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Monday 10 deceMber 2018

Oklahoma’s Murray beats Alabama’s Tagovailoa for Heisman

By RALPH D. RUSSO state championships at the
AP College Football Writer state’s highest level and his
NEW YORK (AP) — Kyler team went 42-0 with him
Murray waited three years starting. “Kyler’s journey, in
to fulfill the five-star poten- particular, it’s kind of the
tial he brought to college stuff of legends,” Riley said.
football. With one shot to “But with all the high points
deliver, Murray replaced a there’s been a lot of tough
Heisman Trophy winner by moments.”
becoming a Heisman Tro- Murray signed with Texas
phy winner. A&M in 2015 but trans-
The Oklahoma quarter- ferred after one tumultu-
back won college foot- ous season. At Oklahoma,
ball’s most prestigious in- the plan was to sit out the
dividual award Saturday 2016 season to fulfil NCAA
night, beating out Ala- transfer rules and then step
bama’s Tua Tagovailoa in for Mayfield in 2017. But
and setting up a College Mayfield was granted an
Football Playoff matchup extra year of eligibility and
of Heisman winner versus returned for 2017, relegat-
runner-up. ing Murray to backing up
“This is crazy,” Murray said the best quarterback in the
in his acceptance speech. country.
“This is an honor, something This season, as the focal
that I’ll never forget. Some- point of Riley’s creative of-
thing that I’ll always cherish fense, Murray developed
for the rest of my life.” into the dominant player
The fourth-ranked Sooners he had seemed destined
play the top-ranked Crim- Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray poses with the Heisman Trophy after winning the award to become while at Allen.
son Tide in the Orange Bowl Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018, in New York. “I trusted the process,” Mur-
semifinal Dec. 29 in the sev- Associated Press ray said. He fought back
enth bowl matchup of Heis- fairly comfortable margin for 49 touchdowns as Okla- pionship game against tears while thanking Riley
man winner and runner-up, of 296 points over Tago- homa won the conference Georgia and leaving early during his speech.
and first since second- vailoa. Ohio State quarter- and lost a playoff semifinal with a sprained ankle. “You pushed me harder
place finisher Vince Young back Dwayne Haskins, the to Georgia. Murray’s first season as a than any coach ever has
and Texas beat Reggie other finalist, was a distant “This didn’t just happen,” starting quarterback in col- and I just want to say thank
Bush and Southern Califor- third with 783 points. Three Murray said later during a lege is set up to also be you for believing in me
nia in the 2006 Rose Bowl. more quarterbacks fol- news conference. “I’ve put his last. The junior already and allowing me to be the
This season, Murray stepped lowed: Will Grier of West so much time and effort signed a $4.66 million con- quarterback of this team.
into the starting job at Okla- Virginia, Gardner Minshew into this game.” tract with the Oakland Ath- The leader of this team,”
homa held by last year’s II of Washington State and Murray said he was in con- letic after he was selected Murray said.
Heisman winner and first McKenzie Milton of Central stant contact with Mayfield in the first round of the Ma- Murray is the fourth Oklaho-
overall NFL draft pick, Baker Florida. this week. jor League Baseball draft ma quarterback since 2003
Mayfield. Oklahoma is the Murray appeared on 92 “It was just casual, bro to in June. Listed at 5-foot-10 to win the Heisman, joining
first school with Heisman- percent of the Heisman bro. He just told me to en- and 195 pounds, Murray Jason White, Sam Bradford
winning quarterbacks in ballots, third most all time. joy it. Have fun with it. It’s is small for an NFL quarter- and Mayfield, and the 16th
consecutive seasons and Tagovailoa’s 1,871 points a once-in-a-lifetime deal,” back but talented enough quarterback overall to win
the fifth overall with win- was the most for a runner- Murray said. to be an intriguing pros- the award in the last 19
ners in back-to-back years. up in the 84-year history of Tagovailoa was the Heis- pect if he ever decided to years.
Mayfield was also a finalist the Heisman. man front-runner for most give it a try. Oklahoma’s seventh Heis-
in 2016. Murray, a pinpoint passer of the season, but Murray For the next month, though, man matches Ohio State,
“Luckily, we’ve been here and explosive runner, sur- surged late as the Sooners Murray is focused on cap- Southern California and
three years in a row,” Okla- passed the production of turned to him and the rest ping his college career with Notre Dame for the most
homa coach Lincoln Riley Mayfield. Murray has aver- of their offense to bail out a national championship. by any school. That means
said. “We’re going to have aged 380 yards of offense a leaky defense down the He took a circuitous route another statue in Heisman
to start paying taxes here.” per game and accounted stretch. Meanwhile, Tago- to get to a place most al- Park in Norman, next to Me-
Unlike most seasons, the for 51 touchdowns in lead- vailoa picked a bad time ways expected him to be. morial Stadium.
winner was no foregone ing the Sooners to the Big 12 to have his worst game of Playing for Texas power- “I just hope they put the
conclusion, but Murray (517 title and the playoff. May- the season, throwing two house Allen High School, bandana on me,” Murray
first-place votes and 2,167 field averaged 353 yards interceptions in the South- just outside of Dallas, Mur- said. “I hope they get the
points) ended up with a of offense and accounted eastern Conference cham- ray won three straight swag right.”q