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UNC Football: 5 reasons Elijah Hood Can Win the Heisman Trophy

By Horran Cameron

Nov 28, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Elijah Hood (34) runs the ball during the first half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Elijah Hood (34) runs the ball during the first half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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No. 1: Hood’s sophomore campaign was better than Henry’s

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Before you start trolling me, hear me out because there is more to this subtitle.

Yes, Alabama’s Derrick Henry was the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner during his junior season.

Yes, he won a national championship as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide. In addition, Henry was the NCAA’s overall best college football player last season.

However, when you compare the sophomore season stats for Elijah Hood and Henry, Hood’s numbers are better.

In 2014, Henry finished his sophomore season with 172 rushes for 990 yards and 11 touchdowns with an average of 5.8 yards per carry. In 2015, Hood finished his sophomore season with 218 carries for 1,463 yards and 17 touchdowns with an average of 6.7 yards per carry.

You could argue that Henry shared the load at Alabama with another future NFL running back, T.J. Yeldon. Yeldon finished his 2014 junior season with 194 rushes for 979 yards and 11 touchdowns with an average of five yards per carry.

In 2015, North Carolina’s second-best running back was their starting quarterback Marquise Williams. Williams rushed 158 times for 948 yards in 2015 for 13 touchdowns. Williams averaged six yards per carry. The actual backup running back on Carolina’s depth chart is T.J. Logan. Last season, Logan ran 66 times for 400 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry.

Hood shared running duties with two other players who averaged six yards per carry whereas Henry shared the load with one other player who averaged five yards per carry.

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