Mathews, two foes vie for WAC football's best

'Dogs RB, plus Moore and Kaepernick, have case for, against consideration.

Published online on Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009

So you think Ryan Mathews should win the Heisman?

Really?

The Fresno State running back might not even be the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

Three WAC teams each have a player with a strong case to receive the honor: Fresno State's Mathews, Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore and Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

What happens in the final five weeks of the regular season could sway opinion.

Until then, let the debate rage:

Why vote for Mathews?

The junior leads the nation in rushing and by a significant margin with 1,316 yards (averaging 164.5 per game and 7.4 per carry). He has rushed for 11 touchdowns.

Next-closest in yardage is Temple's Bernard Pierce, with 1,033. Second-best in yards per game is Marshall's Darius Marshall at 136.

Then consider this: Mathews saw little or no action in five of Fresno State's 32 quarters because his team was blowing out opponents, He has gained 37% of his yards (486) against three Top 25 teams in Wisconsin, Boise State and Cincinnati who are good against the run. Boise State is 11th in run defense, Wisconsin 25th and Cincinnati 38th among 120 Bowl Subdivision teams.

The WAC hasn't had a player lead the nation in rushing since Nevada's Chance Kretschmer (2001).

Why not Mathews?

First he needs to finish an entire season healthy before any vote should be cast in his favor.

Mathews did not do that in his first two seasons and therefore still needs to prove his durability.

Also, despite Mathews' efforts against the three ranked teams, Fresno State (5-3, 4-1 WAC) still lost all of those games.

Why vote for Moore?

The sophomore leads the nation in passing efficiency at 171.01, almost seven points higher than heralded Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who is second.

Moore has completed 153 of 227 passes for 1,905 yards and 24 touchdowns. He has thrown only two interceptions.

Boise State ranks 21st in the nation in offense (434.9 yards per game) and third in scoring (41.0 points per game).

And Moore's strongest selling point: He's the best player on a Boise State team (8-0, 3-0) that has proven to be the best in the conference and is ranked among the top 10 in the nation. He just may lead the Broncos into a Bowl Championship Series game.

Why not Moore?

Boise State's competition is quite suspect beyond No. 7 Oregon. And in the Broncos' one game against a ranked team (Oregon in the opener), Moore was 19 of 29 for 197 yards and a touchdown.

Plus, Moore ranks third in the WAC in passing yards per game at 238.1.

Why Kaepernick?

He's the only player in the country averaging more than 100 yards rushing and 150 yards passing. He ranks 12th in total offense with an average of 284.5 yards per game.

For the season, Kaepernick has 805 rushing yards (100.6 per game) and nine rushing touchdowns, and completed 119 of 194 passes for 1,471 yards (183.9 per game) and 13 touchdowns. He has five interceptions.

Kaepernick could gain more votes over the next month with dominant showings when Nevada (5-3, 4-0) plays Fresno State and Boise State.

Why not Kaepernick?

When Nevada was in the national spotlight early in the season, Kaepernick and the entire Wolf Pack team were nowhere to be found.

Nevada began 0-3, including a 35-0 opening loss to then-No. 23 Notre Dame. Kaepernick threw for 149 yards, with two interceptions, and ran for 39 against the Irish. Some things to know

The WAC has not had co-Offensive Players of the Year since 1996, when Air Force quarterback Beau Morgan and Wyoming receiver Marcus Harris shared top honors on the Pacific side of a 16-team conference.