Jalen Hurts looks to defeat Brock Purdy again in NFC Championship Game

What were you doing on November 9th of 2019? The Philadelphia Eagles were on a bye while fans were basking in the glow of a 22-14 win over the Chicago Bears Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts and the then-ninth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners were set to host Brock Purdy and the Iowa State Cyclones in an important Big 12 football game. Who knew that it would be a sign of things to come and that all of these roads would intersect again?

This one featured future NFL stars, guys like CeeDee Lamb, Rhamondre Stevenson, Breece Hall, and Trey Sermon. It also featured two quarterbacks you may have heard of though they were much younger in those days. What took place that evening was a fireworks show.

Jalen Hurts and Brock Purdy’s 2019 meeting was a classic. Can they deliver the goods again?

Ranked as the number seven team in the land at the time, Oklahoma should have beaten Purdy’s team fairly easily, but as often is the case in college football, we were treated to a game full of surprises.

Jalen Hurts was on his A-game, completing 18 of 23 passes and tossing three touchdowns versus only one interception. He also rushed for 68 yards and two more scores. By halftime, the Sooners were up 21-7 and seemed poised to coast to an easy victory, but Brock Purdy and company weren’t done.

Purdy threw five touchdowns of his own. He completed 19 of his 30 pass attempts as Iowa State outscored Oklahoma in the second half. Ultimately it would be Hurts and the Sooners who would win a 42-41 shootout. Strangely, it would be a defensive play to seal the deal. Parnell Motley picked Purdy off on a two-point conversion attempt pass with 24 seconds remaining. This one is worth another look. Thank the Big 12’s YouTube channel for the clip.

Hopefully, things will be easier for Jalen Hurts and company this time around as they host the San Francisco 49ers.

Jalen and Brock begin what might be a new rivalry at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. The New York Giants didn’t put up much of a fight in the Divisional Round as the Eagles coasted to a 38-7 win that seemed even more lopsided than the score indicates.

Philly ran the ball so well that Hurts only needed to throw 24 passes to rack up 154 yards through the air and two touchdown passes. He also contributed to the rushing attack with nine carries as he also reached the end zone as a rusher.

One day later, Purdy’s Niners struggled to get by the Dallas Cowboys. San Francisco never trailed in a 19-12 victory, but they only managed to score one touchdown thanks to Christian McCaffrey. Purdy still hasn’t lost as a starter at the professional level. Still, he didn’t look nearly as comfortable versus the Cowboys, and Philadelphia is a long way from Norman, Oklahoma.

Might Purdy get his revenge on Hurts this Sunday? Anything is possible, but It seems unlikely. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles enter this one with momentum, but they’re only 2.5-point favorites according to FanDuel.

Strange things happen in football, like the Cyclones’ second-half surge in 2019, but Purdy came up short versus Hurts on that evening, and we expect the same thing to happen on Sunday.