Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma Rout USD 70-14; CeeDee Lamb Goes for 144 Yards, 1 TD

The No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners took care of South Dakota 70-14 Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium.

After South Dakota forced OU to punt on the opening possession, it was all Sooners.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts continued to make the most of his final year of eligibility and first season in Oklahoma following his transfer from Alabama in January. The 21-year-old finished with 259 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on 14-of-18 passing.

Junior receiver CeeDee Lamb was Hurts' most productive target, as he hauled in six catches for 144 yards and one touchdown—71 of those yards and the touchdown coming on the first scoring drive and all of his production coming in the first half.

Hurts followed up his 176 rushing yards in the season opener with 47 yards on eight carries Saturday. Running backs Kennedy Brooks, Trey Sermon and Rhamondre Stevenson each contributed a touchdown on the ground.

Stevenson led the group with 104 yards on six carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run:

Hurts was replaced by Tanner Mordecai with 9:20 to play in the third quarter. After 114 yards, two touchdowns and no picks on 6-of-8 passing, the sophomore signal-caller gave way to former 247Sports 5-star prospect Spencer Rattler, making his official debut for the Sooners.

The 18-year-old true freshman quarterback's first collegiate touchdown pass went to fellow true freshman Trejan Bridges:

Defensively, Oklahoma forced its first turnover of the season—doubling as the first under first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch—when Neville Gallimore forced South Dakota running back Kai Henry to fumble, which Brendan Radley-Hiles recovered.

Radley-Hiles followed that up by taking an interception 30 yards for a touchdown on South Dakota's first drive of the second half.

Lamb Showcasing Why He's One of Top 2020 WR Prospects in Oklahoma Offense

Lamb is on his third quarterback in as many seasons, which would typically be seen as a disadvantage, but the 6'2", 191-pounder has had the pleasure of catching passes from the last two Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018).

On Saturday, Lamb had his first 100-yard receiving game with Hurts as his quarterback and came just 23 yards short of his career-high 167 yards receiving set in last year's Big 12 Championship. In doing so, he displayed the speed and skill that has him ranked as one of the top receivers in a crowded 2020 NFL-eligible class.

One play in particular on a slightly under-thrown ball by Hurts with a defender draped on him stood out:

With Murray under center last season, Lamb recorded 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns on 65 receptions with a 17.8-yard average. Judging from that plus his 807-yard, seven-touchdown freshman campaign, CBSSports.com's Chris Trapasso compared Lamb to Chicago Bears Pro Bowler Allen Robinson:

"While not as flashy as some of the other names in his loaded receiver class, he's probably the most ready -- right now -- to step into an NFL offense and be a No. 1 receiver on the outside. I'm serious.

Lamb averaged slightly more yards per catch than Marquise Brown last season and even with a first-round pick in his wideout group, the sophomore still accounted for a solid 25.6 percent of Oklahoma's receiving yards and scored 11 touchdowns.

"I can totally envision a scenario in which Lamb generates the least buzz of the first-round receivers then ultimately has the steadiest NFL career of anyone in his class."

Other receiving prospects with plenty of buzz include Alabama's Jerry Jeudy, Clemson's Tee Higgins and Colorado's Laviska Shenault Jr. What Lamb has that others don't, though, is head coach Lincoln Riley's offensive scheme that landed back-to-back Heismans and two first-round picks (Murray, Brown).

That said, the standard for receivers is Jeudy.

Jeudy topped ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s preseason big board for the 2020 NFL draft. At 6'1" and 192 pounds, he is essentially a physical clone of Lamb. Jeudy tallied 68 catches for 1,315 yards and 14 touchdowns last season for the Tide.

According to ESPN Stats & Information (h/t Kiper), Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's QBR was 94.1 when Jeudy was on the field last season compared to 41.2 without him. That is perhaps the most telling statistic of all.

And it's where Lamb can help his draft stock the most this season.

Given what he has already shown through two seasons, NFL teams know what skill set they'd be getting with Lamb. However, at Alabama, Hurts was always seen as a dual-threat quarterback with an emphasis on his ability to run. In Oklahoma, Lamb can make Hurts look as good as any pure passer in college.

What's Next?

Oklahoma (2-0) will travel to UCLA next Saturday night (Sept. 14), while South Dakota (0-2) will host Houston Baptist on Saturday afternoon.