Oklahoma Quarterback Baker Mayfield Loses Captaincy

After making a lewd gesture toward the Kansas crowd, during the Oklahoma-Kansas game, the Sooners beat the Jayhawks 41-3. Oklahoma’s head coach Lincoln Riley announced quarterback Baker Mayfield would not be named captain in OU’s last regular season game. He will have to come off the bench.

The news brought Mayfield to tears.

“When I realized that the coaches said something about it, that was when I realized that I had really messed up,” the quarterback said.

 Familiar Territory for Mayfield

Mayfield is no stranger to controversy. He was arrested on February 25, 2017, in Washington County Arkansas. Charges included public intoxication, disorderly conduct, fleeing and resisting arrest. During court on April 7, Mayfield pleaded not guilty to all the charges. On June 15, Mayfield was ordered by the University of Oklahoma to do 35 hours of community service in addition to completing an alcohol education program.

Mayfield’s Impact

Since transferring to Oklahoma from Texas Tech, Mayfield has made an immediate impact. He has compiled a total of 11,481 passing yards, 110 touchdowns and just 20 interceptions in his three seasons as a Sooner. He led the team to the 2015 playoffs and currently has 32 wins as the quarterback. This season, Mayfield has 3,816 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and five interceptions on 71 percent passing. He is the only Division 1 quarterback in the nation to be top five in passing yards, passing touchdowns and completion percentage.

Heisman Watch

Mayfield has been a consistent Heisman contender since coming to OU. He finished fifth on the ballot in 2015 and finished third as a finalist in 2016. Although his lewd gesture in the Kansas game raised some concern about his Heisman hopes, it should not affect his chances too much, as implied by ESPN’s Booger McFarland.

It’s unfortunate it was caught on tape however it’s football trash talk intimidation to both opposing fans and players It happens no big deal IMO Move on folks #BakerMayfield

— Booger (@ESPNBooger) November 19, 2017

Schedule

Oklahoma will finish the regular season against the West Virginia Mountaineers this Saturday. And then, they will be on to the Big 12 Championship Game on December 2.