DETROIT – Thanks to a 47-27 loss to Bowling Green in the 2013 MAC Championship Game, Jordan Lynch would be exposed under the national spotlight.
Lynch, the leading rusher among quarterbacks, and the presumed No.2 vote-getter in Heisman polls behind troubled Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, failed to impress Heisman votes and hurt is prospective NFL draft stock. Despite rushing for 126 yards for two touchdowns on 26 carries, Lynch did not show that he could be NFL or Heisman material completing 21-of-40 passes for 219 yards and throwing two interceptions.
Coming into the game at Ford Field, the 6’0 205-pound Lynch and his Heisman campaign began gaining traction after breaking his own single-game rushing QB record in rushing for 321 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-14 win over Western Michigan.
While this writer thinks that is very impressive and could get behind the Cinderella fairy-tale like narrative of a player from a mid-level school leading his team to another BCS bowl game and winning the Heisman, in watching Lynch, not only did he come across as overrated, but the second coming of Eric Crouch.
During the 2013-13 season, Lynch has rushed for 1,881 yards on 274 carries and 22 touchdowns for the sake of comparison, so one can understand the side-by-side comparisons of the two.
Is Saturday night’s loss to the un-ranked Bowling Green the end of Lynch’s Heisman hopes? Possibly, but that doesn’t mean he will not be invited to New York.
What does it mean for his prospects in the zone-read, pistol-offense crazed NFL? With a career arc similar to the aforementioned Crouch and Tim Tebow, both running quarterbacks, it would not surprise this writer if he plays a different position, or is at best an undrafted free agent bound for an NFL practice squad.
For now, all that is left for Lynch is a courtesy trip to the Downtown Athletic Club and the slim hopes of being a role player in the NFL.
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