Today, EA Sports announced that Robert Griffin III is going to be the cover athlete of NCAA Football 13. However, he won't be by himself. RG3 is going to be joined on the cover by a past Heisman Trophy winner — one that is going to be picked based on fan voting. Here, we break down the eight candidates for the co-cover spot, giving you their stats and some background information, so you can make a well-informed decision.
Marcus Allen – The 1981 Heisman Trophy winner from USC finished his Heisman season with 2,342 yards. He was the first rusher to cover more than 2,000 yards in one season. He was also the first player to have four straight 200-yard plus games. He had 598 more points over the second play Heisman candidate, Herschel Walker, and outdistanced Walker's first place votes 441 to 152.
Doug Flutie – In his Senior season, Flute was dominant for Boston College. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 3,454 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. The future face of Flutie Flakes had a huge game against the Bernie Kosar-led Miami Hurricanes on Thanksgiving of 1984. With the ball at their 22-yard line, 28 seconds to go, and down 45-41, Flutie moved the ball 30 yards on two plays to set up a Hail Mary pass with six seconds left — a pass that was completed in the end zone, giving Boston College a 47-45 win. Flutie won the Heisman by almost 1,000 points, and had 678 first place votes, compared to the 87 of the second place Keith Byars.
Eddie George – In 1995, Eddie George won the Heisman over QB Tommie Frazier with 50 more first place votes and more than 200 points overall. He averaged 152.2 yards per game and scored 23 touchdowns. He rushed for over 100 yards in 11 straight games, and had his biggest game against a touch Illinois defense, which ranked second in the Big Ten conference against the run. He ran all over them for 314 yards and three touchdowns — two rushing and one receiving.
Desmond Howard – In his Junior year of 1991, Howard led the Big Ten in scoring with 138 points. In that season, he caught 61 passes for 950 yards and 19 touchdowns (23 total touchdowns). His biggest game of the season came against Notre Dame. Desperate to end a losing streak against The Irish, on a fourth and inches play, QB Elvis Grbac floated a long spiral down the field that seemed distant to be caught. Howard raced under it, leaped, and cradled the ball in his outstretched hands for the TD that gave Michigan one of its most cherished victories. It is now known in Ann Arbor lore as “the catch.” He finished the Heisman voting with 640 first place votes (second place had 19) and 2,077 total points (second place with 503).
Barry Sanders – What Sanders did in his Junior season — the 1988 season where he won his Heisman — is just filthy. Barry Sanders averaged over 200 yards per game for Oklahoma State. He shattered several NCAA records, including leading the nation in rushing yards with 2,628, all purpose yards with 3,249, and 39 touchdowns scored. The day he won his Heisman, that night he rushed for 332 yards on 44 attempts for four touchdowns against Texas Tech. He won the Heisman by more than 450 first place votes and over 900 more overall points.
Herschel Walker – Walker is the only player in NCAA history to finish in the top 3 in Heisman voting every season he played football. His Junior season and Heisman winning year came in 1982, when he rushed for 1,752 yards, a 5.2 average, and 16 touchdowns. It wasn't his best statistical season, which says a lot about his other seasons' stats, but he beat out my beloved John Elway by almost 400 first place votes and 700 overall points.
Charlie Ward – It pains me that an FSU player wins a Heisman, but Charlie Ward deserves props. In his Senior season of 1993, he had 730 more first place votes and almost 1,700 more overall points than the second place finalist. He was a true leader at the quarterback position and responded to the Heisman hype marvelously. He averaged six yards every time he ran the ball, but he did even better as a passer. He completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 3,032 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. Ward is also the first Florida State player to win the Heisman.
Andre Ware – In 1989, Ware became the first black QB to win the Heisman Trophy. That year, his Junior season, Ware threw for 4,299 yards, 44 touchdowns, and set 26 NCAA records, using the innovative Run & Shoot offense. He was also the first Houston player to win the Heisman trophy. His biggest games came against rival Texas, where he threw four touchdowns in a 47-9 victory, and against Texas Tech where he completed 37 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns. He won a close Heisman vote over RB Anthony Thompson with a point total of 1,073 to 1,003, but he did capture 242 first place votes.
I hope this helps with your voting decision. My top two choices are Barry Sanders, mainly because the guy was just freakish that season, and Andre Ware, because I think that it would be a great parallel between he and RG3. Let us know who you're thinking about voting for.
Share your thoughts with Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ