Tim Tebow, Darren McFadden, Colt Brennan and Chase Daniel are Heisman finalists

 

NEW YORK (AP) -Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, trying to become the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, the runner-up for last year’s award, were among the four finalists selected Wednesday.
Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel and Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan were the other finalists. They will all be in New York on Saturday night when the award is given to the top player in college football.
“I think it’s a good race,” Brennan said at a news conference. “I think anybody can win it. It’s up to the voters. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.”
The Heisman race took a while to develop this season and seemed wide open until the last month when Tebow, McFadden and Daniel emerged as front-runners.
Since the first Heisman was given to Chicago’s Jay Berwanger in 1935, all 70 players who have won college football’s most prestigious award have been juniors or seniors.
Tebow could break that trend. The ultimate dual-threat quarterback, the 235-pound Tebow ran for 838 yards and an Southeastern Conference-record 22 touchdowns.
He’s also the nation’s second-leading passer, having completed 68 percent of his throws for 3,132 yards, with 29 touchdowns and just six interceptions in his first season as a starter.
Tebow’s already had a historic season, becoming the first major college player to run for 20 touchdowns and throw 20 TD passes in the same season.
“He has done things that no one else in college football has been able to do and I hope people realize the magnitude of his accomplishments,” Florida coach Urban Meyer said in a statement.
McFadden was one of the preseason favorites after finishing second to Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith last year. His candidacy lagged with a mediocre October, but he gave himself a boost with a spectacular November. In the final month of the season, McFadden tied the SEC record with 321 yards rushing against South Carolina, and ran for 206 yards and three TDs and also threw a touchdown pass to lead the Razorbacks to a 50-48 triple overtime victory over then-No. 1 LSU.
McFadden could become the fifth player to win the Heisman the year after being the runner-up, joining Tom Harmon of Michigan, Glenn Davis of Army, O.J. Simpson of USC and Herschel Walker of Georgia.
Daniel was one of six quarterbacks to reach 4,000 yards passing this season. He threw for 4,170 yards and 33 TDs to get the surprising Tigers within a victory of reaching the BCS national championship game.
“This shines a huge light, a shining light, on the University of Missouri and the state,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said in a conference call with the Mizzou Tiger Club of St. Louis on Wednesday.
This season, Brennan led Hawaii (12-0) to the only perfect regular season in major college football and its first Bowl Championship Series appearance, but his numbers were down from last year because he lost some time to injuries.
In the Warriors’ run-and-shoot offense, Brennan passed for 4,174 and 38 touchdowns. He also set the major college record for career touchdown passes with 131.
“It’s a great feeling because it’s not like I’m the only one getting rewarded here, it’s everybody who played with me getting rewarded,” Brennan said.
The Heisman finalists are the top vote-getters among mostly media members and former players.
McFadden and Brennan were among the players who received plenty of preseason Heisman hype, along with Southern California quarterback John David Booty, Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, Rutgers running back Ray Rice and Michigan running back Mike Hart.
Booty missed time with injuries and never made a serious run. Injuries also held back Hart. Brohm and Rice had big numbers, but their teams slumped.
Midway through the season, Tebow and Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon started separating themselves from the pack in the Heisman race. A knee injury ended Dixon’s season early and probably cost him a trip to New York for the award presentation.
Dixon and the Ducks were No. 2 in the country heading into their 10th game of the season. His left knee buckled early in a loss to Arizona and he was lost for the season. Without him, the Ducks lost their final two games.
Dixon finished the season with 2,136 yards passing and 20 touchdown passes and ran for 583 yards and nine touchdowns.
West Virginia quarterback Pat White was getting lots of Heisman consideration late in the season, when he had four straight 100-yard rushing games and had the Mountaineers a win away from playing for the national title.
But White and West Virginia fell flat in their season finale, losing 13-9 to Pittsburgh. White missed about half the Pitt game with a dislocated thumb on his right (non-throwing hand) and finished the regular season with 1,185 yards rushing and 1,548 yards passing.
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AP Sports Writer Jaymes Song in Honolulu contributed.