Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts put together a strong overall performance in a signature win against Texas Saturday, and he continues to build his NFL Draft stock.
Hurts completed 16 of his 28 pass attempts for 235 yards and three touchdowns. He made his greatest impact on the ground, rushing for 131 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts.
He did turn the ball over twice, one by way of a fumble and the other an interception in the red zone, both in the first half.
Hurts and the Oklahoma offense were also brought to life thanks to a career-day from wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who hauled in 10 catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns.
Most of Lamb’s damage came after the catch, but Hurts did a nice job setting him up throughout the game.
The Longhorns came out allowing Hurts and company to get anything they wanted in the underneath. He was able to pick up easy yardage with his feet on the opening drive, which included a key run to convert on 3rd down. He capped it off with a touchdown on a flat-out route to Lamb that gave them an early lead.
The second drive ended with his first turnover of the game. After making a few impressive throws and displaying nice ball placement in the intermediate passing game, Hurts took off and a helmet to his elbow forced a premature end to an otherwise strong drive.
The Texas defense held strong throughout the game and did a nice job keeping Hurts under pressure. This game provided him the perfect chance to display his elusiveness in the pocket and he didn’t disappoint.
🎩 @JalenHurts just is not fair.
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 12, 2019
The @OU_Football QB pulled a magic act in the pocket to escape this pressure 😱 pic.twitter.com/yWpAUKT77m
Hurts mostly took what they gave him as a runner and in the short passing game, but he wasn’t afraid to push the ball downfield and made a few questionable decisions in the process.
Hurts had a couple of passes that were nearly picked, but his lone interception of the day came on a 3rd down in the red zone. He forced a contested throw into the end zone and Texas safety Brandon Jones made a great play on the ball.
He settled in during the 2nd half and made a few splash plays, with the help of Lamb, and helped bring the Sooners offense to life after managing just 10 points through two quarters.
CeeDee Lamb is special 🍿
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 12, 2019
(via @CFBONFOX)pic.twitter.com/9m8ZTkXz6s
Aside from the play above, Hurts’ other 2nd half touchdown came on a flea-flicker where he dropped one in to a wide open Lamb, who displayed impressive speed to finish the 51-yard score.
He missed on a couple deep balls, but it was an all-in-all strong performance for Hurts, and it gives the Sooners their first signature win of the season.
It wasn’t always pretty but the Heisman contender continues to be one of the most improved NFL Draft prospects in the country.
Hurts needs to continue to work on his footwork, and his deep ball placement has always been a little erratic, but he’s still an intriguing prospect. There are other signal-callers that could come off the board earlier, but he has a legitimate shot at being a first round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.