On the cover of the Akron Zips' 2004 football media guide stands quarterback Charlie Frye with a football in his hands and his eyes set downfield. Next to him in bold letters are the words "Frye 2004 Heisman Trophy." He casts a shadow across the page which takes the form of the famous Heisman pose.
But fans at Scott Stadium weren't able to tell if Frye really did cast a shadow in the form of the Heisman Trophy, mainly because he spent most of his time on the field either frantically scrambling from Virginia defenders or on the ground after a sack.
Frye didn't look like much of a Heisman candidate to me on Saturday. I know the Virginia defense is good, but even taking that into consideration, Frye's numbers were pretty embarrassing. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes, going 10 for 23 for a measly 72 yards. On top of that, he threw two interceptions. He was pulled from the game at the start of the fourth quarter with his team trailing 44-0.
But who am I to judge on just one game? In order to get a more complete picture of Charlie Frye and his Heisman hopes, I decided to surf on over to Frye2004.com, the Web site devoted solely to promoting the candidacy of quarterback Charlie Frye for the Heisman trophy.
I'm not kidding. This site really exists. And it's not a joke. At least, I don't think it's a joke.
Web sites promoting Heisman Trophy candidates are not uncommon. The Virginia athletic department maintained Schaub4Heisman.com during the 2003 season for then-starting quarterback Matt Schaub. Of course, Matt Schaub was coming off a season in which he led his team to a second place in-conference finish and took home the ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Charlie Frye ... well ... he led his team to a third place finish in the MAC East, including a big home win over Cal-Poly and a stunner over Central Michigan on the road. He did throw for over 3,500 yards with a 64.8 completion percentage, but it helps when you play teams like Howard and Buffalo.
The Web site features an impressive banner at the top of the page that includes a picture of the Heisman Trophy, a close-up of Frye's focused eyes behind his facemask and a cutout of a determined Frye getting set for a pass. On the top of the banner, in gold lettering, are the words "Akron's Heisman Trophy Candidate Charlie Frye." The phrasing is appropriate because he's certainly not my Heisman Trophy candidate, nor anyone else's for that matter.
As hard as I tried, I couldn't find any solid evidence to back up Frye's Heisman claim, other than inflated numbers against sub-par competition. But don't let that steer you away from Frye2004.com. There are plenty of other reasons to go check out the site.
For example, just by clicking on the link on the right side of the main page, you can check out "Charlie Frye Fun Facts." And boy, are they fun.
As it turns out, Charlie wears a Superman T-shirt under his uniform during each game. He enjoys playing video games in his spare time, and his favorite game is College Football 2005. He enjoys golf and maintains a 12 handicap. He throws with his right hand but writes with his left, and he's a left-footed kicker. Can you handle this much fun?
But by far the best feature of Frye2004.com is the Charlie Frye 2004 Heisman wallpaper. And they're available for free! There are four different wallpapers to choose from, and if you're like me, you'll have a hard time picking just one. The Web masters tease you by creating four mind-blowing wallpapers and then forcing you to choose between them. It's just cruel.
So, maybe Charlie Frye doesn't have much of a chance to win the Heisman. Ok, maybe he doesn't have any chance to win the Heisman. But that's only if you're talking about real life. There's still Charlie's favorite video game, College Football 2005. He could play as the Akron Zips and do all the things in the game he couldn't do against Virginia. And it would probably be a lot less painful.
So turn on that X-Box and play on, Charlie. Your Heisman hopes are still alive. Sort of.
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