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Peyton Hillis won...
Peyton Hillis - 22 carries for 129 yards, 1TD.
Steve Slaton - 21 carries for 130 yards, 52 receiving yards, 2TD.
it's been an amazing year for offensive rookies. i think Peter King pointed out that Slaton has been great this year but he may not even get a single vote for the ROTY just because of how good this year's class looks right now
I've been voting off and on today.
Plus the fact he plays for the Texans.
Choice will probably win because he was on national TV and had a game ending TD run.
http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=rookies
He's been nominated 7 times, and has ZERO wins. PLEASE vote for him. Make a concentrated effort this week. VOTE VOTE VOTE and VOTE again. You can vote more than once! Lets give him the honor he earned
COLUMN: Slaton proving worth as star NFL rookie
By Bob Hertzel
Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN With all due apologies to the Sugar and Fiesta bowls, Steve Slaton had never been on a stage like this one.
It was November in the National Football League, Monday Night Football, and America was watching. More important, perhaps, was the fact that both of Slatons parents were sitting in the stands, the first time they had ever both attended one of his professional games.
The former West Virginia University running back had been a pleasant surprise for the Houston Texans, filling a void when injuries depleted what was supposed to be a strong enough running back corps that Slaton could go through his NFL initiation as a third-down back.
His coach, the one-time quarterback Gary Kubiak, had tried to baby him along, worrying about overuse. After all, he is undersized for The League, as the kids call it, so much so he was overlooked during the first and second rounds of the NFL draft after opting to leave WVU a year early.
Slaton can take it to the house at any time, but doesnt have the size to be a feature back and withstand the kind of punishment that comes with that role, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said prior to the draft.
RB Slaton eager to show he belongs
Rookie closes in on Texans' rushing record
OAKLAND, Calif. - Steve Slaton had to wait an entire day after Darren McFadden was drafted before he heard his own name called, missing out on all the hype and the riches of being a first-round pick.
When it comes to making an impact in the NFL as a rookie, McFadden has been the one who has had to wait, while Slaton has become one of the surprises from the latest draft class.
"Everybody wants to be in the first round," said Slaton, who was picked by Houston in the third round. "So, I was a little disappointed. But I just strived to make up ground and to show the reason why I should have been in the first round."
Slaton has done just that, leading the Texans (7-7) with 1,124 yards rushing heading into today's game against McFadden and the Oakland Raiders (3-11).
Slaton needs 64 yards in his final two games to break Domanick Williams' single-season franchise record for rushing in a season.
"The whole time during the draft they were saying that you would get a running back late that would be a real good player," Houston receiver Andre Johnson said. "Sometimes things just turn out that way. We were very fortunate that he came to our team. I watched Steve play a lot when he was in college. I've always been a fan of his and he's helped us out a whole lot."
Slaton's success has been a big part of Houston's turnaround this season. After starting the year 0-4, the Texans have a chance to finish with a winning record for the first time in franchise history if they beat Oakland and then win the season finale at home against Chicago.