In limited media availabilities throughout preseason camp, all Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts kept saying was he was ready for Sept. 1. He was ready for his turn with the Sooners against Houston on a Sunday night.

Guess he was. Hurts put on a near flawless performance in helping the No. 4 Sooners to a 49-31 victory over the visiting Cougars.

Hurts, making his first start since the 2017 season, threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for 176 yards and three more scores. Final tally? He was 20-of-23 passing and had 16 carries to account for 508 yards of total offense.

But his mood suggest not only is he not satisfied, but there’s more work left to be done.

“We had a nice game plan. We did some really good things out there tonight,” Hurts said. “And there's a lot of things we need to improve on. We've gotta take that next step as a team.

“I'd say I was in a situation or a position where I'm back where I'm supposed to be. I can't sit here and say I ain't done it before because it ain't like I ... maybe a little rust. I don't know. But being out there back with this team, with this group, it was very exciting and I enjoyed it a lot.”

The numbers tell a story. The 508 yards is the most ever by an OU player making their debut. It’s the most ever by an OU player in a season opener. And it’s the fifth-most in OU history.

However, it’s never just about the numbers, especially when it comes to Hurts. With one of the most unique stories in all college football, everybody was anticipating and predicting what sort of night he would have and what kind of impact he’d make at OU.

Transferring from Alabama, Hurts took all that pent-up aggression, and he let it out the only way he knew how on the field.

“He played with a chip on his shoulder and he wanted everybody to know that he still has it,” wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “I feel like he's just getting his feet wet and he's looking to be better.”

Hurts made his living at Alabama known as a running quarterback. He showed he could throw a little Sunday, too. He found Lamb on a 45-yard touchdown strike and also connected with Charleston Rambo on a beautiful 56-yard touchdown to start the second half.

That running game element? It’s definitely still there. As OU fans got accustomed to former quarterback Kyler Murray sliding or always being smart in trying to avoid contact, that’s not Hurts. Never has been, and it’s pretty clear it never will be.

“Jalen is a different body type, without a doubt,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “He’s played a lot of ball. We’ll continue to get a good feel for where we want to be. That’s something that’s really hard for me to grade until you get on a live field. Our quarterbacks here aren’t ever live until Saturday or, in this case, Sunday night.

“I know he can withstand it. But we also take pride in keeping our quarterbacks healthy too. It will be ongoing and a learning process for both of us.”

Rambo led the team with three catches for 105 yards, while Trey Sermon added 91 yards on the ground as OU racked up 686 total yards of offense, averaging 11.2 yards per play.

Everybody knew it would be some sort of learning curve with Hurts and Riley. Few expected the curve to be accelerated so quickly. Though just one game, it’s clear Hurts and Riley are on the same page, and OU fans are ready to come along for the ride.