Jalen Hurts proves he can live up to recent Oklahoma QB legacy

Oklahoma’s last two quarterbacks won the Heisman Trophy and went first overall in the following NFL draft, but Jalen Hurts showed all he’s capable of in his Sooners’ debut.

The recent legacy of Oklahoma Sooners’ quarterbacks is unmatched, with back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners and No. 1 picks in the NFL draft. So when Jalen Hurts decided to head to Norman as a grad transfer from Alabama he had a high standard to live up to, but in his debut Sunday night he produced at a level Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray never touched.

The Houston Cougars are not one of the country’s best defenses, as they allowed 57.8 points per game in their five losses last year and lost six starters from that unit. But Hurts looked comfortable operating Lincoln Riley’s offense, completing 20-of-23 passes for 332 yards (10 different players caught passes) and three touchdowns along with 16 carries for 176 yards and three more scores. The Sooners finished with 686 yards of offense on 61 snaps (11.2 yards per snap).

Hurts joined Johnny Manziel (2012) as the only players in the last 15 years with 300 yards passing and three touchdowns and 150 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

His 508 yards of total offense is now the record for someone in their Oklahoma debut, with the second-most rushing yards for a quarterback in school’s triple-option filled history (Thomas Lott-195 yards in 1976). Murray’s single-game high last year was 478 total yards, and Hurts had 493 yards of offense by the end of the third quarter. He was a combination of Mayfield’s passing acumen against Houston, with athleticism close to Murray’s and the size (listed at 6-foot-2, 219 pounds) to hold up running between the tackles.

The only mark on Hurts’ performance Sunday night was a second quarter fumble. But in the vein of his former head coach Nick Saban, he saw room for improvement when talking to ESPN’s Holly Rowe after the game.

Riley deserves a lot of credit for an offensive scheme that makes it easy on the quarterback. But that quarterback still has to recognize and execute, and Hurts showed all he can do when the reigns are taken off in a more wide-open offense. As such, his Heisman Trophy and NFL prospects are on the rise.