He understands the importance this win would carry. I’m not talking about the the season-opening triumph against a then-ranked number 14 Texas Christian team coming off a Rose Bowl victory and a number two finish in the Associated Press poll. That win was an opening statement that things for Baylor were changing. That change would be placed in the hands of Robert Griffin III. One of the most exciting and fascinating players in college football. His best attribute is his humility as he guided un-ranked Baylor to the upset with a performance many my age describe as “only seen in a video game.” The line?
21/27 passing for 359 yards and five touchdowns. zero interceptions
A beautiful opening act for someone who is basking in the glow of tonight’s impending announcement. The magnitude of it comes close to his November 19th showdown against Oklahoma. That night Oklahoma had all the reason in the world to defeat Baylor. If not for its number five ranking in the polls, then it was the thought of getting back into the national title picture after Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State. Griffin and the bears had other ideas as he and his team held off Oklahoma late to crush the BCS title dreams of a heavily favored Sooners. It just so happened to be the highest ranked team Baylor had defeated since 1985. Perfect timing. His line from that night?
21/34 passing for 479 yards and four touchdowns to go with 72 yards rushing. Zero interceptions.
He has a knack for making things happen. Yes, there were some stumbles along the way losing to Texas A&M, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. But he was fortunate, and knew that his ability put him in a position to accomplish some special things. Not the least of which was following up that Oklahoma upset with a masterful performance against Texas as he threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 32 yards and added two more scores. When that dust settled he had led his team to two things they had never accomplished as a program. Six conference wins and seven wins at home.
Truly historic.
Tonight Robert Griffin III finds himself in another situation a Baylor Bear has never found himself in. He’ll go against, as he does every week, some of the heaviest hitters in college football. This time will be different. This time he won’t come out of no where. It will almost seem strange as he is expected to outpace the field this time around. You see, Robert Griffin III (or RG3 as he is becoming known) has come too far to let expectation or fear of anything stop him from a masterful performance tonight. So as the envelope is passed and then read he should hear his name called as the 77th winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy. It will be a special one for a special player and another first for his team. His line?
Well hopefully it will start off with thanking a higher power followed closely by his mother.
