Remembering Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma's comeback at Tennessee, 10 years later
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Just over 10 years ago, the legend of Baker Mayfield was born at Oklahoma in Neyland Stadium.
Sooners football fans know what came next, of course: The former walk-on transfer from Texas Tech went on to lead the Sooners to two College Football Playoff appearances, winning the 2017 Heisman Trophy and going No. 1 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft in the process.
Oklahoma didn’t quite know what it had in Mayfield in 2015, until he led the Sooners to a heroic comeback against the Vols in a hostile environment. And while he went on to become one of the most prolific quarterbacks in college football history, his final stats that night don’t indicate what he’d later become.
The final moments of the game, however, did.
Here’s a look back to Oklahoma’s comeback win over Tennessee as the Sooners return to Knoxville, Tennessee, for the first time since Mayfield’s breakout performance.
OU football comeback vs Tennessee in 2015
Nothing went Oklahoma’s way for three full quarters when it traveled to face Tennessee on Sept. 12, 2015. But things finally started when the final quarter rolled around.
The Sooners trailed 17-3 when they regained possession with 13:55 left in the fourth quarter. It was then the momentum started to shift. Mayfield had struggled to that point, with two interceptions and under 100 yards passing, but his gutsy performance ultimately turned things in Oklahoma’s favor.
Oklahoma opened the fourth quarter with a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive ending in a Mayfield 2-yard touchdown pass to Samaje Perine with 8:20 left in the quarter, narrowing the Vols’ lead to 17-10. The Sooners then forced a three-and-out, regaining possession down a score with 5:55 to go in the game.
And while it wasn’t the most efficient drive, the Sooners tied the game at 17-17 with 40 seconds left as Mayfield capped off a 13-play, 60-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard with 40 seconds remaining on third-and-goal, ultimately sending the game to overtime.
Tennessee wasn’t going away yet, though. The Vols took a 24-17 lead after Jalen Hurd’s 8-yard touchdown run, forcing Oklahoma to score a touchdown or the comeback would come up short.
But Mayfield responded again, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run on a 19-yard pass to Shepard to force double overtime. Oklahoma then scored again to start the second overtime, with Mayfield finding Shepard again for an 18-yard score for a 31-24 lead.
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs was then intercepted by cornerback Zack Sanchez, ending the game with a Sooners victory.
Mayfield is still making the same plays and leading similar comebacks as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ franchise quarterback.
“Baker’s that guy that gives the team a boost and gives the team energy,” linebacker Eric Striker said after the game. “When you see him break like five tackles as a quarterback, you’re like, ‘Man, let’s go do it.’”
Oklahoma ultimately scored four touchdowns after the start of the fourth quarter en route to the 31-24 double-overtime win. The Sooners went on to win the Big 12 championship and reach the CFP, falling to Clemson 37-17 in the Orange Bowl.
“It’s one of the more special wins, maybe my favorite of all of them,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said.
Mayfield finished the game only 19-of-39 passing for 187 yards, but tossed three touchdowns to two interceptions and rushed for 46 yards and a score on 14 carries. Seven of his passes went to Shepard, who’s again his teammate over 10 years later. Shepard finished with 74 receiving yards and two scores in the win.
“I don’t think we’ll ever play in a stadium like this again,” Mayfield said. “That crowd was loud. … So it’s huge for us in an environment like this. I think every road game will be a little easier now.”
That it was, as Mayfield finished 34-6 in his career at Oklahoma, finishing as a Heisman finalist in 2015 and 2016 before winning the award as a senior in 2017.
Baker Mayfield college stats
- 2013 (Texas Tech): 218 of 340 passing (64.1%) for 2,315 yards with 12 touchdowns to 9 interceptions; 88 carries for 190 yards with 3 touchdowns
- 2015 (Oklahoma): 269 of 395 passing (68.1%) for 3,700 yards with 36 touchdowns to 7 interceptions; 141 carries for 405 yards with 7 touchdowns
- 2016 (Oklahoma): 254 of 358 passing (70.9%) for 3,965 yards with 40 touchdowns to 8 interceptions; 78 carries for 177 yards with 6 touchdowns
- 2017 (Oklahoma): 285 of 404 passing (70.5%) for 4,627 yards with 43 touchdowns to 6 interceptions; 97 carries for 311 yards with 5 touchdowns
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Remembering Oklahoma, Baker Mayfield’s comeback at Tennessee in 2015
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