Six from 6: Baker Mayfield Took Down Baylor and Started a Dynasty

OU needed a little Mayfield Magic to hold off the Bears and topple an undefeated, streaking Baylor squad in Waco.

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. 4: Bear Hunting

OU 44, Baylor 34

Nov. 15, 2015

McClane Stadium, Waco, TX

This wasn’t Baker Mayfield stalking the pregame sideline, reminding Baylor players that they had forgotten “who daddy is” and that they had a spanking coming.

That happened two years later.

This was No. 6-ranked and undefeated Baylor, playing a home game in November, winners of 20 straight, owners of back-to-back Big 12 Conference crowns, getting taken down a peg by a steadily improving Oklahoma team — led by a brash, fearless young quarterback.

“You come into an undefeated team, ranked that high, waiting on you, and win by 10,” said Bob Stoops. “It’s got to be a positive."

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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: Coming Thursday
• No. 2: Coming Friday
• No. 1: Coming Saturday

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It was.

Oklahoma led 34-20 in the second half, but the Sooners needed every bit of Mayfield Magic down the stretch.

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Baker Mayfield was a magician in Waco in 2015.

They got it when Mayfield stepped up in the pocket, retreated, reversed course, drifted backward and fired a bullet to fullback Dimitri Flowers for a 7-yard touchdown with 4:47 to play that put the game out of reach.

“His ability to scramble out of some things,” Stoops said, “(is) different from a lot of other guys.”

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

To go with 270 yards passing and three TDs, Mayfield also ran for 76 yards and a TD.

“Our goal was just to react and respond to them,” Mayfield said, “and that's what we did.”

After two three-and-outs and an Austin Seibert field goal left the Sooners with a 37-27 lead, Baylor had OU on the ropes with a three-play touchdown drive that cut it to 37-34 approaching the midway point of the fourth quarter.

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Mayfield's TD in the final minutes iced a 44-34 win over unbeaten Baylor.

That’s when Mayfield willed the Sooners to the clinching touchdown.

He started the drive with a 17-yard run, then hit Dede Westbrook for an 8-yard gain on second-and-8. Mayfield then found Sterling Shepard for a 19-yard gain on second-and-9 to set up the dramatic clincher.

After a delay-of-game penalty, he hit Joe Mixon for no gain, then scrambled for 7 yards to the Baylor 7.

Then, on third and goal, Mayfield danced and dodged and delivered a strike in the end zone to Flowers, who had been pass blocking and wasn’t supposed to release.

“I saw him do his thing – you know what Baker does – he’s running, he’s running and I’m literally blocking no one,” Flowers said later. “ … So I’m just, 'Why not?' So I go out, find the end zone, turn around and the ball’s on a line. It was pretty crazy. It wasn’t drawn up at all. It was pretty interesting.”

Shepard had 177 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Samaje Perine ran for 166 and two scores.

Mayfield completed 24-of-34 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 76 yards and a score. But his ability to counterpunch each Baylor swing in the second half is what ended the Bears’ brief run at the top and pushed the Sooners to the first of their six straight Big 12 championships.

“They reacted, that's what you have to do in football at times,” Mayfield said. “I’m back there running around, and (Flowers) just did a great job of getting open and I was able to find him and get the ball to him.”