Baker Mayfield didn’t need to whomp the hell out of Ohio State on Saturday to convince anybody that he’s a star. The Oklahoma quarterback’s been great since 2015, when he led OU to a Playoff berth. He leveled up in 2016, when he broke Russell Wilson’s single-season FBS passer efficiency record with a 196.4 rating.
4 ways Baker Mayfield’s dominance of Ohio State was extra brilliant
Mayfield was masterful all around. Then he stuck a flag in the middle of Ohio State’s field.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mayfield was even more efficient than usual in Columbus. His rating was 198.1, fueled by three touchdowns and 386 yards on 27-of-35 passing. Those are all-world numbers, obviously, but they’re particularly impressive given these circumstances.
1. Mayfield did it without maybe his best target, tight end Mark Andrews.
Andrews was supposed to be a matchup nightmare for the Buckeyes. The big-bodied, athletic tight end is one of the best in the country, and Ohio State doesn’t have anyone who seemed likely to cover him well. But Andrews left injured in the first half, when he was only two catches and 23 yards into his night.
2. Oklahoma’s running game wasn’t working, and Mayfield still thrived.
The truism that the run feeds the pass and vice versa is, well, true. The Sooners were facing an elite Ohio State front, which had given up 17 yards on 27 carries to Indiana in its season opener 10 days earlier. The Sooners did better but still poorly: 104 ground yards on 37 carries, for a 2.8-yard average. Ohio State wasn’t selling out the pass to stop the run, either. The Buckeyes played a usual nickel defense for most of the game, and Mayfield carved it up without getting help from his backfield mates.
3. He spread the ball around like he was putting cream cheese on a bagel.
Nine Sooners caught his passes. None had more than seven catches or 98 yards. All had at least 12 yards. One way to beat a talented defense is to make it treat every eligible receiver on the field as a legit threat. He had reason to trust everyone he was looking toward, because the worst catch rate of any of them was five receptions on seven targets. The quarterback was surgical all night long.
The Sooners also had Ohio State’s defense guessing all night, using play-action and option reads to put the Buckeyes badly out of position. This was chess, and the Sooners badly outclassed the guys on the other side.
4. Mayfield ended his night by SPEARING A FLAG INTO OHIO STATE’S FIELD.
Last year, Mayfield had a really bad game against Ohio State. After his backup quarterback claimed he’d “light up” a “basic” Buckeye defense, that unit held Mayfield to 226 yards on 17-of-32 throwing, with two picks to match his two touchdowns. It wasn’t the worst effort, but Mayfield struggled.
So on Saturday, he took his revenge. Then he spiked an OU flag directly into the heart of the Horseshoe to make sure nobody’d forget it.
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