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NORMAN, Okla. – For months, college football fans and the media have wondered what Oklahoma's offensive might look like with Kyler Murray as a leader instead of Baker Mayfield.
On Saturday, they had their answer.
Murray was far from perfect against the Bruins, but Oklahoma (2-0), No. 6, still won a 49-21 win over UCLA (0-2) on Saturday, thanks to five junior quarterback touchdowns and a stingy performance. of Mike Stoops' new defense.
"The only guys I'm disappointed in are (Oakland A general manager) Billy Beane," said UCLA coach Chip Kelly, referring to Murray's baseball career. "I wish he would give the kid more money and a bigger prize, so maybe No. 1 would not be there because he's a real talented player."
Despite Kelly's praise, it was far from perfect. The mistakes were obvious and unfamiliar to the Sooners, who got used to Mayfield's historic efficiency levels.
He launched his first interception earlier. He had several passes beaten to the line. He was late on a few shots and let others navigate open receivers.
Nevertheless, Murray's stats line was impressive – 19 out of 33 for 306 yards and three touchdowns, plus two more points on the ground. But that did not obscure his self-assessment.
"The little things I'm proud of," Murray said when asked what he wanted to be better. "A lot of balls that were incomplete that we should complete as we finished before."
Murray's 19 of 33 do not look so bad, but that equates to a 58% completion mark. Mayfield only played in a match with such a low completion percentage over the past two seasons: the OU's home defeat at Ohio State in 2016.
The bad news for Oklahoma: that's what the Sooners offense is now. Murray's height means that passing through the line of scrimmage could be an impossible problem. His lack of experience with the first receivers of the team means that he will probably never have the chemistry that Mayfield has enjoyed in the last two years.
The good news for Oklahoma: that's what the Sooners offense is now. The OU has consistently produced 49 points against a quality opponent in P5, and his first team has always been resting on a good part of the fourth quarter. Murray's offense was seven yards per game despite a nonexistent racing game and a potentially serious injury to star running back Rodney Anderson.
"There is a lot of work to be done, but it's exciting not to have played as well as we wanted, but we still had success," Murray said. "They were very heavy in the blitz, they packed the box and that allowed us to throw the ball a little bit."
Even if in doubt about Anderson's status, opposing teams could adopt a similar strategy of stacking the box and forcing Murray to beat them with his arm. He says he's ready for that.
"If they want to do that, then go ahead and do it," Murray said. "I am confident in myself. I do not have a problem throwing the ball. That's what you get at the University of Oklahoma. You throw the ball. You give it to big backs. I'm not too worried that "
Oklahoma will have to better prepare the game, but overall, it seems like a sustainable formula. Some training will stop because of Murray's limitations, but his talent and versatility will allow him to flourish.
"You think there's going to be a big fall when you go to a Heisman Trophy winner, but this kid is very special," Kelly said.
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