Ndamukong Suh (pronounced /ɛnˈdɑːməkɨn ˈsu ). For Husker fans like myself, he is a destructive force that is a joy to watch terrorize opponents offensive lines on Saturdays during the fall. For opponents, and particularly opponents offensive coordinators, he is a nightmarish figure that has to be carefully game planned against for fear of keeping him from re-writing record books against their teams. If nothing else, Mr. Suh (thank ESPN's Craig James for not being able to pronounce Ndamukong during the Mizzou telecast) is a 6'4 300 lb wrecking ball of a nose tackle who's goal is to inflict his force on any offensive player he sees.
For those wondering what dialect produced such a unique name such as Ndamukong Suh, we look no further than the Ngema tribe of Cameroon in Africa. His name, aptly, means "House of Spears." I couldnt think of a better nickname than that for a defensive Player of the Year candidate, and for many, a Heisman Trophy candidate. I am part of those many who believe that the Heisman trophy is not just for the best offensive player in the country, but for the best player in the country, and right now without a doubt in my mind that is Mr. Suh. He is the best player in the country at his position, and I believe the impact he has on the game rivals that of Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy, although we dont see Suh making guarantee speeches or saving random strangers from lakes in Texas. He is all business, all the time. Bo pushes him more than he pushes anyone else because he knows how good he can be, same can be said for Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow. He makes Nebraska a better football team, and especially makes the people around him better. Look at the transformations of Pierre Allen and Jared Crick. These two players were relative unknowns before 2008, then they have to fill in because of injuries and Suh helped them take their games to the next level. This season both Crick and Allen are performing at high levels.
Having that much impact from the nose tackle position is unheard of. Nose tackles are typically the quiet workhorses on the defense that do the dirty work like stopping the run, but dont get much acclaim because they dont score touchdowns or intercept passes. Suh does both. Last year he claimed 2 interceptions, and ran them to the house for touchdowns, the most famous being his running over Cody Hawkins of Colorado to seal the victory against CU. He also deflects passes at the line of scrimmage too. So far this year he has 7, more than any Secondary player in the country. Nose Tackles arent supposed to be able to do any of that, if they were there would be a lot more quarterbacks injured and 300 lb defensive backs roaming around.
Here are his stats through 5 games this year:
-15 solo tackles
-17 assisted tackles
-4 Tackles for loss
-3 assisted TFL
-3 sacks
-7 passes defended (more than anyone in the SC secondary)
-1 forced fumble
-1 interception
Which means he is on pace for about 87 tackles, 14 TFL, 9 sacks, 19 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles, and 3 interceptions. One word: ridiculous. Unfortunately, the age-old argument why defensive players dont usually get considered for the Heisman Trophy is because the rarely have the ball in their hands with the capacity to affect the outcome of the game, like a quarterback or running back does. I would implore you to ask Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech or Blaine Gabbert of Mizzou how much of an impact on the game Suh has on the game, even without the ball in his hands. Not only does he create havoc on the opponents offense, but he also gives the Nebraska Offense more possessions to score which ultimately can affect the win-loss record of any team.
So the question ultimately remains: will the Heisman Trophy committee realize how great these stats are and give the consideration to the best player, or will the continue the trend of re-gifting the Walter Camp Award? My hope is that Suh gets invited to New York for the ceremony. That would be a major victory for defensive players everywhere who think that they deserve an equal shot at the trophy for the best player in College Football
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