Common Sense: Jaret Patterson’s Case for the Heisman

BY: DANFORD

“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right …  Time makes more converts than reason.” – Thomas Paine.

That’s a famous quote from the all-time, best-selling American title, Common Sense. It’s a powerful one at that, stating that time can trump reason simply because it becomes habit – it’s important, then, that we focus on thinking critically, discerning reason from tradition. So, what does an age-old pamphlet and UB RB Jaret Patterson’s Heisman run have in common? 

You guessed it folks: it’s common sense. 

Let’s shelve this quote in our mental storage for a few minutes as we discuss why Jaret Patterson should win the 2020 Heisman Trophy. You’ll see why very soon.

As the CFB regular season comes to a close, the Heisman debate only begins to intensify. In early August, analysts start shooting off their initial guesses for who will win college football’s most coveted award, betting lines are formed, and projections are constantly updated with every passing Saturday. A few select star athletes are chosen from the very beginning, and unless those few athletes happen to have a horrendous season, you can bet that you’ll see them at the Heisman Ceremony in New York City. That’s how it’s always been. The hype the media creates nationally instills a sense of “correctness” in everyone who tunes in. Those listed early on in the Heisman race are the ones we think should be considered for it in December. Other great athletes are merely mentioned to cause a stir, adding a little veil of unexpectedness from what is generally consistent throughout the entirety of the season. It’s a process we have become accustomed to, one we’ve blindly allowed to exist at the expense of thinking critically. Sound familiar? Read the quote at the beginning if it doesn’t. 

How about the startling fact that only two non-QBs have won the Heisman in the past 20 years? Go farther past that and you’ll see a diverse array of positions taking home the hardware – at what point did it become tradition to confer the Heisman upon quarterbacks? A 5-second search to Wikipedia will tell you that the Heisman Trophy is given for “outstanding performance which best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability, combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.” Nowhere in that statement is it stated that quarterbacks should be winning the Heisman year-in and year-out. The idea that the Heisman should generally go to the QB seems like a tradition we’ve unknowingly fallen into (check that quote again!) 

But you know who unquestionably radiates the characteristics of a Heisman Trophy winner? Who has challenged the misfortunes of tradition and time with his unbelievable play that simply cannot be ignored?

Jaret Patterson. 

The University of Buffalo running back is the best in CFB. Just take a look at this surreal statistic:

It doesn’t take a mathematician to extrapolate Patterson’s stats if he were to have played a 10-game season as opposed to his 5-game season: Patterson would have had an absurd 30+ TDs and a 2000+ yard season. Even as it stands at the time this piece is being written, Patterson leads the nation in rushing yards per game at an astounding 203 yards. With the numbers he had been putting up recently, it’s not hard to imagine the all-star UB RB giving a couple of Barry Sanders’ records a run for their money during a normal season. Speaking of records, let’s talk about a few of Patterson’s.

After single-handedly demolishing Kent State’s defense, Jaret Patterson tied the FBS record for most TDs in a game with an insane 8 TDs. 8 TDs. One game. Against a D1 football team. He also holds the second-most single-game rushing yards in FBS history at 409 yards. That’s more yards than some total offenses gain in an entire game. If we’re talking University of Buffalo records, Patterson holds quite a few of those too. He holds the top 3 spots for single-game rushing yards, the first two coming from this shortened 2020 season. He also squeaked into UB’s top 10 for most single-season yards in 2020 – his extrapolated stats would blow this record out of the water (a record he has held since 2019, by the way). And the UB record for career rushing yards? Expect him to break that by the end of the MAC Championship – he’s only 200 yards out.

Speaking of the MAC, Jaret Patterson was recently named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year and was the recipient of the Vern Smith Leadership Award, an award for the most valuable player in the entire conference. The latter made history for UB, as Patterson became the first Buffalo Bull to win it.

If you couldn’t tell by now, Jaret Patterson is a CFB legend-in-the-making. His records won’t be beaten any time soon. The only tangible downside for his unreal 5-game season is just that – he only played in 5 games…or as Patterson himself noted, “18 quarters,” to be exact. 

Now I know that there will be some heavy criticism of this seemingly bold take – many people will have their own opinions and arguments against my case for Patterson. In the near future, I’m going to outline a few of those arguments and show you why those critics should reconsider their perspective. For now, though, let Jaret Patterson’s Heisman run simmer in your mind – after all, it’s common sense.

Let me know in the comments who YOU think the Heisman Trophy winner will be this year!

The Sports Desk can be reached at editorialtrainwrecksports@gmail.com