For the third straight season a transfer quarterback at OU is a Heisman contender and will have a legitimate chance to win the Heisman Trophy while leading his new team to the Final Four Playoff.
We all know the Jalen Hurts story. He was 26-2 at Alabama. He was a starter as a freshman on a Alabama team which won a national championship team and was then yanked at halftime the next season as his team went on to win another national championship.
Hurts was then the backup quarterback and stayed as the backup quarterback at Alabama as he saved the Tides’ post season last year with his second half heroics against Georgia.
As a graduate transfer he decided to take his final season of college eligibility and go play for quarterback guru Lincoln Riley at OU.
And here we are after OU’s 49-31 season opening win over Houston realizing once again Lincoln Riley has a quarterback with something to prove and the ability to prove it on the Heisman stage.
Jalen Hurts was simply stunning in his OU debut with 508 total yards hitting 20 of his 23 passes and rushing for over 170 yards. He passed for three touchdowns and ran for three touchdowns.
To be frank, he made Baker Mayfield look a little pedestrian in comparison. No human alive makes Kyler Murray look pedestrian so I won’t go there.
But after watching this college football season’s first real week-end of games—I would think Hurts put himself on most voters top three Heisman watch list with his OU debut against Houston.
I’m not ready to say anything about OU’s defense yet, though they do appear to at least be better than last season’s train wreck which couldn’t get off the field except when the other team scored a touchdown.
I’m not ready to say OU with Hurts with this defense could beat Clemson or Alabama, but by the same token I wouldn’t say they couldn’t beat either of those teams if this defense continues to get better every week of this college football season.
OU versus Texas for the second straight season should be special… especially if Texas gets by LSU next week-end in Austin. I would guess every Sooner set of eyes will be glued to a flat screen watching the Horns host LSU.
But regardless of that outcome… OU for the third straight season is in the hunt not only for a Final Four slot, but a Heisman as well.
Jalen Hurts at OU is not only the Heisman story, but in the event OU meets Alabama again it will become college football’s story this season if OU can get past Texas in the Big 12.