Stopping Mayfield
Sooners still have the one star who matters
Iowa State figures the best way to beat Oklahoma on Saturday is to limit big plays from quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Trying to stop the Sooners last autumn meant preparing to face top-shelf talent. Flanker Dede Westbrook. Tailbacks Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon.
All three were home run hitters or prolific producers. All three were taken in the first two days of the NFL Draft.
Perine became OU’s all-time leading rusher. Westbrook’s array of big plays conjured memories of Marcus Dupree. Mixon was even better than both, though he remained more infamous for punching Mia Molitor at Pickleman’s Café.
Now OU hits the middle of another college football season, and the ball is not being hogged by superstars.
Through four games, OU has scored 192 points. Seven Sooners have rushed for touchdowns already, with none scoring more than three. Ten Sooners have caught touchdown passes already, with none scoring more than three.
From week to week, you’re hard-pressed to know who will shine. Mark Andrews one game, CeeDee Lamb the next, Jeff Badet after that.
Heck, from quarter to quarter, talent emerges. Trey Sermon didn’t so much as touch the ball
through three quarters at Waco, then ran for 148 yards on 12 carries in the final 15 minutes of a tight game against Baylor.
So which is more difficult? Knowing who’s coming — elite talent — and not being able to match up, or not knowing who’s coming?
Doesn’t matter, says Iowa State coach Matt Campbell.
“The ringleader to the whole situation is the guy that plays quarterback,” Campbell said.
Ah yes. Baker Mayfield. The Sooner supporting cast has changed. The quarterback has not. For the third straight season, Mayfield stands ready to run roughshod over the Big 12. Be it distributing the ball to landmark stars or newcomers we barely know, Mayfield plays quarterback with a flair and an efficiency never before seen in Soonerland.
“Whether it’s elite talent around him or some young guys that you can see have that elite ability and are growing into their roles, the hardest thing to prepare for is the guy that sits at quarterback,” Campbell said. “His ability to spread the ball around, his own ability to get out of the pocket and make things happen, and his own ability to run, it’s what makes the whole engine go in terms of success.”
Campbell knows from experience. Last season in Ames, Perine was injured and didn’t play. Mixon took issue with a parking ticket and got himself suspended.
No matter. Mayfield leaned on his star (Westbrook caught a 65-yard touchdown pass) and his non-stars (Dimitri Flowers shifted to tailback and ran for 115 yards). The Sooners won 34-24.
Some day soon, hopefully not before next season, OU will discover again what it’s like to play a football game without Mayfield quarterbacking. Until then, advantage Sooners, no matter the opposition.
“Coupled by an outstanding offensive line, that’s the biggest and hardest preparation point,” Campbell said. “They’ve got the two foundational items that great offenses always have, and that’s a great quarterback and an elite offensive line.”
The Sooner balance is stunning. Few saw Abdul Adams as a possible marquee tailback. None saw Sermon that way. And the receivers? Unless voters call a spade a diamond and incorrectly list Andrews as a tight end, no Sooner receiver is likely to make all-Big 12. But the offense hums along more than fine.
“I have multiple go-to
guys,” Mayfield said. “It’s just not one against everybody else. We have more depth. I have a bunch of guys that I trust.
“Although we don’t have an established starter at running back, it’s been a joke in our locker room that it’s this person or, or, or on the (depth chart). It’s funny to us because we have so many guys that are so talented. I expected that. I said that before the season, that it’s going to be more spread out, it’s going to be more balanced, which is exactly true.”
Don’t be misled. The Sooners do NOT have talent the likes of Perine or Mixon or Westbrook. Maybe some day, these younger guys will be there. But not now.
And it doesn’t matter. The guy taking the snaps, with help from that burly line, makes all the difference.
His ability to spread the ball around, his own ability to get out of the pocket and make things happen, and his own ability to run, it’s what makes the whole engine go in terms of success.”
Iowa State coach Matt Campbell
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/ berrytramel