Oklahoma football: Takeaways from a Cotton Bowl triumph

DALLAS, TEXAS - OCTOBER 12: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners wears the Golden Hat trophy after defeating the Texas Longhorns 34-27 during the 2019 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 12, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

Kenneth Murray deserves the MVP

Yes, CeeDee Lamb was a dominant force on offense, but no Oklahoma player played a bigger role in the Sooners’ win than middle linebacker Kenneth Murray.

Murray was unleashed in Grinch’s attack-first scheme and looked like an absolute monster.

His numbers aren’t staggering (five total tackles, two for loss and one sack), but his impact wasn’t just measured by stats. Murray looked like the sideline-to-sideline playmaker that’s always been within his grasp. When he wasn’t making tackles, he was forcing plays back inside or hearding ball-carriers into another flock of his teammates.

Many people laughed when Murray was named the conference’s preseason defensive player of the year, but after this game one has to wonder who’s laughing now?

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