Best Player? Most Valuable? Answer to Both Is Man Named Suh

Depending on who is debating, the Heisman Trophy is awarded to either the best college football player in the country or the one who simply means the most to his team.

Whichever side of the coin you fall on, you have to come back to Nebraska senior defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Certainly playing in the trenches of the defensive line isn't the sexiest place to find the nation's most preeminent player.

Watching Suh defy double- and triple-teams the last two seasons has been every bit as exciting as a running back spinning out of the arms of several tacklers or a receiver blazing past the secondary or a quarterback dodging tacklers until he spots a receiver downfield for a critical touchdown.

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Suh has become the consummate defensive tackle who has embodied the definition of Nebraska's storied Blackshirt tradition. The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder can fill up a box score like no other college defensive tackle in recent memory. In Nebraska's 27-12 win over Missouri last month, Suh registered six tackles, had one tackle for a loss, forced a fumble, intercepted a pass, broke up a pass and recorded a sack.

Without question he is unstoppable and is the single-most dominant force in college football this season. That's why Suh would have been an early first rounder in the NFL Draft in April had he decided to leave after his junior season. Don't be surprised if he's the No.1 player taken this time around.

In modern football, it's rare for an interior defensive lineman to lead the team in tackles, but that is exactly what Suh did last season. He's second on the team this season with 53 tackles, which includes 29 solo stops, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, 17 quarterback hurries, eight pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and three blocked kicks in nine games.

Suh's dominance has opened opportunities for the rest of the Cornhuskers' defensive front as evidenced by sophomore defensive tackle Jared Crick, who leads the team in tackles because opponents are scheming away from Suh. Now that's impact.

As a tribute to his outstanding play, Suh is the favorite to take all the prestigious defensive awards this season like the Lombardi Award and Lott Trophy.

Winning the Heisman Trophy for a defensive player -- a defensive tackle at that -- is much more than a long shot. It's an almost impossible dream.

Only one non-offensive skill person has ever taken home the prestigious award and that was Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson in 1997.

"I really don't have a set opinion on the Heisman," Suh said in a recent live ESPN chat with fans. "Obviously, all the players up for it are great athletes and players and help their teams, so they're all deserving players. I do think that more defensive players should be up there, not just because I'm one myself, but the saying is that defense weighs championships. If you can't stop an offense, you won't win.

"I think they should have more recognition, but I don't have a problem with it and I can see why more offensive guys are up in the limelight. You have stats that are out there and easy to find -- rushing yards, TDs, completion rating, and the like."