Mayfield: ‘No doubt’ Sooners have chance at CFP
Despite some closer-thanexpected games recently and then the loss to Iowa State, Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield says the goal of making it to the College Football Playoff and winning there remains very realistic.
“No doubt,” Mayfield said. “I don’t even think we’ve scratched the surface of what this team can do. We’ve seen the flashes here and there.
“When you see those flashes, we’re playing with an edge.”
The Sooners have been uneven since the win at Ohio State on Sept. 9.
“But second half of Kansas State (on Saturday) was the best half we’ve played, I’d say even more so than against Ohio State,” Mayfield said. “You build on it. You want to be playing your best ball toward the end of the season. So for us, I have no doubt right now.”
Saturday’s game shaping up as big recruiting weekend
The game against Texas Tech on Saturday looks like it’ll be Oklahoma’s biggest recruiting weekend of the season.
The Sooners are expected to host a long list of big-time recruits, including 12 players who are already committed to the school. Those include Tulsa Union safety Patrick Fields; Waco (Texas) Midway quarterback Tanner Mordecai; Putnam City defensive end Ron Tatum; and Westmoore offensive tackle Brey Walker.
It’ll be the uncommitted prospects, though, that will draw the most attention, most notably 2018 defensive end Micah Parsons from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and 2019 wide receiver Jadon Haselwood of Ellenwood, Georgia, two five-star recruits.
Haselwood is committed to Georgia, but his father, Jeremy, is from the Oklahoma City area.
Badet: ‘I’m an old man’
Oklahoma wide receiver Jeff Badet was having a big game two weeks ago against Texas when he felt a tweak in his knee after making his second catch of the game.
Badet didn’t return but played in last week’s win at Kansas State and said the knee is no longer an issue.
“I’m an old man, but I’m doing good,” Badet said. “After the Texas game, I hurt me knee on a play — it was the same knee I hurt last year at Kentucky, like sprained my MCL. It irked me to where I couldn’t play. But I’m good now.”
Pair of Sooners make Earl Campbell Award honorable mention
Both Mayfield and Sooners running back Rodney Anderson were named to the honorable mention roll call for The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week.
Mayfield threw for 410 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 69 yards and two more scores in Oklahoma’s 42-35 win at Kansas State.
Anderson ran for 147 yards and a touchdowns on 19 carries and caught one of Mayfield’s touchdown passes.
The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award recognizes the top offensive player in Division I football who exhibits integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity.
The award honors college football players who were born in Texas, graduated from a Texas high school, played at a Texas-based junior college or are attending a Division I school in Texas.
Walk-On Wednesday: OL Ian McIver
Ian McIver has known he wanted to be a Sooner for awhile.
The walk-on offensive lineman from Keller, Texas, played for a youth football team coached by former Sooner Reggie Barnes and played alongside Barnes’ son, Robert.
“He took us to a game one time, and after I saw everything and the traditions and all that kind of stuff, I was like, ‘That is the college I want to go to no matter what.’ Basically, that’s why I got hooked on OU.”
That youth team was known as the Sooners and now McIver and Robert are teammates in Norman.
“It’s crazy,” McIver said. “When we first came here and we did our first photo shoot, it just blew my mind because we grew up in that little Sooner uniform. It was almost like a replica of this.”