Can Sooner duo deny Jackson?

Louisville QB favored to win Heisman Trophy on Saturday

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 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.

Jackson took home 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 gets handed out Saturday, and Jackson is the favorite.

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.

Pac-12: Washington receiver John Ross is the player of the year on The Associated Press All-Pac12 team. Utah defensive end Hunter Dimick and multidimensional USC cornerback Adoree’ Jackson shared defensive player of the year.

Houston: Major Applewhite was hired to replace Tom Herman as coach. It’s the first head coaching job for the 38-year-old Applewhite, who served as Herman’s offensive coordinator the last two seasons. Herman recently left Houston to become the coach at Texas.