LSU’s Mathieu among five Heisman finalists

When No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama meet in the BCS title game on Jan. 9 in New Orleans, there will be two Heisman Trophy finalists on the field. LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and Alabama running back Trent Richardson are among the five finalists for college football’s most prestigious individual honor. They are joined by Wisconsin running back Montee Ball, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III and Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. The finalists were announced earlier tonight on ESPN’s SportsCenter; the award will be presented Saturday in New York during an hour-long ceremony that starts at 7 p.m. on ESPN. Mathieu, a sophomore from New Orleans, had two interceptions and 71 tackles on his way to being named the SEC’s defensive player of the year for No. 1-ranked LSU. He also returned 26 punts for an average of 16.2 yards per return and two touchdowns. He is the first LSU player to be invited to New York as a Heisman finalist since running back Charles Alexander and the eighth Tiger to receive Heisman votes. Halfback Billy Cannon won the Heisman in 1959, and halfback Jerry Stovall finished second in 1962.