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Kyler Murray a finalist for Walter Camp Award

By Chip Rouse

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 08: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks for a hole against the UCLA Bruins at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Bruins 49-21. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 08: Quarterback Kyler Murray #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks for a hole against the UCLA Bruins at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Bruins 49-21. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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Less than a week ago, Oklahoma football quarterback Kyler Murray and quarterback Will Grier of West Virginia went up against each other on the same field, with Murray and the Sooners coming out on top.

Both quarterbacks are contenders for this season’s Heisman Trophy, and on Wednesday they became finalists for the Walter Camp Award. The award is presented annually to the best player in college football. Murray’s former teammate, Baker Mayfield, won the award last season.

Murray is also a finalist this season for the Maxwell Award and the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, and he is expected to be invited to New York City as one of the finalists for the 2018 Heisman Trophy. If Murray is a Heisman finalist, as expected, it will be the fourth year in a row that Oklahoma has had a Heisman finalist. Mayfield, who preceded Murray at the Oklahoma starting quarterback, was a finalist for three consecutive years before winning the Heisman last year.

Earlier this week, Murray won his fifth weekly award this season as Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. The Sooner redshirt junior threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 114 more in the Sooners’ 59-56 victory last Friday over Grier and West Virginia. He was also named Carl Campbell Tyler Rose National Player of the Week for his play against the Mountaineers.

According to the latest NCAA FBS statistics, Murray leads the nation in yards per pass attempt (12.0) and per completion (17.0) and ranks second in total touchdowns (48), passing touchdowns (37), total offense (377.3) and passing efficiency rating (206.8). That pass efficiency rating is higher than Mayfield’s single-season rating of 198.9, set last season,

Murray is reported to be the only player in college football to ever average at least 300 passing yards and 60 rushing yards in the regular season.

Besides Murray and Grier, the three other Walter Camp Award finalists for 2018 are Alabama sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew and Kentucky linebacker Josh Allen.

Five former Oklahoma players have won the Walter Camp Award: Jerry Tubbs (1956), Steve Owens (1969), Billy Sims (1978), Josh Heupel (2000) and Mayfield (2017). Owens, Sims and Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy the same season they received the Walter Camp Award, and Heupel was the Heisman runner-up.

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