The Oklahoma Sooners were officially welcomed to the SEC by the Tennessee Volunteers. OU suffered a 25-15 loss in a game that will go down in the history books. Despite the result of the game, the Sooners certainly made an arrival in the SEC as far as the atmosphere in Norman is concerned.
The student section was full as soon as the doors opened. Campus Corner was buzzing all week and the campus was electric with College GameDay taking place in the morning. When the ball was kicked off, though, the Sooners’ deficiencies were exposed.
Oklahoma’s offense struggled as starting quarterback Jackson Arnold completed just seven of his 16 passes for 54 yards, adding an interception to his poor performance. The rushing game didn’t back him up, either, rushing for just 36 yards on 34 attempts.
The performance was poor enough that the Sooners’ coaching staff inserted true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. into the game. The young OU quarterback completed 11 of his 18 passes for 132 yards, adding a touchdown and 22 rushing yards in 12 attempts.
OU has a quarterback controversy
There is question at the quarterback position in Norman, now. Arnold and the Sooners offense haven’t looked good early this season. While there will be growing pains, it might make more sense to give Hawkins the start in Auburn next week. The offense finally moved when he was inserted into the game.
Sure, the offensive line and rushing game was an issue, but still Arnold is supposed to be a superstar and capable of providing heroics. The offense might be best suited with Hawkins under center. At the least, his dual-threat abilities will give defenses a new look and keep them on their heels.
“I felt pretty comfortable,” Hawkins said after the win. “Just take advantage of (the opportunity).”
While there has been no decision made at the quarterback decision yet, one day removed from Oklahoma losing to the No. 6 Volunteers, it’s certainly something the coaching staff will be looking into moving forward. Winning games in the SEC is the immediate priority, and picking the quarterback that’s going to help them will be the focus of Sooners head coach Brent Venables.
“We’re gonna evaluate that and figure out who the best guy is to get us to (win) No. 4,” Venables claimed.
Expect an intriguing week of practice coming for OU as they next take on the Auburn Tigers on the road. The first road SEC contest is going to be a tough one for the Sooners. After the loss to the Volunteers, it seems Hawkins should get a shot as the starting quarterback.
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