Baker Mayfield 'relieved' by knowing Oklahoma fans, teammates support him
— -- NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield said he had "no idea" his teammates would take his jersey out to midfield for the coin toss Saturday, and said the ovation he received from Sooners fans after serving a one-series suspension always will stick with him.
"The love I got when I first went in is something I'll never forget," said Mayfield, whose Sooners crushed West Virginia 59-31. "Means the world to me. Having that fan support, the moment itself for me. ... It's going to be tough knowing I'm not going to play here anymore. But the thing that gets me through it is we've got three more games."
The Sooners will face TCU in the Big 12 championship game next weekend. If they win, they'll likely advance to the College Football Playoff.
Saturday was an emotional day for Mayfield, who started the game on the bench. He was suspended from starting and temporarily stripped of his captaincy for grabbing his crotch and yelling, "F--- you!" to the Kansas sideline last weekend.
Because he was barred from walking to midfield, fellow Oklahoma captains Orlando Brown and Dimitri Flowers took Mayfield's jersey with them.
"Love those guys," Mayfield said. "I have their backs and they have mine."
Mayfield replaced Kyler Murray on the second series, and promptly led the Sooners to touchdowns on all six of their possessions before leaving the game for good in the third quarter to a rousing ovation and Oklahoma up 28 points. With Mayfield leading the way, the Sooners set a single-game school record with an average of 12 yards per play. Mayfield completed 14 of 17 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
Throughout the day, Oklahoma fans chanted "BA-KER, BA-KER," most pronounced just before halftime as the Sooners had built a 42-10 lead.
"Having the support of the [fans] made me realize I just needed to settle in and do my job," Mayfield said. "It's more of a relieving feeling from me knowing they're always going to have my back and it's OK for me to grow and learn and move on. If I'm progressing and becoming a better man in front of their eyes, that's something I'm proud of. I'm proud to show I can learn from my mistakes and move forward."
Earlier in the week, Mayfield was brought to tears while addressing his actions at Kansas. After the game against West Virginia, Mayfield jogged around all four sides of Owen Field, high-fiving with fans before heading down the tunnel to the locker room for the final time.
"Just try to give back as much as they support me," Mayfield said of the fans. "It's not equal, but I'm trying to do as much as I can after everything they've supported me through."
