Emmett Johnson has had one of the best completely under-the-radar years in recent memory. The Nebraska running back started off quietly, but he's made his presence known on the national stage over the last few weeks. Perhaps it's that quiet start that is the reason why he was absolutely robbed by the Doak Walker Award voters.
The finalists for the award for the best running back in the country were announced earlier this week. Those three Doak Walker finalists are Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, Missouri's Ahmad Hardy, and Ole Miss's Kewan Lacy.
Somehow, Nebraska's running back, who has more total yards than any of the three, who in fact, leads the country in total yards, is not on the list. Emmett Johnson was not on this list because he hasn't scored as many touchdowns as the other.
How Nebraska's Emmett Johnson stacks up against the Doak Walker finalists
That is the only stat that all three Doak Walker candidates lead EJ. And that's a decent argument, but not a winning one. There are plenty of reasons why the Nebraska back might have fewer touchdowns. Playcalling that is entirely out of his control is one of them.
All Johnson can do is make the most of the opportunities he's given. So far this season, he's made the most of them to the tune of 1,234 yards on 222 carries and 11 touchdowns on the ground. He also had a whopping 44 receptions for 348 yards and another 3 touchdowns.
His receiving skills are, by the way, where he really separates himself from all three Doak Walker Award finalists.
Hardy has just 6 catches for 22 yards. Love has 26 catches for 274 yards, and Lacy has 24 catches for 139 yards.
The people putting together the finalists list aren't all that impressed by what he does as a receiver. That seems like a rather significant oversight, considering a running back's complete season should factor into things.
That's an argument that, unfortunately, won't carry much weight for the Nebraska running back. For whatever reason, Emmett Johnson was robbed by not becoming a Doak Walker Award finalist.