Split Decision: The Mayfield-Westbrook conundrum
NORMAN, Okla. — Less than a month before Oklahoma’s season-opening loss to Houston, Baker Mayfield was in good spirits.
The former walk-on quarterback just finished a morning of signing autographs for young Sooner fans at “Meet The Sooners” Day — shoes he once filled as a kid.
“I love it so much, because I know I was in the same exact spot at one point in my life; looking up to somebody and hoping that I could go up to them and say hi to them or be around them,” Mayfield said on Aug. 6. “I love that so much, and being able to make an impact on kids. If they were anything like me, they would remember this the rest of their lives.
“I remember coming down here and giving a high-five to a player coming out on the field for warm-ups. He probably doesn’t even remember, but it makes a difference, even if the players don’t know it, it makes a difference to those kids.”
Mayfield now wears the cleats of a starting quarterback at Oklahoma, and all he needs is the Heisman Trophy to complete the outfit.
He finished fourth in last year’s Heisman voting—a respectable finish for a first-year starter in a crowded pool of candidates. But winning it this season might be even more difficult.
Mayfield remembers when Jason White and Adrian Peterson were featured in the same Sooner backfield. Both made the trip to New York for the 2004 Heisman Trophy presentation, but both left empty-handed.
Mayfield contends, “they stole votes from each other. If only one of them would’ve went, one of them would’ve won.
The victorious USC Trojan quarterback Matt Leinhart received 267 first-place votes. Peterson and White received a combined 325.
The same problem could occur this December with Mayfield competing for college football’s most prestigious individual with someone in his own lockerroom.
Enter Dede Westbrook.
If not for Heisman favorite Lamar Jackson, the Oklahoma receiver might be the breakout story of the season.
He’s explosive, he rarely loses a foot race, he’s crafty and he’s Mayfield’s favorite target.
OU has launched its Heisman campaign for both players, but voters will likely face the same problem they did 12 years ago: Mayfield/White or Westbrook/Peterson?
On Aug. 6, no one anticipated Westbrook would have the season he’s enjoyed. So when asked what it would be like to head to New York with someone like, say Samaje Perine, Mayfield’s response probably would be similar if the question was asked about sharing the spotlight with Westbrook.
“That would be very special,” Mayfield said of the hypothetical. “That would be a memory I’ll always cherish, but at the same time, that would mean that we’ve had a very good year and we’re probably in a good spot to be in the final four again. And that’s the ultimate goal. If that comes with it, then so be it. But the main goal is to get in the final four again.”
The part about the final four might cut a bit for OU fans. But there’s no question, it’s been a good year for Oklahoma. Just not quite as good as everyone expected.
Regardless, winning the Heisman Trophy is difficult. It’s a culmination of peaking at the right time, exposure, signature plays, a quality team, a great background story and an undeniable X-factor.
At least one of Mayfield and Westbrook has a good shot at an invite to N.Y. if Twitter’s Heisman fan poll is any indication of who the top candidates are at the moment.
But winning the thing? That might be as difficult as trying to beat Westbrook in a foot race.
