Oklahoma’s Murray’s steady play, strong finish led to Heisman Trophy

When Kyler Murray stepped up and hoisted the Heisman Trophy into the air Saturday night in New York, the Oklahoma quarterback completed one of the most impressive rallies of his young career, overtaking Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa down the stretch to capture college football’s top individual prize.

If this were a horse race, Murray was a longshot (22-1) when the season started, buried behind the likes of Tagovailoa (7-1), Stanford’s Bryce Love (7-1), Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor (8-1), Georgia’s Jake Fromm (12-1) and Arizona’s Khalil Tate (15-1).

Much like a summer sunburn, many of those players faded away down the stretch, leaving many to believe Tagovailoa would join the likes of Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield (2017), Louisville’s Lamar Jackson (2016) and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota (2014) as runaway winners.

But despite building what many perceived as an insurmountable lead through the first 10 weeks of the season, Tagovailoa struggled down the stretch as he battled injuries. He was forced to leave the SEC Championship Game, with backup Jalen Hurts leading Alabama to a come-from-behind win over Georgia.

Murray, meanwhile, accounted for 2,100 yards and 17 total touchdowns during the final five weeks of the season, including leading Oklahoma to its fourth consecutive Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.