Mayfield, Sooners make it a three-peat
ARLINGTON — After celebrating with his Oklahoma teammates on a confetti-drenched field, Baker Mayfield made a statement, albeit in small print.
This time, there was no need for TV to add a blurry image. The updated inscription on his long-sleeved Tshirt made it clear: “BACK TO BACK 2015 & 2016 BACK AGAIN IN 2017” As satisfying as the 41-17 win Saturday over TCU was to clinch a Big 12 three-peat, Mayfield indicated he is far from finished with one primary goal in the books.
“The reason I came back was to play for a national title,” Mayfield said. “The most exciting thing about (Saturday) was we controlled own destiny. We just had to take care of business, and all that is out in front of us.”
He’ll almost certainly get his chance. Oklahoma punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff with the win over TCU. At No. 3 in last week’s CFP, the Sooners are assured a spot in the top four — even if the old coaches on the selection committee aren’t thrilled with the defense.
Before then, he’ll be spending this week collecting a whole of personal hardware, first in Atlanta at the College Football Awards Show and then in New York next Saturday as the prohibitive favorite to become Oklahoma’s sixth Heisman Trophy winner.
“Obviously, I’m not going to play down that,” said Mayfield, a two-time walkon at both Texas Tech and then at Oklahoma. “That would be something very special. Just getting to go is special enough.”
By Mayfield’s standards, Saturday was kind of workmanlike, if you can consider a 65.2 completion percentage, 243 yards passing and four touchdowns without an interception just another day at the office. Oh, and add a 54-yard keeper to the mix.
The two first-half scores were short routes to tight end Mark Andrews.
To start the third quarter, he connected on a catchand-run to an open Mykel Jones, then found speedster Marquise Brown over the top for another touchdown and a 38-17 lead. On his first two passes of the second half, he had two touchdowns and 107 yards.
“To me, he looks like a Heisman,” TCU quarterback Kenny Hill said.
Whether you like him for his excellence or loathe him for the over-the-top antics against Ohio State or Kansas, he has willed Oklahoma to the Big 12 title and the playoffs and made Lincoln Riley’s first head coaching season one to savor.
“Give him credit for all the success he’s had,” Riley said. “He’s stayed hungry and continued to be coachable, continued to want to improve as has this entire team.”
Mayfield said one of his goals in returning was to provide strong leadership. Asked during the news conference when he had updated his T-shirt, he ac- knowledged it happened before the Bedlam meeting with Oklahoma State.
On Nov. 4, with a month of regular-season football to be played.