One of the most overused lines in cinema is “We’re not so different, you and I.” However, the quote applies perfectly in pregame coverage of Auburn football’s game with No. 18 Oklahoma.
Auburn has lacked consistency at the quarterback position through four games with senior [autotag]Payton Thorne[/autotag] and redshirt freshman [autotag]Hank Brown[/autotag] earning two starts each with mixed results. Oklahoma is experiencing similar challenges, forcing head coach Brent Venables to change the starter ahead of the Sooners’ trip to Auburn this Saturday.
Oklahoma signed five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold to its 2023 class and he was expected to be the starter for several seasons, however, after a weak showing against Tennessee last Saturday in which he completed 7-of-16 passes for 54 yards, Venables elected to give true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. a try at the position. He did enough to keep the Sooners in the game by passing for 132 yards and a touchdown in the 25-15 loss to the Volunteers.
He performed well enough to earn his first career start this weekend, doing so at Jordan-Hare Stadium against the Auburn Tigers. Venables says that he will look to Hawkins to provide a much-needed spark to the SEC’s last-ranked offense.
“Mike will have his opportunity to run out there and be our guy and see where we’re at and try to give us a kick start,” Venables said Monday on his weekly radio show, Sooner Sports Talk.
Hawkins has not earned the right to be a full-time starter for the Sooners yet. However, a great outing on the road at Auburn could lead to a permanent role writes Aaron Gelvin of Sooners Wire.
“Venables didn’t name Hawkins the starter for the rest of the season, and that distinction will come down to play on the field,” Gelvin wrote. “Hawkins earned a shot to be the starter against the Tigers, and if he plays well, it’s likely Venables and his staff will stick with the youngster.”
Hawkins has been more effective despite not having equal snaps to Arnold. According to Pro Football Focus, Hawkins has thrown just one turnover-worthy pass in 22 pass attempts and is given nearly a second longer to make throws than Arnold. As for Arnold, he has thrown three turnover-worthy passes, all three resulting in interceptions. It does not help matters that Arnold has been sacked nine times through four games and is given just 2.5 seconds to throw.
The Sooners enter the weekend with the No. 16 offense in the SEC with an average of 299 yards gained per game and ranks No. 14 in passing with 171.3 yards per game. Oklahoma football looks for Hawkins to be the team’s saving grace as they look to finish the SEC slate on a strong note after beginning 0-1. If Hawkins can not get the job done, Venables may look at giving Arnold another shot or may fall back to sixth-year senior Casey Thompson, who transferred to Oklahoma from FAU last offseason.
Oklahoma and their new starting quarterback will trek to the Plains for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday.
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