Baker's Men: OU's Mayfield Heated Up in Second Half vs. Akron

  When Akron was knocking on OU's door and only down 3-0 in the first quarter, murmurs arose from the Gaylord-Memorial Stadium, and they were right to do so. Oklahoma looked very unimpressive, and quarterback, Baker Mayfield, looked very shaky. But before anyone was hitting the "Upset Alert" button in Norman, the doors blew off the hinges and Akron was left wondering what the heck just happened! Sure, Akron got their field goal (right before halftime), but by then, the game was in control with the Sooners leading 17-3. OU then proceeded to run off 24 unanswered points to make the final score, 41-3.

OU quarterback, Baker Mayfield (6), escapes 2 Akron defenders.
Mayfield threw for a record-setting 388 yards last Saturday as OU
dominated the Zips, 41-3.

  Joe Mixon was the most impressive running back on the day, and he only had 27 rushing yards on 5 carries! Samaje Perine didn't fair much better, with only 33 yards on 11 carries, but the impressive part about Mixon was his 76-yard touchdown run and catch that electrified the crowd and sparked the OU offensive. It was a relatively simple play, and the Zips were way out of position with 4 players surrounding 1 OU wide receiver. About 95% of all able-bodied attendees at the game could have scored the touchdown Mixon scored, and thats the beauty of the Lincoln Riley offense. KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid.
  After the game, Mixon didn't talk to the media, and that was not surprising. Other players definitely pointed out what a momentum booster the play was, and how it opened the flood gates for the Sooners. With so little running production against such a dilapidated Akron defense, how will the Sooners fair when they travel to Knoxville to play Tennessee?
  Tennessee is no joke on the defensive side of the ball, and don't let the 30 points Bowling Green scored on them in their season opener, fool you. Yes, the Volunteers allowed the Falcons throw for over 400 yards, but only allowed them to rush for 124. On the other side of the ball for Tennessee, they ran the ball for 400 yards and only threw for 205. I don't think Tennessee will run the ball 50 times against the Sooners like they did against Bowling Green last week, but if they decide to, they better have a more prolific passing attack, because OU's defense is no slouch, either!
  With all the SEC hype surrounding the college football world once again, many people think that OU is in for a rude awakening when they roll into Rocky Top land on Saturday. I think not. Tennessee may have one of the best defensive lines in the SEC, but if they can't stop the passing game against Bowling Green, I don't expect them to stop Baker Mayfield on the OU offensive very much, if at all. The only way OU loses, is if they continue to start off games with unnecessary penalties and turnovers. You can get away with sloppy play against sub-par teams, but not when you're facing an SEC team, and definitely not away from your home field. Just something to think about, as OU takes on Tennessee on ESPN at 6ET.