US sports bookmakers had it dead right. Last week we reported that they had made Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray their late favorite to win the 2018 Heisman Trophy on Saturday night – and the 21-year-old has done just that.
To the surprise of some who had expected Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the season-long favorite, to capture the coveted trophy when it was presented at the PlayStation Theater in New York City on Saturday night, It was Kyler Murray who was called up to receive it.
Last Thursday, a respected international gaming operator with US sportsbooks in both Nevada and New Jersey was reflecting the feelings of most New Jersey and Nevada sportsbooks when it moved Murray up from second place to favorite when they tightened the odds on him winning from on 1/2 to 7/2.
This after Tagovailoa had left a SEC Championship game early with an injury after an underwhelming performance the previous week while Murray was having a standout day against Texas in the Big 12 Championship where he totaled 379 yards of passes, three of those passes earning crucial TDs.
Background
The Sooners star is the second successive Oklahoma footballer to win the award. Last year Baker Mayfield, also a Sooner’s quarterback won it.
It took an hour of discussion before the thumbs up were finally given to Murray. The Oklahoma Junior received 517 first-place votes as against Tagovailoe’s 299.
Murray, is also an outstanding college baseball player who has given the impression that pro baseball will be his final destination when he leaves college has whipped-up some amazing football statistics at Oklahoma.
They include a total of 4,053 passing yards, all of 40 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions.
He can also boast of making 11 TD rushes in establishing himself as a genuine dual-threat quarterback.
“He’s one of the few elite guys ever do it; to balance both,” his highly respected Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, told press today.
In his televised acceptance speech, Murray said. “To the Heisman Trust and voters, I just want to say thank you for your support. This is crazy; this is an honor, something that I’ll never forget; something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”
Tagovailoa did not go away empty handed. The 1871 points he scored this season has put him in the College Football history books as the highest runner-up scorer in Heisman Trophy history.