Oklahoma Sooner quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered concussions in two of his final three games last season. With the departure of their top two back-up signal callers, Trevor Knight to Texas A&M and Cody Thomas, to play baseball, OU will have a true freshman, Austin Kendall (Waxhall, NC), to fill in as the number two man. Kendall has been on campus during this semester and is getting second team reps this Spring. Transfer Kyler Murray, the much ballyhooed Texas A&M recruit of 2015, is on campus but is not eligible to play this season.
Can Sooner coaches get Mayfield to alter his style of play, that of reckless abandoned? With Ohio State, one of the hardest hitting teams in the country in the second game of the season, he will be tested early. A third concussion could be a final blow for a title this year in Norman, both in conference and nationally. It also could be the end of his career. Continual brain bruises leave lasting effects and becoming loopy later in life is never a good thing. If OU fans see Kendall in games that have not been decided, OU is not in a good place. That could be the end all of the Mayfield era in Norman.
Can Mayfield make the necessary on-field changes in his play? The offense of Lincoln Riley (offensive coordinator) is not changing, so it will be up to the All-American to adjust. As Riley stated yesterday (as of the Oklahoman newspaper):
“I can try and tell him, but it’s live by the sword and die by the sword,” offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said after Tuesday’s practice. “It’s what makes him a good player. You’ve gotta balance that. Are there times he cannot take an unnecessary shot? Of course. Those are the ones we’ll try and eliminate.
“At the same time, football is a dangerous game. If you play it hesitant or tentative, it doesn’t matter if he’s out there or standing next to me, it’s not gonna work.”
The Sooner chances for a return to the National Championship and Big 12 challenge in 2016 rests on the health of Mayfield. Make no mistake about that Sooner Nation.
Feature Photo: Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield is helped back to the bench after being shaken up on a play late in the fourth quarter during Thursday’s Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla. Clemson won, 37-17. (Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman)
comments by Baker himself today (March 30) tells us that he is not going to change his style of play.