TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) â€" Alabama's Trent Richardson wasn't a starter when he arrived on a scene.
He was biding his time behind tailback Mark Ingram, who was on his approach to apropos Alabama's initial Heisman Trophy winner. But Ingram knew prolonged before Richardson was comparison as a finalist that a Crimson Tide competence have another claimant watchful in a wings.
Then a freshman, Richardson pennyless 4 tackles en track to a 52-yard touchdown opposite Arkansas dual years ago in a run that has usually grown in a retelling.
"He pennyless like 7 tackles and afterwards took it adult a sideline for like 40 yards," Ingram recalled. "I was like, 'Yeah, that's not unequivocally normal.' we figured that we had a special guy."
A module that collected â€" by a possess count â€" 12 inhabitant titles before fielding a Heisman personality now is anticipating for a second in 3 seasons. Because of Ingram's appearing presence, Richardson was a star prolonged before he was a starter.
Compact, absolute and with a sprinter's burst, Richardson joins LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, Wisconsin tailback Montee Ball and quarterbacks Andrew Luck of Stanford and Robert Griffin III of Baylor as finalists for this year's Heisman, that will be presented Saturday in New York.
"As a child we dream of winning a Heisman or MVP during any level, and now that it's here and my group has worked tough for this, and we know we worked tough for it," Richardson said. "Just to paint for Alabama is going to be an respect for real, and to paint for (Florida hometown) Pensacola. It's flattering large for me. My name will be in a books if we do win."
Alongside Ingram, his former backfield partner now with a New Orleans Saints.
Richardson picked adult where his prototype left off, powering a Tide's offense into a inhabitant pretension shot Jan. 9 opposite LSU.
Since Archie Griffin won his second loyal in 1975 for Ohio State, usually Southern California has had dual Heisman winners in a three-year span: Charles White and Marcus Allen (1979, '81) and Carson Palmer ('02) and Matt Leinart ('04).
Richardson has run for 1,583 yards and has 20 rushing touchdowns and 3 as a receiver. Not bad for a first-year starter, who never let on publicly if he disposed using in second place for dual seasons. His doing of that conditions endeared Richardson to teammates.
"The initial word that comes to my conduct when we consider of Trent is 'teammate,'" Alabama left tackle Barrett Jones said. "He unequivocally is a ultimate teammate. Not many guys would have had a opinion he had these past dual years. Probably would have started anywhere else in a nation usually with a talent turn he had.
"He never pronounced anything complaining. He was always disturbed about a team. All of us who have been here for a while we're unequivocally vehement for him to step adult this year and for this to be his team. His piety and a kind of teammate he is unequivocally creates we wish to retard for a man like that."
Richardson pronounced he "just unequivocally had to humble" himself. He still racked adult 1,451 yards and 14 touchdowns â€" and dual Sports Illustrated covers â€" before apropos a starter when Ingram left for a NFL, another pierce that Richardson shortly could duplicate.
The 5-foot-11, 224-pounder has gotten copiousness of courtesy for his weight room bravery â€" Tide coaches extent him to 475 pounds on a dais press and 600-pound squats â€" and ability to steamroll defenders or lift several for additional yardage.
Despite Richardson's earthy style, manager Nick Saban scoffs during labeling him a "bruiser".
"You're articulate about a man to me that shouldn't be pigeonholed into a man that is a bruising behind since to me he's so most more," Saban said. "He's a good personality on a team. He's a tough worker. He sets a good example. He cares about a other players on a team. He's positively a very, unequivocally productive, rival man who has been substantially as good a actor as I've ever had a event to manager in terms of a whole package.
"Bruising behind would be an insult to what he is, even nonetheless he does that flattering well, too, since he's tough and he's physical."
Richardson done a clever final matter with a career-best 203-yard persion in a final frisk opposite Auburn. It also supposing a supposed "Heisman moment," when he halted his movement and straight-armed a defender on a sideline afterwards raced opposite a margin for a 57-yarder.
Against Mississippi, he strew dual tacklers, cut over to a right sideline and stopped brief to shake one defender around a 10 before sprinting to a finish section to punctuate a 76-yard run.
"That was awesome," Jones said. "The Iron Bowl run was awesome, too, though a Ole Miss run where he did a small pierce during a end, that was a lot of fun to watch."
Richardson also had a plain altogether bid opposite No. 1 LSU. He ran 23 times for 89 yards and had 5 catches for 80 yards.
Richardson's 9 100-yard rushing games ties Ingram for a propagandize record. He's usually 75 yards bashful of a Alabama symbol set by Ingram dual years ago in one additional tour â€" a Southeastern Conference championship game.
Richardson is also a finalist for a Maxwell Award as actor of a year and a Doak Walker Award given to a nation's tip using back.
The sole obstacle to all these awards: Flying. The behind that fearlessly smashes into 230-pound linebackers can't mount it.
"I unequivocally usually start praying before we get on and when we get on usually go from there," Richardson said. "I start sweating, and it's usually a large mess, for real. we haven't gotten over it yet, though I'm used to flying. Just when it takes off and when they be about to land, it's crazy."
Richardson, Tim Tebow and Cam Newton are a usually SEC players to rush for 20 touchdowns in a season, and those dual quarterbacks are Heisman winners.
Alabama has cited a peculiarity of defenses Richardson has faced in compelling his candidacy. He has faced 8 defenses ranked among a nation's Top 51, and a propagandize says no other Heisman contender went opposite some-more than five.
The thickly-muscled Richardson doesn't demur when asked about what drives him: Daughters Taliyah, 5, and Elevara, 3, and his mother. He says he is "just happy to be out there creation everybody smile," though generally them.
"I wish them to know that their dad's usually out there trying, and he's perplexing to do a best for them for a destiny that they don't have to worry about anything," Richardson said. "I'm usually unequivocally encouraged for my kids and my mom, since my mom's been operative her whole life. One day we wish her to stop working. When that time comes, and I'm certain it's going to come, we can't wait to put that grin on my momma's face."
If it sounds as if Richardson's looking forward to a NFL and following another Ingram pierce by skipping his comparison season, he says that's not indispensably true. He pronounced his complicated march bucket â€" 15 pision hours â€" this tumble leaves him usually dual or 3 credit hours from graduating.
"I've come this distant on my degree, so we don't know what I'm going to do yet," Richardson said. "After this game, I'm going to lay down with manager and speak about it and lay down with my mom. The joining isn't going anywhere.
"It's always good to have a degree, generally from Alabama, so after football we have a life."
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