f coaching academies for boys and now they have one for girls, Scott said. Jordan Nobbs (r) and Lucy Bronze (l) are also from the North East Ive be

NORMAN, Okla. -- A quarterback matchup the likes of Saturdays showdown between Oklahomas Baker Mayfield and Ohio States J.T. Barrett is rare, especially in the regular season.Barrett finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 2014, Mayfield finished fourth last year, and both are in the discussion this year.The most recent matchup between quarterbacks who both entered a game having finished in the top five in any previous Heisman race came when Mayfields Sooners played Deshaun Watsons Clemson Tigers last season in the College Football Playoff. Before that, it was when Oregons Marcus Mariota and Florida States Jameis Winston met in the College Football Playoff after the 2014 season. Before that, youd have to go back to the championship game after the 2008 season, when Floridas Tim Tebow and Oklahomas Sam Bradford squared off.Mayfield welcomes the pressure that comes with playing a team with an elite signal caller. He knows that Barretts talent leaves the 14th-ranked Sooners with little margin for error against the third-ranked Buckeyes .It makes the competition fun, but Ive just got to focus in on my job, Mayfield said. I also know Ive got to push a little bit harder, got to push those guys (teammates) a little bit more.A loss against Ohio State would likely kill Oklahomas national title hopes and Mayfields Heisman hopes. A win would boost both causes significantly.This is kind of the opportunity you come to a place like this to play in games like this, where everybodys watching on a Saturday night, Mayfield said. It has a lot of things that could happen after.Barretts arrival at this point hasnt been smooth. He suffered a season-ending broken right ankle against Michigan late in that dynamic 2014 season, and Cardale Jones took over and led the Buckeyes to the national title. Barrett and Jones split time last season, but now Barrett has the job to himself and looks like his 2014 self. He has completed 66 percent of his passes for 498 yards and six touchdowns in two games this season, and has 85 yards and three touchdowns rushing.Hes just an all-around good player, Mayfield said. Id say theres three guys in the country that do what he does, including him. Deshaun Watson and Greg Ward (Houston) would be the other two. Guys that are able to throw it as best as anybody and also run it better than anybody else.Mayfield walked on at Texas Tech and played there as a freshman in 2013 before transferring to Oklahoma and sitting out a year. He won the starting job at Oklahoma last season in a preseason battle with Trevor Knight and quickly proved himself capable. He eventually passed for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns and led the Sooners to the Playoff.The ball is out fast, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. They give him a lot of responsibility like we do J.T. as far as on run plays, throwing screens and the tempo. Obviously, he knows that offense, you can tell, very well.When the ball isnt out quickly, Mayfield can be even more dangerous. He ran for 405 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He is not as effective a runner as Barrett, but his ability to improvise makes him dangerous.The biggest thing is hes a creator of plays, Meyer said. He just doesnt make the plays when they are there, but he had a couple of outstanding plays where nothing was there, and its hard to bring him down.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAP Supersonics Jerseys China .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Slick Watts Jersey . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. https://www.supersonicsjerseys.com/910s-rod-thorn-jersey-supersonics.html . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Gary Payton Jersey . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Dick Snyder Jersey . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain.Manchester City and England midfielder Jill Scott says the passion for football in the North East is a driving force behind the emergence of so many talented female players from the region. A number of current internationals - including Scott, skipper Steph Houghton, Lucy Bronze, Jordan Nobbs and Carly Telford - hail from the North East and have all played at Sunderland at some point in their career.I think there must be something in the water, Scott told Sky Sports. Growing up I was always around football. I had a season ticket at Sunderland from the age of seven and I think there is just a real passion and a real love for the game up here. Durham-born Steph Houghton is Manchester City and England Womens captain If you look at all the players that have come through from the North East they are all hard-working and gritty. I dont know if thats because we played most weekends in the rain and the wind and that made us a lot stronger.But a lot of us played under Mick Mulhern at Sunderland and he was someone who would always give young players an opportunity.I remember playing with the first team around the age of 14 and some of my team-mates were around 29 or 30. Jill Scott has more than 100 caps for England It was tough being so young but giving us that opportunity at that age strengthened us.dddddddddddd He did that with a lot of young players and you can see them reaping the benefits of that as players now. Its fantastic to see so many girls from the North East coming through.Scott was speaking at a coaching session for 35 girls run by Evolution Soccer in Durham, where she joined Newcastle United Womens defender Emily Ellis.This was a fantastic opportunity to come along and team up with Evolution Soccer who run a lot of coaching academies for boys and now they have one for girls, Scott said. Jordan Nobbs (r) and Lucy Bronze (l) are also from the North East Ive been doing soccer schools for the last two years or so now and I absolutely love doing stuff like this. Its great to see how many girls are now getting involved.It was difficult for myself growing up because there were a lot of boys playing and you did get bullied sometimes because you were the only girl playing.But now seeing the girls and talking to their parents, they say their confidence has really gone up because they are around girls and not around boys all the time. Also See: SportsWomen Latest Show News Latest News SportsWomen Video ' ' '