Record-breaking performances by Oklahoma quarterbacks has been more the rule than the exception during Bob Stoops’ time as the winningest Sooner head coach.
Baker Mayfield added his name to the list by throwing for 388 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in his Sooner debut at quarterback.
Mayfield started a little slowly in Oklahoma’s season-opening win over Akron on Saturday, but he warmed up quickly after the first quarter, completing almost 70 percent of his pass attempts (23 of 33), including a 76-yard pass-catch-run hookup with redshirt freshman Joe Mixon for a touchdown early in the third quarter.
Sep 5, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) passes the ball while being pursued by Akron Zips defensive lineman Jamal Marcus (34) during the first quarter at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
The junior quarterback, who grew up in Austin, Texas, but rooted for Oklahoma as a youngster, began his collegiate career as a walk-on at Texas Tech and started at quarterback in the first eight games his freshman season for the Red Raiders. His 388 passing yards against Akron is a new Oklahoma school record for a season-opening game. The previous high mark was 363 yards by Sam Bradford in 2007 in the Sooners opening game of the season against North Texas.
Here are some other compelling numbers to take away from win over Akron:
4 – Punts by Oklahoma in the first quarter. The Sooners punted only two more times the rest of the game.
5 – Players who caught passes of 20 or more yards.
10 – Players who caught passes for Oklahoma against Akron.
10 – Tackles by linebacker Dominique Alexander (5 solo and 5 assisted) to lead the Sooners.
49.7 – Punting average on six punts by freshman Austin Seibert. Seibert is the first true freshman in school history to open the season handling both the punting and field-goal/extra-point duties.
76– Yards of touchdown catch by redshirt-freshman Joe Mixon. That is the longest touchdown reception by a freshman running back in program history. It also was the second longest pass completion by a Sooner in a season opener.
88 – Passing yards allowed by the Oklahoma defense against Akron. A year ago, the Sooner D yielded an average of 276 passing yards per game, a figure that ranked 117th among FBS teams.
90 – Penalty yards assessed against the Sooners in their win over Akron. Only one other Big 12 team had more penalty yards in Week 1 (Baylor with 105 vs. SMU).
115 – Total receiving yards by running back Joe Mixon in OU’s win over Akron.
439 – Passing yards for the Oklahoma offense vs. Akron. That ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 after Week 1.