January 1, 2017
By Eric Bailey

Los Angeles — For all of the storylines (click here) surrounding Monday’s game between Oklahoma and Georgia, the Rose Bowl likely will be decided by one key matchup.

Quarterback play.

Oklahoma has Baker Mayfield, a Heisman Trophy winner with 39 games of experience. Georgia has Jake Fromm, a true freshman who has commanded the Bulldogs to Monday’s College Football Playoff semifinal contest.

Granted, it takes a team to win a big football game, but a quarterback is a leader. Everything good or bad begins with that player.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit has provided analysis for some of Mayfield’s games over the past three seasons. He understands — like most in Oklahoma’s fan base — the importance of the senior quarterback to his team.

“I’m a big believer in energy. His team feeds off of his energy, maybe unlike any other quarterback that I’ve seen before,” Herbstreit said on Sunday morning. “If he gets going, if he gets that look in his eye, it’s really challenging to defend him.”...