At the beginning of the 2011 NCAA football season, the Heisman Trophy appeared to be Andrew Luck's to lose. The Stanford Cardinal quarterback had been the runner-up for the trophy in 2010 and this season looked like it was destined to be his ultimate triumph. Toward the end of the season, however, a loss to the Oregon Ducks and an overwhelming offensive output from Robert Griffin III of the Baylor Bears proved to be the key differences that swayed the Heisman voters.
A ceremony and television broadcast in New York on Saturday culminated in the announcement of this year's Heisman Trophy winner, which ended up being the Baylor quarterback, Griffin. Luck ended up in second place for the second consecutive year. Following the ceremony, he was candid with reporters about his feelings. This choice quote comes courtesy of Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle:
"I'm not going to lie, I'm definitely disappointed," Luck said as he met with the Bay Area media later. "As a competitor, you always want to win. And sure, I'd love to go back and take another shot at Oregon. But you can't dwell on those thoughts. It just becomes self-pity. I think this award was so well deserved by Robert Griffin the Third, it's very hard to be upset."
Luck, although disappointed, was gracious in defeat. He is still expected to be selected as the number one overall pick in next year's draft, likely by the Indianapolis Colts, who need offense any way they can get it.
According to Daniel Brown at Mercury News, Luck summed up his feelings on the Heisman loss rather succinctly:
"I'll get over it,'' Luck said. "Football goes on."
To get over it with your fellow Stanford fans, please visit Rule of Tree.