A Look Back at Darren McFadden's Painful Heisman Snubs

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There simply aren't enough words in the English language to describe what it was like to watch Darren McFadden play college football at the University of Arkansas.

Electric. Entrancing. Ethereal. All are terms likely used by giddy Arkansas fans at one point during McFadden's illustrious college career, in which it's very possible he made a few opposing fans throw the remote through the television.

From 2005 to 2007, McFadden rushed for 4,590 yards, an even more impressive mark considering he had to share the rock with the likes of Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis.

When the Little Rock, Ark. native left Arkansas and was drafted by the NFL's Oakland Raiders, however, the story of his legendary college football career wasn't the video game numbers he put up or Arkansas' run to the 2006 Southeastern Conference championship game. It was the fact that somehow, some way, McFadden failed to win the Heisman Trophy in both 2006 and 2007. In a cruel twist of fate, he finished second in Heisman voting both times.

Never mind the fact that he led a three-headed monster of a rushing attack that turned defensive coordinators sick with worry. Never mind the fact that he helped lead Arkansas to a 10-win season and conference championship game appearance in 2006. Never mind that he cemented himself not just as an Arkansas legend, but a college football legend whose legacy will never be tarnished.

Quest for the Heisman, Part 1

In 2006, it was Ohio State quarterback Troy Hill who took home college football's most prestigious award, defeating McFadden by an overwhelming margin. However, 2006 is the more understandable of McFadden's Heisman snubs, as Hill did lead the Buckeyes to the national championship game, albeit where they were destroyed by the same Florida Gators that beat Arkansas in the SEC championship.

Speaking of those Gators from Gainesville, let's take a look at the 2007 Heisman battle, shall we?

Darren McFadden vs. Tim Tebow

While Arkansas slipped down a rung on the proverbial college football ladder in 2007, an 8-5 record didn't discount the ridiculous season that McFadden put together. His magnum opus? A 321-yard performance in a home win against South Carolina. In that same game, McFadden also threw for a touchdown, accounting for 2 scores in Arkansas' third win of the year.

Arkansas ended the regular season with an 8-4 record, earning a bid in the Cotton Bowl against a future SEC rival in Missouri. While the Hogs were throttled at the hands of the Tigers, McFadden eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the 10th time in 13 games. He opened the year rushing for at least 120 yards in the first five games.

One thousand miles to the east in Gainesville, Fla., Tim Tebow was having a Heisman-caliber season of his own. The Gators opened their 2007 campaign with a 4-0 record, and at the end of October, they were 5-2 to Arkansas' 4-3.

© Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

The biggest highlight of the year for McFadden's Razorbacks would be Arkansas' incredible 50-48 overtime win over LSU in Baton Rouge, La., a game in which McFadden carried the ball for 206 yards and three touchdowns. While hugging McFadden after the game, head coach Houston Nutt famously quipped that the voters, "... better put him in the Heisman. I'm tired of him being number four. This is the best football player in the country, and his name's not being mentioned. Lou Holtz, Mark Maye, number five, you better look at him a little closer!"

Not to be outdone by his coach, McFadden created one of the most famous images in the history of Razorback athletics, holding up a baseball bat in triumph after Arkansas knocked off their rival.

© John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The Razorbacks and Gators similarly closed their respective seasons, with both teams losing in bowl games on New Year's Day and finishing third in their respective SEC divisions.

All that was left to do now was decide whether McFadden or Tebow—both flashy, exciting players on middling teams—would take home the Heisman Trophy.

In a controversial decision that's still talked about across the Natural State today, it was Tebow who ultimately beat McFadden for the Heisman in 2007, relegating the Arkansas running back to second place for the second consecutive year.

Tebow certainly had a Heisman-caliber season, but McFadden's 2007 campaign had been otherworldly; a season that could seemingly only be rivaled in College Football 25.

It was a heartbreaking blow for McFadden and Razorback fans, and nearly two decades later, it's still a hot topic of discussion whenever McFadden's name is mentioned.