COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS

Oklahoma QB Murray wins Heisman Trophy

The Sports Xchange

December 08, 2018 at 9:53 pm.

Dec 8, 2018; New York, NY, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray (right) poses for photos with head coach Lincoln Riley (left) during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis after winning the Heisman Trophy. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 8, 2018; New York, NY, USA; Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray (right) poses for photos with head coach Lincoln Riley (left) during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis after winning the Heisman Trophy. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

For the second consecutive year, the Heisman Trophy went to a quarterback from Oklahoma.

Kyler Murray claimed college football’s most coveted award on Saturday night in New York City after passing for more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns while accounting for nearly 5,000 total yards in leading the Sooners into the College Football Playoff this season.

Murray received 2,167 total points and 517 first-place votes. Alabama sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished second with 1,871 points, the highest total for a runner-up, and 299 first-place votes. Ohio State redshirt sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins was a distant third in the voting wiht 783 points.

Murray follows Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield in taking home the award. Mayfield went on to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and is now the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns as a rookie.

Not since Army’s Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis in 1945-46 have two players from the same school officially won the prestigious honor in back-to-back years. USC won in 2004 and 2005 with Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, but Bush’s trophy was vacated.

Murray might have a chance to follow in Mayfield’s footsteps, but he was selected in June as the ninth overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft by the Oakland Athletics and has said he plans to pursue a career in the sport next year.

With one season of college football eligibility remaining, Murray could return to Oklahoma next season, but that appears to be a distant possibility. It’s likely he’ll either choose baseball or enter the NFL Draft.

“This is crazy,” Murray said after receiving the award. “This is an honor. Something that I’ll never forget, something I’ll always cherish for the rest of my life.”

Oklahoma now has seven Heisman winners to tie Ohio State and Notre Dame for the most by any school.

In a year when all three finalists had credentials worthy of winning, Murray stood out not only with his passing but also running for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns. With 51 touchdowns responsible for, the former Texas A&M transfer matched Haskins for the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision this year.

Murray has at least one game remaining for No. 4 Oklahoma (12-1) in a CFP semifinal against Tagovailoa and Alabama (13-0).

Tagovailoa threw for 3,353 yards with 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing almost 68 percent of his passes this year. The Hawaiian native’s 202.30 passer rating was second nationally.

Haskins set more than 20 school records and broke Big Ten records for the conference champion Buckeyes (12-1), who will face Washington in the Rose Bowl. Haskins led the country in touchdown passes (47) and yards (4,580) and was second in passing yards per game (352). The first-year starter completed 70.2 percent of his passes and was intercepted just eight times in 496 attempts.