Hand the Heisman to Kyler Murray, but not just because of Saturday. Rather, because of what he has done the entirety of the season. Sure, Tua Tagovailoa seems to be the media darling and Dwayne Haskins has a compelling case. However, what Kyler Murray has done this season is at least on par with Baker Mayfield’s Heisman year of 2017, if not better. Let’s take a look at why we should hand the Heisman to Kyler Murray this season.
Hand the Heisman to Kyler Murray
Ridiculous numbers
The numbers
Even before championship Saturday arrived, Kyler Murray was the front-runner for the Heisman because of the production. Murray became the first player ever to average over 300 yards passing along with 60 yards or more rushing per game for an entire season. Going into the Big 12 title game against Texas, Murray had completed 70.6 percent of his passes for 3,674 yards along with 37 touchdowns. Impressively, he only threw seven interceptions in 306 attempts. Additionally, he had run 113 times for 853 yards along with 11 touchdowns.
In the 39-27 win over Texas to win OU’s fourth consecutive Big 12 title, Murray had a stellar game completing 25 of 34 passes for 379 yards along with three touchdowns. He also rushed 10 times for 39 yards. Murray moved to number one in passer rating ahead of Tagovailoa on the heels of his struggles against Georgia. Murray has now incredibly thrown for 4,053 yards with 40 touchdowns while rushing for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns. So, that is 51 touchdowns accounted for this season, which is staggering.
Through the Big 12 title game, Murray has a completion percentage of 70.9 percent, which ranks second in the nation behind Jack Abraham of Southern Miss. However, Abraham only played in nine games. His 40 passing touchdowns rank second in the nation behind Dwayne Haskins of Ohio State who attempted 156 more passes than Murray. Murray ranks second on the nation in total offense per game behind Gardner Minshew of Washington State. He is only 1.3 yards behind Minshew’s pace actually. His total yards sit at 4,945, which places him first in the nation ahead of Haskins by 243.
Comparison with Baker Mayfield’s 2017 season
| Kyler Murray – 70.9 percent, 4.053 yards, 40 TD’s, 7 INT’s, 205.72 rating, 26.2 attempts per game, 311.8 passing yards per game. 123 carries 892 yards, 11 TD’s |
| Baker Mayfield – 70.5 percent, 4,627 yards, 43 TD’s, 6 INT’s, 198.92 rating, 28.9 attempts per game, 330.5 passing yards per game, 97 carries 311 yards, 5 TD’s |
Joy to watch
Why else should we hand the Heisman to Kyler Murray? He is simply the most electrifying player in college football, hands down. If he is able to find any crease, he is likely taking the ball to the house with his awesome speed. Certainly, his accuracy is rather impressive, especially on deep throws. Additionally, his ability to look off safeties and linebackers has been key to his success. Clearly, Oklahoma has a fantastic system, however, it takes a dynamic player like Kyler Murray to run it.
Overcoming horrific defense
Week in and week out, Murray had to overcome one of the nation’s worst defenses, which is another reason to hand the Heisman to Kyler Murray. Granted, OU made some key defensive plays during these last couple of games against West Virginia and Texas. However, OU finished with the nations 108th ranked defense giving up a staggering 448.1 yards per game. Oklahoma finished 96th in scoring defense giving up 32.4 points per game. That means Murray faced constant pressure to perform each and every possession all season long, and he delivered. In fact, Murray led Oklahoma to the number one scoring offense in the nation at an amazing 49.5 points per game. Additionally, they rank number one in yards per game at a whopping 577.9.
Final words
Undoubtedly, it seems quite clear that we should hand the Heisman to Kyler Murray. He has been the best player in college football, even though Tua Tagovailoa has received most of the attention. Murray has certainly overcome a horrible defense, passed every test and consistently performed every single week.
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– David Creekmur covers College Football/Basketball, WNBA and College Women’s Sports for Full Press Coverage. Like and follow on Twitter Follow @dmcreek Follow @FPC_College
