History has a funny way of smoothing out the edges of a blowout. When you look back at the 2014 Heisman Award, the record books show a landslide victory for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. He didn’t just win; he obliterated the competition, racking up 2,534 total points. That’s more than double what the runner-up, Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, managed to pull in.
It felt inevitable. Honestly, by the time the ceremony at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square rolled around on December 13, 2014, the suspense was basically non-existent. But if you only look at the final vote, you miss the actual drama of that season. People forget that for a hot minute in November, the race felt wide open. You had Melvin Gordon rushing for a then-FBS record 408 yards in a single game against Nebraska. You had Amari Cooper turning the SEC into his personal playground at Alabama.
Then there was the "integrity" drama. Just weeks before the winner was announced, the Heisman Trust quietly scrubbed the word "integrity" from the first line of its mission statement. This came after years of off-field headlines involving past winners like Jameis Winston and Johnny Manziel. Mariota, meanwhile, was the "clean" candidate—a humble, soft-spoken kid from Honolulu who apologized to defenders after he ran past them.
The Night Marcus Mariota Made History
Marcus Mariota became the first player from the University of Oregon to ever hoist the trophy. He was also the first Hawaii-born player to win it. That's a huge deal for a kid who didn't even start at quarterback for his high school team until his senior year.
The voting wasn't even close.
- Marcus Mariota: 788 first-place votes.
- Melvin Gordon: 37 first-place votes.
- Amari Cooper: 49 first-place votes.
Wait, check those numbers again. Amari Cooper actually had more first-place votes than Melvin Gordon, despite Gordon finishing second in total points. That’s the weird quirk of the Heisman's three-point, two-point, and one-point voting system. People respected Cooper’s dominance at wide receiver—he had 124 catches that year—but Gordon’s 2,587 rushing yards were just too massive to ignore for the "Best Player" conversation.
Why the 2014 Heisman Award was a statistical anomaly
Mariota’s 2014 season was basically a video game on "Rookie" difficulty. He threw for 4,454 yards. He had 42 passing touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. Let that sink in. A 10-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio is insane for a college kid in a fast-paced spread offense.
He didn't just stand in the pocket. He added 770 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. When you total it all up, he accounted for 58 touchdowns. That tied the Heisman record at the time.
The Melvin Gordon and Amari Cooper Factors
Melvin Gordon really deserved a better fate. In almost any other year, a guy rushing for over 2,500 yards and 29 touchdowns wins the Heisman in a walk. Gordon was a human highlight reel for the Badgers. He averaged 7.5 yards every time he touched the ball. But he ran into a "quarterback award" era. Between 2000 and 2014, quarterbacks won the trophy 13 times in 15 years. It’s kinda unfair, but that’s the reality of modern college football.
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Amari Cooper was the first wide receiver to even make it to New York as a finalist since 2003. He was Alabama’s entire offense some weeks. In the Iron Bowl against Auburn, he went for 224 yards and three scores. But even with Nick Saban’s machine behind him, a receiver has to do something superhuman to jump over a dual-threat QB like Mariota.
The Top 10 Finishers You Forgot
While the big three took all the oxygen, the rest of the 2014 top ten was actually stacked with future NFL stars.
- Trevone Boykin (TCU): Finished 4th. He was the engine behind TCU's massive 12-1 season.
- J.T. Barrett (Ohio State): The freshman who kept the Buckeyes alive before his injury.
- Jameis Winston (Florida State): The 2013 winner who finished 6th.
- Tevin Coleman (Indiana): A 2,000-yard rusher who barely got any national TV time.
- Dak Prescott (Mississippi State): He actually had the Bulldogs ranked #1 in the country for a chunk of the season.
- Scooby Wright III (Arizona): A rare defensive player in the top ten.
- Bryce Petty (Baylor): Put up massive numbers in the Big 12.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Win
The biggest misconception? That Mariota won just because of the "Oregon Blur" system. People said Chip Kelly’s (and later Mark Helfrich’s) offense made any quarterback look good. But if you watch the tape from 2014, Mariota was making NFL-level progressions. He wasn't just throwing screen passes. He was hitting deep outs and seams with pinpoint accuracy.
There's also this idea that the race was over in September. It wasn't. Oregon actually lost to Arizona at home in early October. People started whispering that Mariota might not be "clutch" enough. He responded by leading the Ducks to nine straight wins, including a 51-13 revenge beatdown of Arizona in the Pac-12 Championship.
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He clinched the 2014 Heisman Award in that title game. He accounted for five touchdowns while the whole country was watching. That’s the "Heisman Moment" everyone talks about.
The Legacy of the 2014 Class
Looking back from 2026, the 2014 Heisman race was a turning point. It was the first year of the College Football Playoff (CFP). The award started to feel like it had to go to a player on a playoff team. Mariota fit the bill perfectly.
His win also represented a shift in the "type" of player who won. Before him, Heismans were often about the loudest personality or the biggest brand. Mariota was different. He didn't have a signature celebration. He didn't do "The Heisman Pose" on the sidelines. He just went out, won by 40, and went home to his family.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you’re looking to truly understand the impact of this era, don't just look at the 2014 Heisman Award stats. Look at the tape of the 2015 Rose Bowl—the first-ever CFP semifinal. Mariota faced off against the previous year's winner, Jameis Winston. Oregon won 59-20. It was the ultimate validation for the Pac-12 and for Mariota’s "low-key" style of leadership.
For those researching the award, keep these things in mind:
- Ballot Percentage: Mariota appeared on 95.16% of all ballots. That was a record at the time, only slightly behind the all-time mark set by O.J. Simpson (though later eclipsed by Joe Burrow).
- Regional Dominance: He won every single voting region. It wasn't just West Coast bias; the South and the Northeast loved him too.
- The "Integrity" Clause: If you ever hear people arguing about whether the Heisman is a "character" award, refer back to the 2014 mission statement change. It was a pivotal moment in how the Trust views its own role.
To get the full picture, go back and watch the 2014 Civil War game against Oregon State. Mariota accounted for six touchdowns in that game alone. It’s the perfect snapshot of why nobody else really had a chance that year.
Next time you're debating the greatest Heisman seasons ever, don't sleep on 2014. It wasn't the closest race, but it might have been the most efficient season by a quarterback in the history of the sport.