Dressed in a navy vest and a blue and white checkered tie, Jalen Hurts strolled into Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium with an intense look on his face, his eyes focused ahead.
He was focused on the game in front of him — Houston — but also the season that'll likely define his college football career — one he'll play in the crimson and cream, rather than the crimson and white. This is a day the once Alabama quarterback had been waiting for, a day he's dreamed of.
And, on a national stage as the only game on television, he didn't disappoint. Instead, he made a statement — not about what might have been in Tuscaloosa, but what might be in Norman.
"I can't sit here and say I ain't done it before because it ain't like I ... maybe a little rust. I don't know," Hurts said. "But being out there back with this team, with this group, it was very exciting and I enjoyed it a lot."
He went 20-of-23, threw for 332 yards, three touchdowns and also ran for 176 yards and three touchdowns — a new single game school record — in Oklahoma's 49-31 win over Houston.
Welcome to the Jalen Hurts revenge tour, Sooner Nation.
"I think the reality is I'm not the same player I was as an 18-year-old freshman, a 19-year-old sophomore and last year," Hurts said. "I'd say I was in a situation or a position where I'm back where I'm supposed to be."
Sunday night was the accumulation of everything he's worked on during the last eight months and all the things he's been criticized for.
He showed he could throw the long ball, hitting junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on 47-yard touchdown pass. He stood in the pocket, completing most of his passes over the middle and in-between the hashes. And he showed patience, using his legs only when he had to.
"He's a smart kid, coach's kid," Houston coach Dana Holgorsen said. "He's got, what, 30 games under his belt? You could tell he was seeing the field and knew where to go with the ball."
Following in the footsteps of Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray wasn't, and still isn't, going to be an easy task. But what did he do in his first start in a Sooners' uniform?
He beat Mayfield's single game total yardage record and joined Murray as the only player in Oklahoma history to throw for over 300 yards and run for over 100 yards in a game. All while Murray himself, now in the NFL, watched from the sideline.
"I’m sure he had some nerves. But he did a good job managing them," coach Lincoln Riley said. "He made good, sound decisions and managed the game well ... I thought he was efficient and it was a good starting point. He has to continue to get better."
It can't go unsaid how integral Riley is to Hurts' success. If the last four years didn't show what a true quarterback whisperer Riley is, Sunday certainly helped his case.
Riley has molded his offense around Hurts, just like he did with Mayfield and Murray. He made him a part of the running attack, turning Hurts into another tailback. He set Hurts up with easy throws early, helping him settle into the game. And, most importantly, he let him loose, giving him the ability to check down plays and make his own calls.
Hurts didn't have all that at Alabama. In 2017, Hurts' last season as a starter at Alabama, he threw the ball more than 23 times only twice. Sunday night, he threw it exactly 23 times and barely played in the fourth quarter. He also far surpassed his total yardage from 2017 by 151 yards.
"Coach Riley said it," Hurts' dad, Averion said in a live-TV interview Sunday night. "They kind of unleashed him. It's a good thing."
Hurts still has a ways to go, and many more people to prove wrong.
But he's determined to do so. From the moment Tua Tagovailoa replaced him during the 2017 national title game, he's prepared for this moment. And Sunday night he showed he's ready seize it.
"I wouldn’t speak to know much about Alabama. Here, he’s worked his tail off," coach Lincoln Riley said. "He’s extremely eager ... He is very patient, as you can tell, he is really appreciative of it all. We talked some today and last night. I think there were some emotions for him. There was probably a quick reminisce with all he’s been through, to be our quarterback. He’s handled it well.
"Describing his journey? It’s hard. It probably will be a pretty good movie someday. It’s pretty remarkable, especially in this day and age. Hopefully, there’s a lot yet to be written."
As for Hurts, the script of his movie is still being written.
"The story isn't over," he said, "it's never over."
