Rose Bowl notes: Ailing Baker Mayfield makes surprise appearance at media session
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield made it to Rose Bowl media day after all, swooping in late and providing a jolt of drama as he noted he has been dealing with “flu-like†symptoms.
The Heisman Trophy winner missed the first half of the 45-minute session Saturday morning at the L.A. Hotel in downtown, but arrived in time to meet with the media for the first time this week ahead of the College Football Playoff semifinal between the second-ranked Sooners and No. 3 Georgia on Monday night.
Mayfield was not expected to attend as he’s been dealing with the illness the past few days.
“Yeah, I’m not dying,†Mayfield said.
Mayfield’s unexpected entrance had reporters and camera operators scrambling to get to the dais where he was speaking, in the corner of a ballroom crowded with reporters, plus Oklahoma’s entire roster and coaching staff. Mayfield said he changed his mind about missing media day after turning on the television at the team hotel and seeing coach Lincoln Riley answering questions about the quarterback’s status.
“I realized this whole thing is not about me,†Mayfield said. “Oklahoma is here to play a playoff game. It’s not about any sickness that I have. We’re here to win a game, and that’s what it needs to be about. My teammates don’t need to answer questions on my behalf. I’m not dying. I’ll be playing.
“I hope I’m 100% on Monday. I think I will be,†said Mayfield, who has thrown for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns against five interceptions this season.
Mayfield has been at practice each day this week. He said the practices have been a little tougher than usual. He did not attend the team’s trip to Disneyland on Wednesday, dinner on Thursday or his scheduled media availability Friday.
“He’ll be ready to play,†Riley said. “Will he be at 100 percent physically? We’ll see. He’s not going to miss this one.â€
Backs are full
Oklahoma’s Dimitri Flowers and Georgia’s Christian Payne have the same title but very different job descriptions.
Both are listed as fullbacks. For Flowers, that’s really a misnomer. Riley thinks of Flowers as an H-back, as in hybrid. The senior lines up everywhere — receiver, tight end, tailback — allowing the Sooners’ offense to quickly morph from one look to another.
Payne, meanwhile, is the quintessential fullback for Georgia. The senior lines up in front of a tailback and blocks — and that’s pretty much it.
“I’m not used like a lot of fullbacks in the country, and that just goes to attribute to coach (Lincoln) Riley and how smart he is on the offensive side of the ball,†Flowers said. “It’s kind of crazy to see that we play the same position, but do almost two totally different things.â€
Flowers has only 36 touches this season (13 carries and 23 catches), but he has scored eight touchdowns (four rushing and four receiving). As a runner, the 247-pounder mostly handles short yardage, averaging 2.0 yards per carry. As a receiver, he is a big-play threat at 17.9 yards a catch.
The pressure Georgia puts on a defense with Payne is all about brute force. The hometown hero from Athens, came to the Bulldogs as a walk-on linebacker under former coach Mark Richt, who also used prototypical fullbacks. During Payne’s freshman year, coaches found themselves a short on healthy fullbacks in practice and grabbed Payne away from the defense.
“I was like, shoot, that’s my way to get on the field,†Payne said.
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