It took Kyler Murray 17 seconds.
Seventeen seconds for the future MLB player to grab the college football world by the neck to say “I’m here and I will make the most out of what will probably be my final season of playing football."
This was evident on just his sixth play from scrimmage in the Sooners’ 63-14 win over Florida Atlantic. Those 17 seconds came at the 8:30 mark in the first quarter.
He rolled left with immediate pressure from FAU’s Kris Harris, he then circled back right, made a cutback left, ran in a circle to the left hash, had a jump-cut back right, cut it outside and finally skipped out of bounds for a 15-yard gain.
College Football: Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma | Fox
Kyler Murray runs around, evades tackles for first down.
“I was just trying to make a play,” said Murray, who is succeeding Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield. “That’s what I’m supposed to do.”
“I have seen that many times — many, many times before,” said redshirt junior wide receiver Lee Morris, who was also Murray’s teammate at Allen High School. “He’s just doing his thing like he usually does.”
Murray’s magic struck again in the second quarter.
He faked the handoff to Rodney Anderson, rolled left toward the hash, cocked the ball back and let it fly 50 yards in the air, hitting Marquise Brown in stride at the 14-yard line for a 65-yard touchdown.
“We executed a play coach Riley called,” Murray said. “It’s as simple as that. He was open. It’s my job to put the ball in his hands.”
The Texas A&M transfer lived up to the hype Saturday morning and afternoon, going 9-of-11 for 202 yards and two touchdowns. After being drafted No. 9 overall by the Oakland Athletics in June, and signing a contract with a $4.6 million bonus, he did exactly what everyone thought he would do and then some.
“He handled it well,” coach Lincoln Riley said. “He played very much within himself. (He) threw the ball well… He commanded our group and did a nice job.”
He dazzled with his feet, showcasing his mobility. He wowed with his arm, proving he’s got a cannon. And he led with his demeanor, displaying a new type of leadership Sooner Nation hasn’t seen in the last three years.
"Thank God they took him out," said Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin, "or he could've broke every school record there is."
“He’s always, I’ve felt, had a pretty good sense of ‘I know I’m athletic and can run, but I know I have to be able to throw the ball, too,’” Riley said. “He’s just got a good overall demeanor about it.”
Murray doesn’t get nervous — at least according to Morris. He’s poised, presenting a calmness in everything he does. It’s easy to see in his answers he expects to make big plays, he expects to be great.
“My first spring here, when I early enrolled, I chased him around for probably 100 yards,” sophomore linebacker Kenneth Murray said. “(He’s) definitely a special player, glad to have him as our quarterback. Him ballin’ and doing that is what he does on the daily.”
“His poise, that’s who Kyler is,” added Morris who’s played with Murray for seven years. “He’s been that way since I’ve known him. He doesn’t fall under the pressure. He embraces the pressure. He’s willing to do what he has to and exceed expectations.”
His postgame outfit said it all. Dressed in silver shoes, black pants and a button-up shirt with about 50 different pictures of people wearing sunglasses on it, Murray stood before the media relaxed. Being the starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma is nothing he can’t handle.
“It’s hot outside,” Murray said with a smile. “Thought I’d go with something a little loose.”
