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Mayfield moves to forefront of Heisman race with record game
Baker Mayfield is no stranger to remarkable performances in his three seasons at Oklahoma, or his one year at Texas Tech before that.
Even by his lofty standards, what the No. 5 Sooners quarterback did in Saturday's 62-52 win over No. 12 Oklahoma State was impressive - and it lifted the senior right back to the forefront of the Heisman Trophy discussion for a third straight season.
Mayfield threw for a school-record 598 yards in the victory, needing only 24 completions to break Landry Jones' previous best of 554 yards against West Virginia in 2012. It was the second time Mayfield has topped 500 yards passing in a game with the Sooners, and he threw five touchdowns in the win to extend his school-best streak of 35 straight games with a touchdown pass.
''He was awesome,'' Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. ''Played at an elite level and broke a school record for passing. What more could you say? The guy, he's awesome.''
Mayfield is now second nationally behind Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph while averaging 358.4 yards passing per game.
The Sooners, meanwhile, lead the country in passing offense with an average of 395 yards through the air per game - ahead of even Washington State coach Mike Leach's Air Raid aerial attack (381.7).
All in all, it's been quite the senior-season encore for Mayfield after finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting last season and fourth the year before that.
A look at some of the week's top performances:
BROWN'S BREAKOUT
Mayfield wasn't the only Oklahoma offensive player setting records on Saturday. Sooners wide receiver Marquise Brown also set a school record with 265 yards receiving on a career-best nine catches - breaking the previous Oklahoma best of 232 yards by Dede Westbrook last season. The sophomore's previous best was a 155-yard receiving effort in a win over Tulane on Sept. 16, and he now has 38 catches for 743 yards in his first season after transferring from junior college.
ARMY STRONG
Army didn't attempt a pass in its 21-0 win over Air Force on Saturday. With quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw leading the way on the ground, there was no need. Bradshaw had a national- and career-best 265 yards rushing for the week on 23 carries in the win. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior is now 10th in the country with an average of 125.8 yards rushing per game, and he's led the Black Knights to a 7-2 record while completing only 10 of 35 passes for 190 yards this season.
TERRIFIC TAYLOR
Wisconsin freshman Jonathan Taylor did his part to keep the Badgers' College Football Playoff chances alive on Saturday, rushing 29 times for 183 yards in a 45-17 win over Indiana . It was the sixth time this season the running back has topped 100 yards rushing in a game, and he's fourth in the country with an average of 152 yards per game on the ground.
HUSKY HUSKIES
The country's top-ranked defense was at it again on Saturday night, with No. 9 Washington holding Oregon to 278 yards in a 38-3 win. The Huskies have allowed only eight touchdowns in eight games this season, and they allowed only 31 yards passing on Saturday - the school's fewest since allowing 22 yards passing in a win over San Jose State in 2004. Washington leads the country this season in both yards allowed per play (3.71) and per game (240.9), just ahead of Alabama (243.8).
MIGHTY MILTON
No. 14 Central Florida (8-0) remained the only undefeated Group of Five team with a 31-24 win over SMU on Saturday, and it did so with quarterback McKenzie Milton throwing for a career-high 412 yards in the win. It was the first time the sophomore has topped the 400-yard passing mark, and he's now thrown 20 touchdowns and just five interceptions for the season.
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