5 reasons Kyler Murray should win the Heisman Trophy
By Ethan Lee
Statistically, Kyler Murray is having a better season than Baker Mayfield had last season
Murray and Baker Mayfield are going to be compared rather frequently and for good reason. The two are some of the most exciting and electrifying players in college football history and they both ended up at OU after things didn’t work out for them at their colleges in Texas.
Mayfield had three stellar years in Norman with his final season being the most impressive. Last year, Mayfield was awarded the 2017 Heisman Trophy after a season in which he guided the Sooners to the College Football Playoff and threw for 4,627 yards, 43 touchdowns and just six interceptions while completing 70.5 percent of his passes.
Right now, Murray is in a similar situation after guiding Oklahoma back to the playoffs and winning the Big-12, and his numbers are slightly better than what Mayfield did a season ago.
Even though Mayfield had the reputation of a dual-threat quarterback, he was primarily a passer and he demonstrated that throughout his career. In 2017, Mayfield ran for just 311 yards and 5 touchdowns. That brings his total yardage responsible for up to 4938 yards and his total touchdowns responsible for to 48.
After playing 13 games to Mayfield’s 14 in 2017, Murray has bested those numbers thanks in large part to his legs. Murray is much more of a dual-threat quarterback than Mayfield ever was and his athleticism makes him significantly more difficult to defend than Mayfield.
Through the air, Murray is every bit as polished of a passer as his predecessor, throwing for 4053 yards and 40 touchdowns against seven interceptions while completing 70.9 percent of his passes. To go with his success through the air, Murray has run for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns. In total, Murray has produced 4945 yards and 51 touchdowns. Oh, and Murray’s Passing Efficiency Rating currently sits at an astonishing 205.7. Mayfield’s ended 2017 at 198.9.
In almost every single metric possible, Murray is having a better season than Mayfield’s Heisman winning season. That alone should be enough to crown Murray, but if it isn’t, there are a few more reasons that might help.