I know. It’s a bit early for Heisman talk. It’s still September. Teams have played only three games. Washington State hasn’t even been eliminated from the Rose Bowl race yet.

But this is the kind of stuff we — the media, fans — do in sports. We pick. We project. We discuss. We dissect.

Besides, everyone seems to be giddy over Arizona’s 3-0 start and victory over ninth-ranked Iowa, so why not? Heisman … Nick Foles. There. I said it. In the same sentence.

Now go visit foles4heisman.com.

The Arizona Wildcats quarterback should be in the discussion. These days, the award almost always goes to a star quarterback for a highly rated team. That pretty much describes Foles and Arizona right now.

While we’re getting way ahead of ourselves, let’s go ahead and imagine the fuss, the buzz, if Foles takes the Wildcats to their first Rose Bowl. That’s gotta be worth a few Heisman votes, right?

So far …

He has the stats — 77 of 98 for 877 yards, with five touchdowns and three interceptions.

He has the personality.

He has the leadership.

He has the game-winning drive against Iowa.

“The guy is cool,” senior left tackle Adam Grant said after Saturday’s 34-27 win over the Hawkeyes.

“I have never seen anything rock him, shake him. I mean, the guy got hit a few times, and he just bounces right back. He’s tough son of a gun, and I’m proud he’s my quarterback.”

Junior receiver Dave Roberts was asked Monday about the difference in Foles this season.

“This year I see Nick really confident,” Roberts said. “He doesn’t get too high. Doesn’t get too low.”

As last week’s game started to go south in the fourth quarter, Foles said he told the offense a few jokes on the sideline. Once he got in the huddle, he told his teammates, “I love ya’ll. Let’s go do this.”

“He is a really funny guy,” Roberts said. “I guess that is what you need from a quarterback. That leadership. He has it. He knows when things are getting too crazy and cracks a joke to keep things focused.”

How do others see Foles?

Ted Miller of ESPN.com rates Foles as the third-best Heisman candidate from the Pac-10, behind Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Oregon running back LaMichael James (fair enough).

This betting site lists Foles as one of eight other contenders behind Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson.

HeismanPundit.com lists Foles as one of the guys who “should see their Heisman buzz increase after week three.”

As coach Mike Stoops said this week, hold off on the party, Pac-10 play hasn’t even started so the Wildcats haven’t accomplished anything yet — it’s a 12-game regular-season marathon, not a three-game sprint.

But at least the Wildcats — and Foles — are in the discussion for all the big prizes. And a Heisman candidacy isn’t a completely far-fetched idea.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010 at 7:46 am and is filed under Sports. Tags for this post: Heisman, Nick Foles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.