Teammates are rare pair of finalists
NEW YORK (AP) — Together, Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook were practically unstoppable for Oklahoma.
Mayfield is one of the most productive quarterbacks in college football and something of a magician in the pocket, escaping trouble to make something out of nothing. Westbrook is a big play waiting to happen, a receiver who can turn just about any play into a long touchdown.
A case could be made that neither would have been a Heisman Trophy finalist without the other, and Westbrook, for one, is happy to have a friend around during a hectic week on the awards circuit.
“I would be so much more nervous than I am if he wasn’t here. It’s just good to always look over and see him smiling and me just smiling back at him,” Westbrook said.
The two Sooners, along with Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, met with reporters at a hotel in midtown Manhattan on Friday, not long after arriving in New York City. They were all in Atlanta on Thursday for an awards show, where Jackson won the Maxwell Player of the Year and Westbrook won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver.
The other finalist, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, won the Davey O’Brien, beating out Jackson for the award that goes to the most outstanding quarterback.
The biggest prize — the Heisman — is handed out today, and Jackson is the favourite.
Westbrook and Mayfield are the first teammates to be finalists since 2005, when Southern California’s Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart finished one and three in the voting, respectively.
Mayfield leads the nation in passer efficiency rating and is on pace to break the FBS record at 197.75. He has thrown for 3,669 yards and 38 touchdowns for the Big 12 champs.
Mayfield finished fourth in last season’s Heisman voting and has already said he will return for his senior season.
“You put in so much work during the off-season,” Mayfield said. “The extra work that Dede and I put in together, with routes, just working on perfecting our craft. It’s kind of like it’s a reward for all the work we put in.”