Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts' debut — which included 508 total yards of offense and six TDs in a 49-31 victory against Houston on Sunday — no doubt was felt from Norman, Okla., to Tuscaloosa, Ala.
It could be felt in New York in December, too. It goes without saying that Hurts' performance vaulted him straight into the early Heisman Trophy conversation – which comes easy knowing Oklahoma quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray won the prestigious award the last two seasons.
That Heisman drama could last in both Norman and Tuscaloosa all season, and we could have that Jalen or Tua discussion again. We are here for it. All of it.
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Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — who won the starting job over Hurts for the Crimson Tide last season and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting — picked up where he left off in the opener against Duke. He hit 26 of 31 passes for 336 yards and four TDs.
It's a reminder that Tagovailoa's standard performance is good enough to get him back to New York, and even with new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian the numbers won't fall that much. Tagovailoa will be in the thick of the Heisman Trophy discussion all season no matter what.
Hurts, however, upstaged that by hitting 20 of 23 passes for 332 passing yards. He added 16 carries for 176 yards. He's a natural fit in Lincoln Riley's offense, and if we're being honest, that performance was more than expected considering Hurts spent last season as a backup. He's going to put up monster numbers in the Big 12, and those rushing yards often are the difference in winning the Heisman. Voters sometimes simply can't get away from those stats.
What about Trevor Lawrence, you say? The Clemson quarterback is the best player in the country, but he might not be the best Heisman candidate on his own team. Running back Travis Etienne rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns in the opener, and the Tigers are going to be involved a lot of blowouts. Remember when Miami's Willis McGahee and Ken Dorsey finished fourth and fifth in the Heisman voting in 2002? This could be one of those situations, but we're not counting Lawrence out by any means.
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There are other candidates after one week, including Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor. A pair of Georgia transfer quarterbacks in Ohio State's Justin Fields and Washington's Jacob Eason could make for some interesting drama, too, if one of them makes it to New York ahead of junior quarterback Jake Fromm.
Yet there simply isn't a bigger story than that started when Tagovailoa replaced Hurts in the second half of the 2018 College Football Playoff championship game and led Alabama to a 26-23 victory. Hurts returned the favor in the SEC championship game in a 35-28 victory in the SEC championship game. These two quarterbacks' stories are intertwined, and that might be even tighter now with both leading playoff contenders in 2019.
Tagovailoa didn't win the Heisman last year, but he got the drop on Murray in the College Football Playoff semifinals in a 45-34 victory. If Oklahoma and Alabama's playoff paths cross again, then the matchup between Tagovailoa and Hurts would be a fitting final chapter, but there is a long way for both to get there.
If both succeed, there's a good chance Hurts and Tagovailoa will meet in New York first. For an award that has lacked drama the last few seasons, it doesn't get much bigger than that anywhere, much less Norman or Tuscaloosa.
Like we said, we're here for it.
All of it.
