While Oklahoma as a team is making the biggest strides in recent weeks toward a spot in the college football playoff, the Sooners’ quarterback is making a similar move in the Heisman Trophy race.
After helping his team knock off Oklahoma State on the road on Saturday, Baker Mayfield nearly tripled his points from last week to move into a tie for third with Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey in the USA TODAY Sports Heisman Trophy survey.
Mayfield, a junior who transferred from Texas Tech, is third in the country in passing efficiency, second in yards per attempt and tied for fifth in passing touchdowns. The 11-1 Sooners are done for the regular season since the Big 12 has no championship game.
The final standings will be released Sunday. Heisman votes are due next week with announcement set for Dec. 12 in New York.
Mayfield cannot do more to help himself. In Saturday’s 58-23 win against Oklahoma State, he was 17-for-25 for 180 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown.
The clear leader in the weekly survey of editors and reporters with Heisman votes from properties own by Gannett is Alabama running back Derrick Henry, whose team will meet Florida on Saturday in the SEC Championship game. In last week’s 29-13 win at Auburn, he had a school-record 46 carries for 271 yards.
Henry leads the nation in rushing touchdowns (22) and rushing yards (1,797). He is third in yards per game (149.8) behind LSU’s Leonard Fournette (158.3) and FSU’s Dalvin Cook (150.7).
Fournette, who led the first few Heisman surveys, did not receive a mention this week. Cook stands fifth. The number of players receiving mentions in the survey dropped from 10 to seven.
Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, a solid second, has one more game, Saturday against North Carolina in the ACC title game. Also with another game is McCaffrey, whose team plays Southern California on Saturday in the Pac-12 title game.
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