Oklahoma Football: Sooners prove better than 2017 version in FAU victory

No Baker Mayfield, no problem! Oklahoma football smahed FAU to open the year victorious. Are the Sooners even better than last year’s Big 12 champs?

Last year, Oklahoma ran away with the Big 12 title. Along the way, Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield broke his own passing efficiency records from the previous year and ran away with the 2017 Heisman Trophy. Then Mayfield left Norman to seek out his professional opportunities. The Heisman winner claimed the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and the Sooners were forced to move on at quarterback.

It didn’t matter on Saturday, as the Sooners rolled up a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and took a 42-0 advantage into the locker room at halftime. By the end, the Sooners couldn’t maintain the shutout but still ran away with a 63-14 victory at home. As a result, Lincoln Riley’s squad looks like an overwhelming favorite to defend its Big 12 title in 2018.

Yes, it is only one win against a Conference USA opponent. But even with the small sample size, Oklahoma looks more dynamic offensively than last year’s prolific unit. They are a more diversified threat when they have the ball than they were as a Mayfield-centric outfit.

And after a year where the defense betrayed them several times, Oklahoma is positioned to dominate its opponents throughout the regular season when they don’t have the ball. Another trip to the College Football Playoff could be in the cards for this Oklahoma side.

What did we learn from the big Sooners victory on Saturday afternoon in Norman? Keep reading for our three takeaways from the Oklahoma blowout of the Owls.