Heisman candidate Mayfield powering Sooners’ hot start
Not only did Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield beat Ohio State in Columbus after last year’s Buckeyes blowout of the Sooners, he also powered his way into the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Mayfield is on a roll, and so are the Sooners.
The quarterback, a Heisman finalist last season, carved up the then-No. 2 Buckeyes in a national TV game Saturday night by repeatedly scrambling away from a robust pass rush and firing precision passes to receivers often wide open in the secondary. He completed 27 of 35 throws for 386 yards and three touchdowns in the 31-16 win. Meanwhile, Ohio State’s offense could not get out of second gear.
The game really wasn’t as close as the score, as Oklahoma lost fumbles on consecutive possessions in the first quarter and was locked in a 3-3 tie with the Buckeyes at the half. The Sooners took the lead for good near the end of the third quarter, and Mayfield poured it on in the fourth.
“We should have won by a lot more,” Mayfield said.
His performance came a week after the 22-year-old set a school record by starting the opener against UTEP with 16 straight completions. He was 19-for-20 for 329 yards and three TDs before taking a seat for the entire second half of the 56-7 home win. He hasn’t lost a game since last September’s stumble against Ohio State.
“Baker deserves a ton of credit,” said first-year Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley, who didn’t have to wait long for a signature win. “I mean, he’s a great player. He played extremely, extremely well tonight against a defense as good as theirs.”
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was disgusted with his team’s performance but recognized Mayfield’s effort.
“He’s a good player, really good player,” Meyer said. “And I told him afterward. Got a lot of respect. I love his competitiveness and energy. We had him wrapped up, I want to say, eight times and he came out of that thing.”
Oklahoma’s national-championship hopes are flickering brighter after the Ohio State win moved the Sooners up three spots in the AP Top 25 to No. 2, but they but have some tough games left, including three against currently ranked teams: at No. 19 Kansas State on Oct. 21, at No. 11 Oklahoma State on Nov. 4, and at home a week later against No. 23 TCU.
Ohio State fell six spots to No. 8.
As the Sooners celebrated late Saturday, Mayfield grabbed an Oklahoma flag and raced around the field before stopping and emphatically planting it in the middle of the block “O’’ logo at midfield as the Ohio State band stood and watched.
It was payback time for the Sooners, who had to watch Buckeyes players embrace and sing their alma mater on the field after the 45-24 loss at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium a year ago.
“It was embarrassing for them to sing their fight song on our field, and they probably feel the same way right now,” Mayfield said.
In other Top 25 notes:
Stanford’s 42-24 loss at USC knocked the Cardinal from 14th to 19th, and the Trojans rose two spots to No. 4.
Other Pac-12 teams in the poll: No. 6 Washington, No. 21 Washington State and No. 25 UCLA.
Washington State actually lost a spot after its triple-overtime, 47-44 comeback win against Boise State. The visiting Broncos led 31-10 early in the fourth quarter, but Cougars backup quarterback Tyler Hilinski led the rally after starter Luke Falk went out with an injury.
Six SEC teams are in the Top 25, led by No. 1 Alabama. Like the Pac-12, the ACC has five teams, with the Big Ten and Big 12 at four apiece.
The other spot: the American Athletic Conference. South Florida is at No. 22.