off his back foot with an absolute laser shot down the field. This play broke Arizona’s back after their first score.
Striking The Heisman Pose
Rivalry games never go as planned, and none more so than the Civil War. The 8th longest series in the history of college football has had plenty of upsets along the way, and this game threatened to be a blemish on an otherwise sterling season. Marcus Mariota made sure this game was never competitive, and he got the quintessential opportunity to have the quintessential Heisman Moment. All that was left was to count the votes.