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Caleb Williams may be the reigning Heisman Trophy winner.
Shedeur Sanders and Drake Maye might well get all the attention this season.
But real football fans know that games are won up front, where the big uglies go unnoticed and underappreciated.
But sometimes, in glorious, fleeting moments, linemen get to be the star of the show.
These moments are why the site Banner Society created the Piesman Trophy, which they call college football’s greatest award. And we find it hard to argue.
What the heck is the Piesman Trophy? We’ll let them explain.
“The short answer: an award we made up because we wanted to have fun,” the site says. “The long answer: an award for linemen who do un-lineman-like things. Typically, that means offensive or defensive linemen who catch, throw, or run with the ball.
“Our voting panel is made up of staff members here and at other places that cover college “football. We also have a fan ballot that counts toward the final tally.”
Well, it’s just Week 3 of the 2023 college football season and we’re already ready to cast out vote for this season’s Piesman Trophy winner.
THE O-LINEMAN SCOOPED UP THE FUMBLE AND THREW A TD 😯 pic.twitter.com/GJuIhcEMz6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 9, 2023
Meet Cooper Mumford.
Mumford is a 6-foot-4, 275-pound freshman Highland, Utah. He plies his trade for Division II Colorado Mesa.
On Saturday, Mumford seized the opportunity to take his shot at glory.
After what looked like a reverse pass gone wrong, Mumford picked up a fumble. But rather than hit the ground or run with it, Mumford did the unthinkable.
The big man pulled up, looked down the field, and delivered a dime (beauty is in the eye of the beholder) to wide receiver Keenan Brown for a touchdown.
What an absolute legend.
Honestly, Mumford should probably just retire at this point. It doesn’t get any better than this.