Ndamukong Suh's Apology

Colt McCoy almost destroyed Texas' entire season with his clock-mismanagement against Nebraska. Down by two at the end of the fourth quarter, the Longhorns' quarterback seemed to be oblivious to how much time was left on the game clock as he ran horizontally across the field, letting the seconds tick away. Luckily for Texas, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was chasing him and McCoy had to dump the ball out of bounds, leaving one second left on the clock. The Longhorns used that second to kick the winning field goal and earn a place in the National Championship Bowl. TCU sat and watched their spot vanish.

Earlier this week, Suh apologized to Jerry Hughes, the defensive end for the Horned Frogs, for having made the play. If Suh had backed off and let McCoy run down the clock, Hughes and TCU would be in the championship bowl instead of the Longhorns... but it was not so. Well last night Suh had even more to apologize for as he snatched the Lombardi trophy, awarded to the nation's top lineman, from Hughes' grasp.

I must say I like Ndamukong Suh. Not only is he probably the best defensive tackle in the NCAA, and the only defensive player in the hunt for the Heisman right now, but he is showing some great sportsmanship. Suh had as much to do with McCoy's leaving a single second on the clock as anyone, including McCoy himself who seemed happy to waste the rest of the game running around and take the L. If I was a TCU fan, or player for that matter, I'd be pissed. But at least Suh has the decency to admit he messed up and the balls to apologize. Good for him.

I hope Suh does win the Heisman. There has been so much emphasis on defense in the NFL as of late, it'd be great to see him take the trophy. He would be only the second defensive player in the history of the NCAA to be honored with the award, the other being cornerback Charles Woodson out of Michigan in 1997. Follow that up with a possible number one over-all pick in the NFL's 2010 draft and Ndamukong Suh could be off to a great start. I'm OK with that.