After a 25-15 loss at home to Tennessee, Oklahoma makes a quarterback change.
Head coach Brett Venables announced Monday that freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. will start for the Sooners’ first SEC road game at Auburn. Hawkins is preferred over sophomore Jackson Arnold, a five-star recruit.
Arnold passed for 54 yards and one interception, completing 7 of 16 passes against Tennessee. He committed three turnovers, and lost two fumbles, against the Volunteers. Oklahoma benched Arnold just before halftime, with Hawkins taking over for the Sooners’ final series of the first half.
According to ESPN’s Holly Rowe (via On3), Venables decided to make the change because of the errors.
“He said it was the turnovers, but there are also things that have to happen in time in our offense. We have timing plays, things that have to happen and it just wasn’t happening in time. He also said the turnover margin is a big factor. They’re up by one on Tennessee. That’s unusual for OU.”
Hawkins threw for 132 yards and one touchdown on 11-for-18 passing. He also rushed for 22 yards on 11 carries. After the game, Venables said there would be a quarterback battle in the week leading up to Saturday. But his comments seemed to indicate he was leaning more toward Hawkins.
“He’s a tremendous athlete,” Venables said of Hawkins, via Colton Sulley of The Oklahoman. “There were a couple of times where we had pressure on the rim that we didn’t block and he got out there. So he’s got some playmaking ability and he can hurt you with his legs.”
After reviewing the film, Oklahoma’s coaches apparently decided to make the change and have Hawkins practice with the first-team offensive line for a full week.
In Oklahoma’s first four games, Arnold completed 60 percent (61 of 102) of his passes for 538 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
Oklahoma (3-1), ranked No. 21 in this week’s AP Poll, will face Auburn (2-2) at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:30 ET and the game will be televised on ABC.
