First, off I want to make it clear that the voters got the winner correct. USC’s Caleb Williams was the best, most exciting player in all of college football this season. No issues with that at all but at first glance, it was where Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud finished that made me think.
Which led to me to dive a bit deeper to see if the voters got the positioning of Stroud wrong. The junior finished third, behind Williams and TCU’s Max Duggan. Let’s look at the stats and see if the voters got this one correct between Stroud and Duggan.
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on Twitter.
Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
Both led their teams to the College Football Playoff
Take a look at the full and final #CFBPlayoff selection committee rankings upon completion of the 2022 college football season!
🏈🏆 pic.twitter.com/SDupvlJ7XF— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) December 4, 2022
The award is given to players who typically have an impressive team and record, which doesn’t make much sense due to the award being about the individual. Since this is a factor, although not the determining one, it’s a wash.
Advantage – Even
Passing yards
The accuracy and ball placement by CJ Stroud on this throw 🔥pic.twitter.com/zJywSEci9E
— Full-Time Dame 💰 (@DP_NFL) December 7, 2022
This one is as close as it can be, Stroud having just 19 more yards than Duggan, 3,340 to 3,321. Stroud takes an advantage when you dig a bit deeper into the stat, as his 9.4 yards-per-attempt was second in the country behind Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and James Madison’s Todd Centeio. Duggan wasn’t that far off with 9.0 and the discrepancy between the two was that Stoud did his damage needing 13 less attempts than the Horned Frogs quarterback.
Advantage – Stroud (barely)
Touchdown-to-Interception ratio
Max Duggan hits Taye Barber for 71 yards and a TCU Touchdown! #CollegeFootball
— The College Football & Basketball Experience (@TCEonSGPN) October 29, 2022
Stroud was tied for the nations lead with 37 passing scores, Duggan was 12th nationally with 30. The Buckeye quarterback threw just 6 interceptions, Duggan was a bit better throwing just 4. As for the ratio, Stroud throw 6.16 touchdowns for each interception, while Duggan was at 7.5, both very good, but a clear winner here.
Advantage – Duggan
Quarterback rating
Heisman Finalist 2022: Ohio State QB CJ Stroud 🏆
🔴 3,336 passing yards
🔴 37 TD – 6 INT
🔴 65.7 comp. %Stroud was tied for the most TD in the nation, 11-1 on the year & is well in the conversation for this draft’s QB1 😤pic.twitter.com/d8ieNMS6l0
— Redshirt Heisman (@TasteOfSport) December 7, 2022
Being efficient is a massive part of being a quarterback. The leader of the offense has to be able to move the chains and put points on the board. Stroud was the best in the country again, with a 176.2 rating. Duggan wasn’t that far behind, as he finished 9th overall with a 165.5 rating. Stroud takes this category, even though it’s not that wide of a margin.
Advantage – Stroud
Rushing yards and scores
Davey O’Brien award winner Max Duggan. pic.twitter.com/MzbD6xD42N
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthewCFB) December 9, 2022
This one is super clear and it’s not even close. One of the biggest detractors in Stroud’s game was his unwillingness to run when there were yards in front of him. The Buckeye quarterback ran for just 74 yards and no scores. Duggan however, was a willing runner, gaining 404 yards and 6 touchdowns. Again, another clear advantage to the TCU quarterback.
Advantage – Duggan
Conclusion
buckeye greatness 🏆🌰
#HE7SMAN | @CJ7STROUD pic.twitter.com/j3faXi3XrF— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 11, 2022
At first look with our Scarlet and Grey glasses on, we probably thought that Stroud at least should have been second in the voting. After breaking it down, it does look like the voters did get this one correct. Did Stroud probably lose out on some votes due to not playing in a conference championship game? Most likely and not having that extra game to pad the stats hurt Stroud as well. The voters were correct in putting Duggan ahead of Stroud, but now the argument is if the gap should have been that big? Probably not, but it really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
