Six from 6: Baker Mayfield Planted His Flag

After a stellar performance that helped him win the Heisman and cemented his legacy at Oklahoma, the Sooners' QB shocked Ohio State with the quintessential Mayfield moment.

Oklahoma legend Baker Mayfield gets his Heisman Trophy statue on Saturday at halftime of the Sooners’ annual spring game. SI Sooners commemorates the event by reliving Mayfield’s six most memorable performances during his three seasons as the OU starter.

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No. 1: Planting His Flag

OU 31, Ohio State 16

Sept. 9, 2017

Ohio Stadium, Columbus

Baker Mayfield made no secret of how he felt about Ohio State winning on Owen Field the previous year — and then singing their alma mater to the Buckeye fans.

Only one thing would give him satisfaction. OK, two things: beating Ohio State in Columbus, and then letting everyone know about it.

Mayfield’s performance that night at Ohio Stadium was one thing. But the show he put on after the game was something else entirely.

After completing 27-of-35 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns in No. 5-ranked Oklahoma’s 31-16 upset of No. 2 Ohio State, Mayfield grabbed a giant OU flag from the OU spirit squad, took a minute to unfurl it, waved it around a couple times and — apparently spurred on by a suggestion from backup offensive lineman Quinn Mittermeier — made a victory lap around Ohio Stadium, then made his way to the block O at midfield and planted the crimson and cream into the heart of Buckeye Nation.

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READ MORE

Six from 6: The Best of Baker Mayfield

• No. 6: Leaving a Mark on Texas
• No. 5: Breaking OU Records, and OSU Hearts
• No. 4: Taking Down Baylor and Starting a Dynasty
• No. 3: Shootout in West Texas
• No. 2: After a Rocky Top Start, an Historic Rally
• No. 1: Planting His Flag
  

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“Uh, it was a last-minute decision,” Mayfield said. “I was planning on something, but I didn’t know what it was.”

Surrounded by a swarm of delirious teammates, it was a scene straight out of the Cotton Bowl in October. Only this was the Horseshoe in September, and it stands as one of Oklahoma’s greatest non-conference accomplishments.

Knotted up 3-3 at halftime (OU had 222 yards to Ohio State’s 97, despite an injury to star tight end Mark Andrews), the Sooners under first-year head coach Lincoln Riley — and with Ohio native and former coach Bob Stoops cheering from a luxury suite upstairs — were poised for a second-half blowout.

The Buckeyes struck first on a 6-yard touchdown run by J.K. Dobbins, but that’s when Mayfield got busy.

At the end of a 5-play, 67-yard drive, Mayfield hooked up across the middle with fullback Dimitri Flowers, who zigged and zagged his way through the Ohio State defense for a 36-yard touchdown that tied it at 10-10.

The Buckeyes responded with another field goal to make it 13-10, but Mayfield sparked the Sooners in front for good with a 17-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb, a 42-yard pass to Mykel Jones and a 17-yard TD pass — another play-action throw over the middle — to Lee Morris for a 17-13 lead.

Ohio State tried to keep pace, but couldn’t when J.T. Barrett’s fourth-down pass missed its mark.

Screenshot via ESPN

Baker Mayfield made his mark and planted his flag at Ohio State

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 2 Buckeyes and their fearsome defense were shaken by Mayfield 

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Having tasted defeat to OSU the year before in Norman, Mayfield was focused

Mayfield seized the momentum of a defensive stop, hitting Jeff Badet for 12 yards, drawing a 15-yard pass interference infraction against Lamb, finding Badet again for 3 yards and then, on third-and-3, hooking up with Lamb for a 7-yard gain to the Ohio State 23.

Trey Sermon’s 13-yard run set Mayfield up with a first-and-goal. Mayfield dropped back to pass, sensed pressure and stepped up, scrolling through his read progression until he found Sermon between two defenders in the left flat. Mayfield slipped a quick throw to Sermon, who then plowed his way across the goal line for a 24-13 lead.

After Barrett was intercepted by Parnell Motley on the next play, Mayfield put it away with a feathery sideline throw to Badet for 22 yards. That set up the Sooners with a first-and-goal from the 3, and Jordan Smallwood powered into the end zone on a jet sweep for the final TD and a 31-13 lead.

“We should have won by a lot more,” Mayfield said.

Minutes later, Mayfield had seized the flag behind the end zone and was simply waiving it back and forth when Mittermeier suggested he take a lap with it. Mayfield did, then headed to midfield for his coup de grace.

“He’s a guy, we all feed off him,” said defensive coordinator Mike Stoops. “Every one of us, coaches, players. Never seen a guy like him. I wouldn’t trade him for anybody in America.”

Two days later, Mayfield actually issued a lukewarm apology for embarrassing Ohio State, but then in 2019, as the Cleveland Browns’ starting QB, retracted that apology. That’s Mayfield.

Much of Sooner Nation wanted to see Mayfield’s Heisman Park statue wielding an OU flag — the quintessential moment of Mayfield’s Oklahoma career, both brash and accomplished — but alas, didn’t get their wish.

Still, that moment, authored by the most popular player in program history, will live forever in Sooner lore.