San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Heisman Trophy: Murray, an A’s draft pick, wins award
Award sets up playoff matchup with runner-up from Alabama
NEW YORK — Kyler Murray waited three years to fulfill the five-star potential he brought to college football. With one shot to deliver, Murray replaced a Heisman Trophy winner by becoming a Heisman Trophy winner. The Oklahoma quarterback won college football’s most prestigious individual award Saturday night, beating out Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and setting up a College Football Playoff matchup of Heisman winner versus runner-up.
“This is crazy,” said Murray, also an outfielder who was the A’s first-round draft pick this year. “This is an honor, something that I’ll never forget. Something that I’ll always cherish for the rest of my life.”
The fourth-ranked Sooners play the top-ranked Crimson Tide in the Orange Bowl semifinal Dec. 29 in the seventh bowl matchup of Heisman winner and runner-up, and first since second-place finisher Vince Young and Texas beat Reggie Bush and USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
This season, Murray stepped into the starting job at Oklahoma held by last year’s Heisman winner and first overall NFL draft pick, Baker Mayfield. Oklahoma is the first school to have Heismanwinning quarterbacks in consecutive seasons and the fifth overall with winners in backto-back years. Mayfield was also a finalist in 2016.
“Luckily, we’ve been here three years in a row,” Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. “We’re going to have to start paying taxes here.”
Unlike most seasons, the winner was no foregone conclusion, but Murray (517 firstplace votes and 2,167 points) ended up with a fairly comfortable margin of 296 points over Tagovailoa. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, the other finalists, was third with 783 points. Three more quarterbacks followed: Will Grier of West Virginia, Gardner Minshew II of Washington State and McKenzie Milton of Central Florida. Murray appeared on 92 percent of the Heisman ballots, third most all time. Tagovailoa’s 1,871 points was the most for a runner-up in the 84-year history of the Heisman.
Murray, a pinpoint passer and explosive runner, surpassed the production of Mayfield. Murray has averaged 380 yards of offense per game and accounted for 51 touchdowns in leading the Sooners to the Big 12 title and the playoff. Mayfield averaged 353 yards of offense and accounted for 49 touchdowns as Oklahoma won the conference title and lost a playoff semifinal to Georgia.
“This didn’t just happen,” Murray said later during a news conference. “I’ve put so much time and effort into this game.”
Whether Murray has one or two more games left this season, his agent told The Chronicle that Murray will report to spring training with the A’s after signing a $4.66 million contract in June.
Ralph D. Russo is an Associated Press writer.