Is No. 7 Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray as good as – or even better – than former OU quarterback Baker Mayfield?

Murray, who is in top speculations on a Heisman winner, is being compared to Mayfield, the Heisman winner who was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and is now the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

The biggest test of this season will come at 11 a.m. Saturday when Murray and his teammates take on No. 10 Texas in the Cotton Bowl in the annual Red River Shootout. Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0 in the Big 12) needs a win to keep pace for a spot in the league championship and Texas (4-1, 2-0 in the Big 12) is looking to climb back into national prominence.

Murray was named Big 12 offensive player of the week after he accounted for seven touchdowns (six passing and one rushing) in last Saturday’s 66-33 thrashing of Baylor in Norman. Texas freshman D’Shawn Jamison was awarded Special Teams Player of the Week after the Longhorns slipped past Kansas State 19-14 last Saturday.

“The names have changed but I don’t know that the results have at all,” Texas coach Tom Herman said Monday when asked to compare Murray to Mayfield. “Maybe the difference is how elite of a runner their quarterback is. I remember him coming out of high school. I thought he was a phenomenal player – phenomenal in terms of the combination of speed and explosiveness running the football and he has such a beautiful, quick release and a strong arm with a lot of velocity on the ball.

“Not a whole lot has changed to be quite honest with you. They are one of it not the best offense in the country. And we are going to have our hands full.”

“That was about as good a performance as we have seen from anybody,” OU assistant head coach Cale Gundy said Monday.

Murray was the No. 8 pick in the Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland A’s and he got a $4.5-plus million bonus. Even though Murray stands only 5 feet 10 inches tall, Gundy said there was no doubt in his mind that Murray could play quarterback in the NFL.

Kyler Murray has a quarterback rating of 230.9 – second best in the nation behind Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama (238.3). Against Baylor, Murray had a quarterback rating of 348 as he hit 17 of 21 passes (81 percent) for 432 yards and six touchdowns (with a seventh touchdown rushing).

Murray is third in the nation in touchdown passes (17 – tied with Will Grier of West Virginia), No. 11 in completion percentage (70 percent) and No. 1 in yard per attempt (13.4 yard average).

As good as he is as a passer, Murray can be deadly to defenses when he runs.

“We are going to have to make sure he doesn’t beat us with his legs,” Herman said.

Against KSU, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger hit 29 of 36 passes (81 percent) for 207 yards and one touchdown. His quarterback rating was 138. On the year, Ehlinger has 1,185 yards passing with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. His adjusted quarterback rating for the season is 65.8.

Gundy, who played quarterback for the Sooners against Texas, said the matchup is unique.

“They’ve got great football players down there and they’ve always had great football players down there,” Gundy said. “When you get into this game, it’s just a different football game. It’s not like the others.”

OU’s lightning quick offense scored in less than three minutes in each drive against Baylor. That puts stress on a defense.

“It is challenging for a defense to go back out there after they have had some long drives,” Gundy said. “Whether they score or go three and out, you’ve got to go back out there. Maybe that’s just part of being in this conference.”

Herman complimented the OU defense.

“I think (OU linebacker) Kenneth Murray is a heck of a player,” Herman said. “He’s the glue that kind of holds them together. Their front six is the strength of their defense. It’s going to be a battle trying to block those guys.

“And they are physical in the back end. They will fly around and hit you.”

Texas has a good defense, too.

“Defensively, they returned nine starters,” Gundy said. “They have a lot of guys running around that they’ve had in the past.

“They have two senior linebackers who are very talented on the back end. I think offensively that the biggest thing that they are doing is that Sam’s playing very consistently offensively. I think he’s had only one interception and I believe that was in the first game of the season. They are taking care of the football and playing well defensively. It looks like they are playing good team football.”

Herman said his team always prepares four or five “trick plays” – which he calls “special plays” – for every game.

“We have to play our best against elite teams in the country, like Oklahoma,” Herman said. “If we roll in there with anything less than our A-plus game for four quarters, it’s not going to be good. It’s not going to be fun. But we have proven to ourselves that our best is good enough.”

The game will be televised on Fox Sports Network.