Baker Mayfield is unquestionably college football’s best quarterback in 2017, and is now the clear Heisman Trophy favorite according to Las Vegas sportsbooks. He seemingly controls his own destiny for the award and has enough big stages to upend Penn State's Saquon Barkley from the top spot of the Heisman race.
More importantly, he has Oklahoma controlling its own destiny in its bid to make the College Football Playoff.
MORE: Mayfield's historic game closes gap with Barkley in Heisman race
The Sooners play TCU this coming week, and could face them again in the Big 12 title game. If Mayfield wins both of those games, plus a regular season-ending game against West Virginia, it's difficult to see Oklahoma out of the playoff.
And while the team will remain focused on the Horned Frogs, the Oklahoma offense appears ready to do battle with any of the top teams in the country, in large part thanks to Mayfield’s play. And all the while, NFL teams watch in awe as the 6-1 playmaker proves doubters wrong and earns “top quarterback” marks.
Mayfield's mental confidence
Oklahoma State has quietly had a quality, consistent defensive unit. Before Mayfield, they allowed just one quarterback to pass for more than 300 yards all season (Texas Tech’s Nic Shimonek), and held TCU’s Kenny Hill and West Virginia’s Will Grier to just four touchdowns combined to six interceptions.
But Mayfield had arguably the best game of his college career against the Cowboys, and showcased his NFL-level confidence and poise throughout. Mayfield consistently out-played the Oklahoma State pass rush and secondary, using his eyes and timing to set up his receivers for yards-after-catch opportunities.
Plays like the one below sometimes go overlooked in displaying Mayfield’s NFL-ready development as a pocket quarterback. He recognized Oklahoma State had a single-high safety look before snapping the ball, and knew he had to lure the free safety outside. He keeps his eyes locked on the wheel route receiver to the right to get the safety to adjust. The safety’s lack of balance to recover opens up the inside slant, and Mayfield places the ball perfectly for a run after the catch — and touchdown.
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That route could easily have been caught for a first down. But it was Mayfield's ability to set up his receivers that allowed it to go for a score. And he did it on nearly every play against the Cowboys.
MORE: Mayfield makes his mark on Bedlam, Oklahoma
Mobility for a cause
Mayfield has often been compared to former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel as a college passer and NFL prospect. But apart from their relatively similar size and athleticism, the comparisons stop there.
Mayfield’s mobility and foot speed are put to their best use when he’s able to get outside the pocket, keep defenses honest and attack vertically. Mayfield, not unlike Drew Brees of the NFL's New Orleans Saints, is able to thrive on the move with eye manipulation and remarkable ball placement. Plays like the one below should have even elite defenders feeling uncomfortable.
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Prepared for pressure
Oklahoma State wasn’t able to pressure Mayfield often enough thanks to a fantastic effort by the Sooners offensive line, an under-appreciated aspect of Oklahoma’s dominating effort against Ohio State earlier in the year — and its nearly perfect run through the Big 12 thus far. Mayfield’s confidence has grown thanks to the trust he has in his front five.
But against the country’s best defenses, including TCU this upcoming week, Mayfield likely won’t have the luxury of a consistently clean pocket in which he can operate. He will have less opportunities to step up in the pocket and create plays with his eyes. Instead, he’ll need to adjust and finish throws from the pocket under duress.
Mayfield converted four third downs against Oklahoma State when they sent five or more rushers, all of which required more than five yards to convert. Mayfield’s preparedness for the pressure not only showed his ability to adjust, but also in his patience and composure to progress through his reads.
In the play below, Mayfield recognizes pre-snap that he’s going to see at least five pass-rushers on this crucial, late-game third-and-9. He plants his back foot to gain balance and check his first read: the left side perimeter receiver. After ruling him out, he works back to the middle of the field for his tight end, who doesn’t have the room to pick up the first down. Then, all while facing pressure, Mayfield steps up again in the pocket and delivers a strike to a late-breaking receiver to convert.
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Plays like that can be recognized as huge individual victories and building blocks for game plans against any defense in the country, which should also bring persistent pressure against the Sooners quarterback. To beat the TCUs and other top defenses — as well as succeed in the NFL — you need a quarterback who’s confident, controlled and prepared under pressure.
Mayfield has shown the confidence, composure, and preparedness to outmatch any defense he has played throughout his senior season. And with Heisman voters, NFL decision-makers and the rest of the country watching, Mayfield has already proven he’s ready to rise to the occasion.