What’s up, Sooner faithful?

So what we’re seeing from Kyler Murray is currently one of the hottest topics across the landscape of college football. Last week he raked in several weekly honors, and this week he’s added yet another after being named the Maxwell Award Player of the Week.

Last season it was OU’s very own Baker Mayfield who brought home the Maxwell by season’s end. Past Sooner recipients include Jason White (‘04) and Tommy McDonald (‘56).

As long as Murray keeps up the pace he’s on, and the Sooners continue to win, I think it’s safe to say he’ll be walking away with at least one of these major awards by the time it’s all said and done. I guarantee this, he’ll be the only guy in the dugout with a Maxwell/O’Brien/Walter Camp Award to his name if that’s indeed the case.

Now let’s dig into some Hot Links, shall we? Speaking of Murray, he now sits atop ESPN’s Heisman Poll, Creed Humphrey is the guy at center, Josh Gordon’s chances to win a Super Bowl this season has just skyrocketed and more!

OU Links

• The Oklahoma Sooners made their first road trip of the season last Saturday and came home with the win. Check out some of the preparation that went on behind the scenes leading up to game time and how the guys reacted with the W.

• As one might expect, Kyler Murray now leads the field in ESPN’s Heisman Watch Expert Poll. Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa trails the Sooners’ QB, with West Virginia’s Will Grier not far behind him at third.
• Poor and inconsistent tackling was the lowlight of Oklahoma’s game against Iowa State, and with Army coming to Norman this week, it will be paramount that the Sooners shore that up given how dangerous the Black Knights can be with the triple option.
• Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb have both made a number of big plays three games into the 2018 season. The dynamic receiving duo makes Lincoln Riley’s job as a play caller and Kyler Murray’s job as a quarterback a heck of a lot easier.
• Speaking of Brown, he and Murray have quickly established themselves as one of the nation’s best QB/WR combos. In every game of the 2018 season so far, the two have connected on at least one play over 50 yards. Do I see shades of Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook’s 2016 run?
• And speaking of Westbrook, he, Mark Andrews, Joe Mixon and other former Sooners turned in some solid performances over the NFL weekend. Check out how each of them did in this week’s edition of Sooner in the NFL.
• After alternating starts at the center position, offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh said Creed Humphrey has taken control and the job is now his. Jonathan Alvarez started the FAU game and the Iowa State game, but when Humphrey came into the game last Saturday, he put forth his best performance yet.
• In case you missed it, Oklahoma self-reported a number of secondary NCAA violations that are mostly ridiculous, but blame the system for that. Hey, at least the Sooners are being proactive about it and protecting what’s being built here.

Around the Sports World

• After a rough 0-3 start for UCLA, the father of Bruins QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson has expressed his frustrations on social media. Among other things, Thompson-Robinson’s father, Michael Robinson, has been especially critical of head coach Chip Kelly and how he’s been under-utilizing his son.
• Texas A&M is heading to Tuscaloosa this weekend to play top-ranked Alabama, and Jimbo Fisher recently admitted that he would gladly go vegan for an entire year if it meant a victory for his Aggies over the Crimson Tide. I mean, would I do that for an OU natty? Yes, but I’d probably starve to death before spring ball.
• The Cleveland Browns have traded wide receiver Josh Gordon to the New England Patriots in a surprising move. Gordon was expected to make a return to the game with the Browns after a series of off-the-field issues, but it appears the two parties came to a crossroads that couldn’t be overcome.
• In the new Madden ‘19 Football video game, EA Sports went the extra mile to make sure they got Seattle Seahawks rookie Shaquem Griffin right. Griffin was born with a hand defect that eventually resulted in him losing his left hand altogether. He has overcome the odds and is now playing in the NFL. Now he gets to play as himself with a video game sprite that accurately depicts him as he is. Very cool.
• Speaking of video games, this is what I look like when I play sports video games. Just imagine I’m the one controlling the team failing to make a goal over and over again. Yup, that’s how I roll. Don’t laugh, I’m not even trying (things losers say).

Stick to Sports!

• The first official trailer for Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel was released Tuesday morning. Academy Award winner Brie Larson stars as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest superhero in a solo film. The 21st installment in the ongoing and ever-growing MCU, co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, is set to hit theaters on March 8th, 2019.

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