Heisman Trophy Watch 2017: Chaotic weekend scrambles Week 7 order

Once again, Oklahoma looked in danger of suffering defeat. In the Red River Shootout at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Sooners jumped out to a decisive lead and then sat back while the Longhorns chipped away at the deficit. After looking unbeatable in the first half, Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield was held in check through the latter half of the game.

Even then, Mayfield finished the game with 302 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-27 passing. He finally threw an interception in 2017 to end that streak of unblemished passing luck, but he was hardly the reason why Oklahoma struggled to put away Texas. Just as it did in the loss to Iowa State, the blame fall squarely on a defense that has stumbled after securing leads.

For the year, Mayfield remains the most efficient quarterback in the FBS and on pace to break his single-season record set last season. Mayfield has improved his completion percentage by 1.7 percent from last year’s mark, and he is averaging more than one full yard higher per passing attempt than he did in 2016.

Yes, Mayfield had his lowest offensive output of the year on Saturday against Texas. And, yes, Oklahoma nearly suffered a second straight upset in the Red River Shootout. But Mayfield remains one of the top quarterbacks in the country, and he holds position in this week’s Heisman watch despite lower statistical output than usual.