The 2011 Heisman Trophy was presented Saturday evening in New York City and as expected, Baylor Bears QB Robert Griffin III took home the award. Griffin was a deserving winner as he put together a thoroughly dominant 2011 campaign. He finished sixth in passing yards with 3,998 and fourth in passing touchdowns with 36. The dynamic athlete also rushed for 644 yards and nine touchdowns. he finished with 405 first place votes and 1,687 total points.
Stanford Cardinal QB Andrew Luck finished second in the balloting after opening the season as the odds-on favorite. He finished with 247 first place votes and 1,407 total points. Luck put together a very solid 2011 season, but it was marked more by excellent consistency rather than any specific truly dynamic moments. He is the first player since former Arkansas Razorbacks running back Darren McFadden to twice finish second in balloting.
Luck will likely end up the number one draft pick to cap a brilliant college career, but he came up just short in the Heisman Trophy balloting, a year after finishing second. Luck's cerebral nature and work as a field general is hard to quantify for Heisman voters. Add in the fact that Luck plays in an offense that is focused on the power rushing attack, and it is not surprising that he did not have quite the same numbers as RG3 or some of the other QBs in the nation. Nonetheless, it was a great 2011 campaign that he will look to cap with a Fiesta Bowl victory.