The Oklahoma Sooners’ first SEC football game might not have been what they quite expected. In contrast to recent years dominating the Big 12 under Lincoln Riley, OU’s offense was disastrous on Saturday. The Sooners took a 25-15 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in Week 4, dropping their record to 3-1 on the season.
Since Brent Venables took the head coaching job in Norman, a defensive resurgence has been the focal point of Oklahoma’s football program. They seemingly achieved that, holding the Volunteers’ red-hot offense to just 25 points. The offense, unsurprisingly, couldn’t back them up.
Starting quarterback Jackson Arnold was benched following his poor play. Completing just seven of his 16 passes, he threw an interception and only tallied 54 yards. He also los two fumbles before getting benched for true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. The true freshman taking over under center sparked some life into the offense, even though OU ultimately fell short.
Heading into Week 5, there’s a decision to be made regarding the quarterback position. After taking over, Hawkins completed 11 of his 18 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He added 11 carries for 22 yards and a near touchdown. It seems the Sooners should look into starting Hawkins on the road against Auburn. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit tends to agree with this notion.
Kirk Herbstreit claims Michael Hawkins Jr. should start for OU
The Sooners scored two touchdowns against Tennessee. While Hawkins only threw for one of the scores, he led the drive leading to the second touchdown score, which running back Jovantae Barnes punched in. This led to some Sooner fans, pundits and college football fans in general calling for Hawkins to take over as the starter rather than Arnold.
“This kid’s your quarterback,” Herbstreit said on the broadcast. “This is the quarterback right here, No. 9, moving on into next week. This kid has done enough in these handful of series in the second half. This is what it’s all about right here. This kid is fighting for every inch.”
Hawkins played with more fire than Arnold throughout the game. His game has a spark to it that the true sophomore and former five-star simply doesn’t add to the offense. Not to mention, Hawkins — a true freshman — has an incredible dual-threat ability that can help make up for some offensive line struggles.
The former four-star recruit is certainly inexperienced, but he seems to play with a fire that could help OU’s offense move the chains on the road against Auburn — a game that could help him mature tremendously at the college football level.
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