Tide's Ingram jumps to the head of the line

TUSCALOOSA | The stiff-arm, Mark Ingram already has. The bronzed one, however, would make a nice complement.

A groundswell of support for the University of Alabama's starting running back as a Heisman Trophy candidate has followed his 246-yard performance against South Carolina last Saturday. The highest rushing total in Bryant-Denny Stadium history vaulted Ingram from fourth to first in the Southeastern Conference in rushing at 129.3 yards per game. It also placed him within one game's reach of 1,000 yards for the season. The Heisman, awarded to the nation's top college player, is well beyond one game's reach for any of its candidates, however.

And it's always been out of reach at Alabama.

For all its legendary alumni, the Crimson Tide has never had a player take the Heisman home. Former quarterback Jay Barker finished fifth in the voting as a senior in 1994.

'After we had that game with Georgia where me and Eric Zeier sort of went at it in a shootout, Mike Gottfried from ESPN sort of got on my bandwagon for the Heisman,' Barker said. 'Then we ended up having a few come-from-behind victories that season, and all of a sudden my name was right up there. I got to go to New York (for the presentation) with Warren Sapp, Steve McNair, Kerry Collins, Ki-Jana Carter and Rashaan Salaam. It was a real honor.'

As much as an endorsement from an ESPN talking head might have helped Barker's candidacy 15 years ago, it likely helps even more today. ESPN studio analyst Mark May not only proclaimed Ingram a candidate following the South Carolina game, but said the sophomore from Flint, Mich., should top the list. A poll of ESPN experts this week also places Ingram atop the Heisman race.

'ESPN is the driving force of college football when it comes to hype,' said Florida Times-Union columnist Gene Frenette, a Heisman voter who believes Ingram's candidacy is a strong one. 'There are a lot of voters who don't care to do a lot of homework, but they're all watching ESPN. There's no doubt in my mind there's some influence there.'

Along with acknowledgement from the hype machine, Ingram is also getting support at the grass-roots level: Ingramforheisman.com, launched this week, provides a video compilation of Ingram's 2009 highlights.

'It's an honor to be considered as one of the top candidates for that award, but I'm not too worried about it,' said Ingram. 'I'm just worried about winning and helping this team get better every day.'

Another factor that could help Ingram's chances is that no dominant candidate has emerged yet this season. Former winner Tim Tebow tops his share of watch lists, but the Florida Gators' quarterback has not posted the dizzying statistics that he has in the past, which can play a large role in the selection. A shoulder injury has knocked Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, last year's winner, out of the Heisman race. Tebow and a cast of other quarterbacks, including Texas' Colt McCoy and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen, figure to be Ingram's primary competition for the honor.

UA coach Nick Saban said he expects Ingram to have no trouble handling the extra attention.

'He usually handles it pretty well. He's a great competitor and a driven guy and works hard in practice every week,' Saban said. 'He plays fast all the time, has great competitive spirit and certainly will stay focused on the things that are going to help him continue to satisfy his goals.'

The university has no current plans for a full-fledged publicity campaign on Ingram's behalf, according to one UA official, but will begin taking steps to market Ingram's candidacy without interfering with his routine. Generally, promotional strategies for Heisman candidates have largely become a pursuit of programs lacking the benefit of the national spotlight. With Alabama unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, Ingram's performance alone should drive his share of the Heisman votes.

This week, rival Tennessee will seek to slow Ingram's pace.

'The problem here is wrapping this guy up,' said UT coach Lane Kiffin. 'Most of Ingram's yards come after contract. He's so hard to wrap up and bring down.'

Added Volunteers defensive end Chris Walker: 'He does a great job breaking tackles. Some people run up on him and mis-percept his size a little bit. We've got to gang tackle.'

What may hurt Ingram's Heisman chances as much as anything is Alabama's rotation at the position. The Crimson Tide has attacked defenses with multiple running backs since Saban's arrival in 2007, and this year's primary complements — Trent Richardson, Terry Grant and Roy Upchurch — have already combined for 122 carries. Ingram, for his part, welcomes the chance to share the burden.

'Whatever we have to do to help the team win,' said Ingram.

Reach Chase Goodbread at chase.goodbread@tuscaloosanews.com, or at 205-722-0196.