There are two reasons TiVo and DVR were invented:
1) In case you blinked when Southern California gave the football to Reggie Bush.
2) In case you didn’t blink when Southern California gave the football to Reggie Bush.
Bush gets to the football before Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart does. Somehow, he’s across the line of scrimmage before the snap yet it’s not a penalty. He’s that quick.
It’s impossible to compare athletes in different eras, but it’s safe to say Reggie Bush, a running back and return man, is doing things none of his contemporaries ever did, including Michael Vick.
If you turn your head for a second, you’ve missed what could have been the most exciting play of the year, that fourth-and-9 play against Notre Dame notwithstanding.
Bush makes fans anticipate the snap. There’s a collective gasp when Leinart gets the snap. There’s a collective sigh of disappointment when Leinart doesn’t give the ball to Bush. It makes post-Olympic depression seem so pedestrian.
No other player generates such excitement in college football. Imagine if Barry Bonds could step to the plate any time during a baseball game. Or, if Lindsay Lohan knocked on your door asking to borrow your phone to call roadside assistance.
That’s the kind of "Remember where you were when" impact Bush brings to the sport.
Since I am not one of the fortunate 923 who can cast a ballot for the Heisman Trophy, I’m resigned to a once-a-week trip to voteforheisman.com. Here, I select Reggie Bush from a long list of undeserving names – and a short list of deserving names – as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner.
The top three votegetters in the fan balloting receive one first-, second- and third-place vote.
As of 6:23 p.m. Sunday evening, Texas QB Vince Young is No. 1 with 38,992 votes, all of which have merit. Bush was eighth on the list. Translation: The 94,792 votes for spots 2-7 were wasted. Did we learn nothing from the 2000 election, people?
Vote for Bush!!!
Thankfully, this is a sports thing and not a political thing. Otherwise the 63 percent of America that does not approve of George W’s presidency would be at my e-door, keyboards blazing.
So I am not misunderstood here: I’m advocating a vote for USC football deity Reggie Bush for the 2005 Heisman Trophy.
Heisman Henchman friend Chuck has been advocating Bushfor the Heisman since last season. This past week, however, he had the gall to place Bush in a tie for the top spot with Young. Well, Heisman Henchman friend Chuck, I think you’ve learned your lesson.
The man they call "Mr. President" on campus was already a leading candidate. Then, well, then Saturday night happened. Then, 513 yards happened. A majestic collection of runs, receptions, returns.
Ordinarily, we sporticos would not gush over someone who needed more than three hours to run three-tenths of a mile. However, put that person in pads and cleats, two hindrances to speed, and mix in some commercials and rules that designate the other team much touch the ball, two hindrances to viewing, and we throw rose petals at Bush’s feet.
Bush is human, though. He made two mistakes Saturday night. He fumbled a kickoff that allowed Fresno State to score a touchdown and take a 42-41 lead.
Then, on his next kickoff return, he was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, a 15-yard penalty that pinned USC, its 32-game win streak and its drive toward history at the 11-yard line. How did Bush respond? Oh, just your ordinary 6-yard run, followed by a 19-yard run, followed by a 43-yard catch-and-run. Three plays, 68 yards. Shortly thereafter, he mixed in a 4-yard run before LenDale White scored the decisive touchdown.
If Bush didn’t earn the Heisman with his three-touchdown performance last month against Notre Dame, he certainly did this weekend against Fresno State. If Bush loses this vote, more than just Florida will be demanding a recount.