Heisman Trophy 2012 voting results: Johnny Manziel wins, and here's how he did it

Johnny Manziel is your 2012 Heisman Trophy winner, finishing narrowly ahead of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and well ahead of Kansas St. quarterback Collin Klein

To the voting breakdown!

Johnny Manziel: 2,029, 474 first-place votes
Manti Te'o: 1,706, 321 first-place votes
Collin Klein: 894, 60 first-place votes

Heisman Top 10: manziel, te'o, Klein, marqise lee, braxton miller, clowney, j lynch, tavon, barner& Jarvis jones

— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) December 9, 2012

Manziel won every region except the Midwest, which was won by Te'o.

— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) December 9, 2012

Johnny Manziel turned in one of the greatest seasons for any freshman quarterback in major college football history. The Texas A&M star threw for 3,419 yards and 24 touchdowns with just 8 interceptions and ran for 1,181 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also had a signature moment, leading his then-No. 15 Aggies to a massive upset of then-No. 1 Alabama on the road.

Manti Te'o put himself in position to be the first purely defensive player to win the Heisman — Charles Woodson, when he won in 1997, he also played as a punt returner and occasional wide receiver — by leading the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to an undefeated season and a No. 1 regular season ranking. Te'o had 101 tackles, 7 interceptions and led a defensive squad that allowed just 10 touchdowns on the season. He also had a signature moment, leading the Irish to a victory over Michigan State in the wake of his grandmother and girlfriend's death.