Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws a touchdown pass to tight end Grant Calcaterra in the second quarter (AP)
NORMAN – Although there was a new face patrolling the sideline for the first time in 18 years, it was business as usual for Oklahoma.
Lincoln Riley’s debut as the OU head coach was a spoiler-free affair, as the No. 7 Sooners stormed to a 56-7 season-opening win over UTEP at Gaylord Memorial Stadium. Riley was one of three new Big 12 head coaches to begin the season on Saturday.
Riley said he didn’t feel any major differences despite the role change from offensive coordinator.
“It just feels like another fun first game,” Riley said. “From June 7 up until today, the thing I’ll remember the most is how our team and our staff responded to all of this change. Today was a little bit of a culmination of that for me.
“I did have a few instances where I realized I’m the guy who has to accept the penalty.”
Quarterback Baker Mayfield put on a historic performance in only one half of action, throwing for 329 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-20 passing. Mayfield completed 16-straight completions to start the contest — a school record for the Sooners. Jason White held the previous record with 14 against Texas A&M in 2003.
Riley said this is probably the most settled and relaxed Mayfield has been for an early game.
“I’m proud of the fact he’s doing it with a lot of new skill guys,” Riley said. “We’ve been pushing that hard. It was just one game, and we took a good step in that direction.”
The lone incompletion came on the Sooners’ sixth drive of the game in the second quarter when Marquise Brown made a diving effort to catch a deep pass — the ball just missing the sophomore’s fingertips.
Mayfield’s performance was no surprise considering he set the NCAA record for passing efficiency in 2016, but he maintains the mindset that he still has room to improve.
“I needed to complete it,” Mayfield said of the incompletion. “The first ball to Mark Andrews that he had to jump to get should’ve been an easy touchdown. We had a great first game, and it’s good to get your first one under your belt; we’re going to learn from it and move forward, but there’s a long way to go.”
White and Sam Bradford own a share of the school record for most consecutive completions throughout a game with 18.
The redshirt senior completed his final five passes against Auburn in the Sugar Bowl in January, giving Mayfield an official mark of 21-straight completions over two games — one shy of Bradford’s 2007 record.
Last year’s Heisman finalist also surpassed White for the third-most passing yards in OU history with 7,994.
Mayfield’s first touchdown pass came with 9:48 remaining in the second quarter when found tight end Grant Calcaterra for a 16-yard strike, giving the Sooners a 21-7 advantage.
Just more than three minutes later, Mayfield was at it again, completing his longest pass of the game — a 51-yard dart to Jeff Badet — before hitting his favorite target, Mark Andrews, for a 5-yard score a play later.
Andrews finished with seven receptions for 134 yards — all coming from Mayfield — and a touchdown.
“We felt like he was going to have a chance to be a big weapon for us,” Riley said. “He’s been able to run away from some people in the past, but I was excited today to see him run through some people and use not only that speed and quickness that he has and is very gifted with, but also some power.”
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) scrambles, avoiding the tackle of UTEP defensive back Kahani Smith (24). (AP)
Mayfield’s final touchdown pass was a 4-yard shot to CeeDee Lamb in the back of the end zone, bringing the score 35-7 going into halftime.
Mayfield connected with six different receivers on the night, proving he has more than enough weapons at his disposal this season despite youth at the skill positions.
“I throw to the guys who are open and the guys who are going to make plays,” Mayfield said. “The throw to CeeDee — he probably wasn’t the most open guy on the play — but he can make plays. I have confidence in my receivers, so I’m going to keep giving them chances to make plays on the ball, and we’re going to keep making progress.”
Kyler Murray had similar success when he took over for Mayfield in the second half, completing 10 of 11 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown toss — a 43-yard lob to Lee Morris with 1:25 to play in the third quarter.
OU (1-0) didn’t take long to score its first touchdown of the season, driving 76 yards in six plays to take a 7-0 advantage with a Rodney Anderson 2-yard run.
The Miners (0-1) responded with 70-plus yard drive of their own, tying the game with a 17-yard burst from running back Walter Dawn, but that would be the closest they would get to scoring an upset over the Sooners.
OU went on to rattle off 49-unanswered points, accumulating 676 yards of offense in the process. UTEP managed only 167 yards for the game — 85 of which came in the first quarter.
“I thought it took us a little bit to settle in, especially defensively there on the first drive,” Riley said. “But after that, I was really proud of how our kids responded. It was a complete effort. Offensively, we moved the ball well the majority of the day.”
The Sooners return to the field on Sept. 9 for a Top 10 meeting with No. 2 Ohio State (1-0).
“It’s huge, and that’s why starting fast was such an emphasis for us this week,” Mayfield said. “You can build confidence with how many young guys we have playing right now. We do have a lot of leadership, but today was very important for the younger guys to get that first win under their belt and carry that into next week.
“It’s going to be a big one, so we’ve got to learn from mistakes and take steps to move forward.”