Mayfield wants to be better this season
FRISCO, TEXAS — Baker Mayfield wants nothing more than to want nothing more.
Yes, he has accomplished a ton in his time as Oklahoma’s quarterback. Sure, he has done things that already put him among the best Sooner signal callers of all time. But he’s after more. “Win a national title,” he said Monday at Big 12 Media Days when asked about his goals for his final college season.
Mayfield will need help in accomplishing that goal, of course. But on a day where many things were said, nothing was more interesting than Mayfield espousing the belief that he needs to be better on the biggest stages.
This is a guy, mind you, who finished in the top five in the Heisman Trophy voting and won Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors each of the past two years. He’s been pretty darn amazing in just about every game. He’s been successful on stages of all sizes.
But he does not shy away from his shortcomings — Houston and Ohio State last season, Texas and Clemson the season before.
He was not his normal stellar self in those games. Too many poor throws. Too many bad decisions. Too many missed opportunities.
“You look back on the film, and that’s the most frustrating thing,” Mayfield said. “Everything’s there. The X’s and O’s are there.”
Granted, some of that is due to the quality of the opponent. Ohio State, for example, isn’t a slouch.
“You’re going to have a little hit and miss when you’re playing great opponents,” OU coach Lincoln Riley said.
But if Mayfield wasn’t good enough against Ohio State a year ago — and in going 17 of 32 with two interceptions, it’s pretty clear that he wasn’t — he’s going to have to be much, much better this year.
Last season, the Sooners had Samaje Perine. And Joe Mixon. And Dede Westbrook. Even with those playmakers wearing crimson and the Buckeyes coming to Norman, the Sooners still got their doors blown off. This season? The Sooners have to go to Columbus, and Perine, Mixon and Westbrook have given way to a bunch of absolutely promising but completely unproven replacements.
Mayfield raved Monday about the depth at wide receiver and running back. He professed excitement about the return of tailback Rodney Anderson. He predicted future greatness for freshmen wideouts CeeDee Lamb and Charleston Rambo.
But what about making a big third-andlong catch in front of a hundred thousand people? Or picking up a much-needed first down when The Horseshoe is rocking?
What about doing that in the second week of the season?
It’s a lot to ask — but that game at Ohio State is pivotal if the Sooners want into the College Football Playoff, if they don’t want an uphill climb to achieve that goal of winning a national title.
“Everybody’s talking about that big game in Columbus,” Mayfield said. “There’s no way around it; it is the most important game on our schedule right now.”
And he intends to be ready.
Part of that is the way the Sooners are approaching their business this offseason. Riley has encouraged his leaders to have an urgency about them in workouts. Whether they are conditioning or lifting or drilling, he wants them to have a high standard for performance.
Carry that into fall camp and into the season, and the hope is to get off to a quicker start than seasons past.
“We’re not going to let that slide,” Mayfield said of pushing for a higher level of intensity.
For Mayfield, his preparation goes even farther. He has had numerous conversations with Riley about games past that haven’t gone well. They have talked through the struggles. They have dissected the issues. The bottom line? “Why would I need to feel like I need to do so much when the success that I had was just doing my job?” Mayfield said. “The big plays and the special moments will come if you’re doing the basics and the little things right.”
After the Ohio State game a year ago, he struck that balance perfectly.
This year, he’ll need to strike it before the Ohio State game.
Yes, it’s a lot to ask of a guy who’s already done a lot. But when your goal is to win a national title, the demands are high — and no one is demanding more of Baker Mayfield than the man himself.