"We almost handed one person the Heisman Trophy that day," Hawkins said. "They probably should have gave it to him that day after the game."
Love, who has rushed for 1,848 yards and 16 touchdowns, could become the fourth Stanford player to finish second for the most prestigious individual award in college football since 2009, when Toby Gerhart was runner-up to Alabama running back Mark Ingram Jr. Quarterback Andrew Luck finished second in 2010 and 2011. McCaffrey racked up 461 all-purpose yards and was responsible for four touchdowns in the 41-22 win over USC two seasons ago, but that wasn't enough to vault him past the Crimson Tide's Derrick Henry in the balloting.