2019 Oklahoma Sooners Football Countdown to Kickoff | 40 Days!

Welcome back to another edition of our 2019 Countdown to Kickoff! With 40 days left to go before the Oklahoma Sooners get the upcoming college football season underway, I want to talk about Baker Mayfield’s school record of 40 consecutive games passing for a touchdown.

The two-time walk-on from Lake Travis High School battled his way from the bottom to earn Oklahoma’s starting QB position in 2015. In that season opener against Akron, Mayfield found Dede Westbrook for a 29-yard touchdown, and so began this record-setting streak.

What’s even more amazing than him throwing for a score in all 40 games of his Sooner career is that he actually threw for at least two touchdowns in all but two contests (2015 losses to Texas and Clemson). There are plenty of reasons why Oklahoma fans consider Baker Mayfield the greatest of all time, and this is certainly one of them. When elite production meets elite consistency, great things will happen.

In total, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner wrapped up his career with 119 total passing touchdowns, four shy of Landry Jones’ record mark. However, in just three years’ work, it’s hard to imagine any future Sooner of ever overtaking Mayfield’s record of consecutive games with a passing TD.

Now let’s cover any days we missed since our last countdown post:

41 Days! - Oklahoma defeats TCU in return of Big 12 Championship Game, 41-17

As I spoke about Baker Mayfield earlier, he was of course one of the leading reasons why the Sooners were as dominant as they were in the 2017 Big 12 Championship Game. That season marked the return of the conference title matchup after six seasons without it, and it now annually features the top two teams in the standings following the end of the regular season.

In 2017, OU entered a rematch against TCU for the Big 12 crown, and in this second meeting of the year, the Sooners blitzed the Horned Frogs from the opening kick off.

Amani Bledsoe and Caleb Kelly combined for a forced fumble-turned-defensive touchdown in the early going, while Mayfield used his arms (and legs) to dismantle Gary Patterson’s defense. It may have been Lincoln Riley’s first championship game as a head coach, but he undoubtedly had his team ready to play.

TCU fought back late in the first half, but ultimately the Horned Frogs simply didn’t have the talent to keep up with the Sooners. Mayfield was named the game’s MVP, and with the win, OU captured a third consecutive Big 12 title, and the program’s 11th overall.

42 Days! - Senior LB Mark Jackson

Going into the 2019 campaign, Mark Jackson is entering his senior season at OU. Through his first three years, he’s seen his playing time increase at a gradual rate. In 2018, the Cibolo, Texas native earned the first seven starts of his Sooner career, and in 28 total appearances he’s made 52 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, four sacks, a forced fumble and this thump for a pass breakup.

It remains to be seen how much Jackson will be utilized by DC Alex Grinch, but one thing he has over his RUSH LB counterparts like Jalen Redmond, Jon-Michael Terry and Nik Bonitto is experience. If he can have a strong showing this fall, keep an eye out for No. 42 on the field.

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