Jalen Hurts less than ecstatic about standout debut performance

Jalen Hurts was well groomed and coached in three years of Alabama football under Nick Saban. He clearly knows how to win, and he does so with high integrity and selflessness. the marks of a true leader.

The Alabama transfer quarterback had just turned in one of the greatest individual performances in the heralded history of Oklahoma football. Yet, when interviewed after the game by ESPN sports reporter Holly Rowe, was not satisfied.

Hurts accounted for over 500 of Oklahoma’s nearly 700 yards of offense and six touchdowns in the Sooners’ 49-31 season-opening win over Houston. Perhaps more impressive than the numbers themselves, though, was the calm and collected nature he exhibited — a likely trademark of his big-game experiences at Alabama — in his first go-around leading the high-octane OU offense.

Asked by Rowe what he thought about his overall performance in last Sunday’s Sooner win, Hurts immediately turned the attention to the team:

"“I think coming into (the game) we prepared well (and) had a nice game plan. Some things were not predictable, and we saw some things we did not expect to see. But we did some really good things out there tonight, and then there are some things we really need to improve on.“We took some good steps tonight,” he continued, “but we have got to take some steps to do those things that we want to do and be where we want to be.”"

For a quarterback who is better known for his what he can do with his legs than his passing skills, Hurts certainly had little difficulty connecting with his receivers in his OU debut. Even his three incompletions were on target.

He completed 20 of 23 passes to 10 different receivers for 332 yards and three touchdowns and gained an additional 176 yards and three more TDs, doing what he does best, on the ground.

He is the only quarterback to pass for more than 300 yards and run for more than 150 yards in a single game in his Oklahoma debut.

Hurts would never admit it, but you have to believe that two of the reasons he chose to enter the transfer portal and finish out his college career at Oklahoma was getting back to where he feels he is supposed to — as a starting quarterback on a championship caliber team — and the chance to win another national championship.

And who knows? Maybe even the third consecutive Oklahoma transfer quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.