Former Oklahoma quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts duel it out in Arizona

Things happened in Arizona. Lincoln Riley had another game between two of his former quarterbacks. And they dueled it out.

Things happened in Arizona.

Lincoln Riley had another game between two of his former quarterbacks. Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield did it in 2019 and now the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles got into a must-win matchup.

Murray and Jalen Hurts never crossed paths at Oklahoma. Murray finished in 2018 before moving on to the NFL and then Hurts arrived as a transfer in Jan. of 2019. Murray finished with a Heisman and the No. 1 overall pick with Hurts going in the second round to Philadelphia after coming up second in the Heisman race.

Both led the Sooners to Big 12 Championships and College Football Playoff appearances.

“It’ll be exciting to watch those two go at it. I can’t lose, which, that’s a good feeling to be in,” Riley said this week. “I have—it’ll be definitely mixed emotions watching them go at it, but really cool. Really, really cool to see them get a chance. As far as their makeup, I think they’re both confident guys in who they are and confident being able to go into any situation and lead and play well, play at a high level. I think that they both have that. They’re both obviously two very skilled football players. And then I think it helps that they’ve been in a program like this. The amount of eyes on it, the expectations, great competition playing in the biggest and best games in college football, which is kind of the norm here. I think the experience of not only playing quarterback at an elite Division I university, football program, but also, more than that, playing quarterback at Oklahoma is a little different, and I think all those things combine to have helped them as players and challenges they’ve had to face here and gets them ready for the challenges they’re currently facing right now.”

They dueled it out in the NFL.

Murray finished with a career high in passing yards with 406 passing yards on 27 of 36 passing and three touchdowns. The Cardinals put up 26 points before not scoring for much of the second half, until he put together what ended up being a game-winning drive that was capped off by an unreal catch by DeAndre Hopkins.

Hurts battled right back. He went 24 of 44 for 338 yards and three touchdowns, and added 63 yards and a score on the ground in just his second start. Hurts unseated Carson Wentz and has now played well for three-straight games. The Eagles brought him in during the Green Bay game two weeks before leading them back into it and then he beat the New Orleans Saints.

Murray now moves to 2-0 against former Oklahoma quarterbacks. Baker Mayfield is scheduled to play on Sunday Night Football between the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants.

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