Tag: Michael Hawkins Jr.

3 freshmen to watch for Oklahoma Sooners against South Carolina Gamecocks

Three Oklahoma Sooners Freshmen that will be key against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Oklahoma Sooners return home this week, looking to bounce back after a humbling loss against Texas. OU will host the South Carolina Gamecocks in a game that is suddenly much bigger than previously anticipated.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his coaching staff will once again be relying on plenty of members of the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] to play big roles in this game. These true freshmen may not be ready yet, but they’re being asked to step up and help the team get victories in the mighty [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Here are three freshmen to keep your eye on as the Sooners try to take down the Gamecocks.

1. Eli Bowen, DB

One of the few bright spots in the loss against the Longhorns last week was the play of [autotag]Eli Bowen[/autotag]. The undersized cornerback showed plenty of heart and technique on the outside. If it weren’t for him, Texas may have scored even more points than they did.

Bowen will be asked to play extremely well once again, as there’s essentially no margin for error for this OU defense right now. One busted coverage or lost jump ball could spell doom for Oklahoma with the way the offense looks right now.

2. Michael Boganowski, DB

Another young member of OU’s secondary, [autotag]Michael Boganowski[/autotag] gets the nod here because of the physicality he brings to the table. No, he won’t start in this game behind the excellent trio of safeties the Sooners have, but if Venables wants his team to be more physical, few on this team lay the hammer like Boganowski.

As Oklahoma tries to win games without the aid of their offense, there’s no substitute for stopping the run and being physical. That’ll be paramount against a Gamecock offense that is also struggling, and depth will certainly play a role, as the Sooners will have to play plenty of snaps on defense.

3. Michael Hawkins Jr., QB

The last spot could go to defensive tackle Jayden Jackson or running back Taylor Tatum, but we’ll include quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] here.

Hawkins will make his third career start in this game, Venables confirmed on Monday night. He did enough to get the win over Auburn before the bye week, but struggled against Texas last week. He certainly isn’t getting any help from anyone calling the offense or the injury situation at wide receiver, but there is definitely room to improve.

The true freshman needs to take care of the ball yes, but he should also be encouraged to sling it and trust what he sees. He’s likely still in the game because of his poise and athletic ability, and because Venables believes he’s the best man for the job. He needs to prove his head coach right by taking a step forward on Saturday against the Gamecocks and by taking a firm hold of the starting gig under center.

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Oklahoma Sooners offense one of the worst in the nation

The Oklahoma Sooners offense has a lot to figure out ahead of their matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks.

There are times when the statistics don’t reflect the product you see on the field. But that isn’t the case with the Sooners. The product on the field is fairly well reflected in the numbers.

The Sooners rank No. 125 out of 134 FBS teams in total yards per game, No. 101 in rushing yards per game, and No. 123 in passing yards per game. OU is No. 118 in first downs per game. The Sooners are averaging just 3.4 yards per carry on the season. That ranks No. 114 among FBS teams.

ESPN’s SP+ rating likes the Sooners better, ranking them at No. 59 in the nation. But that’s 15th out of 16 SEC teams. Only Mississippi State ranks lower in offensive SP+ and they’ve turned it on of late, scoring 31 against Georgia on Saturday. Pro Football Focus’ grading system has the Sooners at No. 128, last among SEC teams.

They aren’t efficient, and OU isn’t hitting anything down the field, either. Max Olson of ESPN highlighted the lack of explosiveness from the Oklahoma Sooners offense.

OU has just 13 plays of 20 yards or more this season, which ranks 133rd in the nation, ahead of only 0-5 Kennesaw State. 2024 Oklahoma’s explosive rate of 3.4% ranks third worst among all Power Four teams over the last decade.

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The Oklahoma Sooners offense hasn’t been effective for much of the season. Especially in SEC play, OU has lacked consistency in every facet.

Though Oklahoma hasn’t been able to create a lot of explosive plays, what’s more disconcerting is they simply aren’t creating enough efficiency to move the ball consistently. The Sooners need to be more efficient.

Big plays, especially in the passing game, can back defenses off of the line of scrimmage. That would certainly help. But Hawkins didn’t look comfortable throwing the ball downfield on Saturday. Whether that was because of the pressure from Texas’ defense or not liking what he saw in coverage, Hawkins and the Sooners offense couldn’t create down the field.

Of Hawkins’ 30 pass attempts, only five went beyond 10 yards down the field.

Against Texas, they averaged just five plays per drive and had just three drives that went longer than five plays. One was an 11-play, 38-yard drive that ended in a field goal. Another was an eight-play, 19-yard drive, and they turned it over on downs. The final drive of the day was their most productive, but Texas was in prevent defense. Still, the Sooners couldn’t finish off a 17-play, 69-yard drive by finding the end zone.

On first down, the Sooners averaged 4.5 yards per play on Saturday. That should have been enough to get them ahead of the chains. But negative plays or penalties on second and third down set them back.

Their average third down needed 8.5 yards to convert for a first down, and the Sooners were just 4 of 15 on third down.

Oklahoma’s success rate against Texas was 30%, which is considered below average. Success rate is determined by yards gained relative to down and distance and is a good measure of efficiency.

Nothing is going right for the Oklahoma Sooners on the offensive side of the ball right now. The good news is it can’t get much worse. Seth Littrell, Joe Jon Finley, and the entire offensive staff have to take a long look at what they’re doing and change it up. It isn’t so much about execution as it is about putting the players in a better position to be successful.

What plagued the Sooners when Jackson Arnold was the starting quarterback is still hurting Oklahoma with Michael Hawkins Jr. under center. Oklahoma is still young and experienced in their personnel at quarterback and wide receiver and the playcalling philosophy isn’t getting them anywhere either. Oklahoma can’t do much about their personnel. They need to let them learn and grow and go through the growing pains. But the offensive philosophy can help.

Arnold struggled with some of the reads in the run-pass and read-option aspects of the offense. Against Auburn, it seemed like Littrell and Finley scaled back some of the option aspects of the offense. However, for the Texas game, it looked like they added more, and as it was early in the season, the option game wasn’t effective for the Sooners.

Venables said Monday night, “We had some simple things, there was a ‘do this or do that’ when it comes to the quarterback, we’ve got to make some better decisions there because we had some real opportunities.”

If the quarterback isn’t reading it right, which was the case under Arnold and now Hawkins, then there’s a disconnect between what the coaches are teaching and the way the quarterbacks are attempting to execute it. Or simpler yet, it’s just a bad plan.

It isn’t an effective part of the offense either way, so the Sooners need to take it out.

Oklahoma has to figure things out quickly with the South Carolina Gamecocks coming to town this week. They’re a good defense that can make life very difficult for a quarterback with their athletic and disruptive defensive front.

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Michael Hawkins Jr. to start at quarterback vs. South Carolina

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables shared Monday night that the Sooners will start Michael Hawkins Jr. vs. South Carolina.

The Oklahoma Sooners aren’t planning to make a change at quarterback ahead of their matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks. On the Rudy’s Barbecue Coach’s Show, Venables reiterated trust in quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.

Oklahoma was held to three points in the loss to Texas but Venables believes it’s important to give Hawkins more time to show what he can do.

“Mike has shown a lot of really good stuff,” Venables said, “both in his limited time against Tennessee and he had some really good moments where he did some good stuff against Auburn. And even (against Texas), he did some good things and some things where now we see if we can learn from it.”

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Hawkins has had some good moments for the Sooners through two and a half games as the starting quarterback. Oklahoma put a lot on Hawkins’ shoulders on Saturday in the Cotton Bowl, making him responsible on 55 of 72 offensive plays. Hawkins was asked to drop back and throw the ball 40 times and Seth Littrell called 15 designed quarterback runs, according to Pro Football Focus.

Hawkins has a lot of talent, but that’s a lot to ask a true freshman quarterback making just his second collegiate start.

The Sooners have to get more out of the running game and find a way to scheme receivers open in the passing game. Oklahoma’s offense is one of the worst in college football six games into the season. Sure, they’ve played some good defenses in Tennessee, Auburn, and Texas, but it’s not like there will be an easy defense on the schedule in the SEC.

Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley have to find a way to make things easier for their quarterback in the passing game and not put so much on him in the running game either.

Hawkins has the talent to be effective for the Sooners, but he can’t do it all by himself. Few quarterbacks could in the circumstances Oklahoma’s offense is dealing with. So the Sooners coaching staff has to find a way to create more efficiency in the offense.

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Sooners among USA TODAY Sports losers from the College Football weekend

After a disappointing performance in the Red River Showdown, the Oklahoma Sooners were among USA TODAY Sports losers from the weekend.

Even the biggest optimist would have a hard time with the direction of the Oklahoma Sooners after their 34-3 loss to the Texas Longhorns on Saturday.

The defense started off strong, which has been the lone bright spot this season, but the offense couldn’t capitalize on a strong defensive effort in the first quarter. After a long drive from the Texas offense in the second quarter and then a pair of turnovers that led to points, what had been a promising first quarter was a disastrous second frame as the Longhorns ran away from the Sooners on Saturday.

The Sooners were on the wrong side of USA TODAY Sports winners and losers from Paul Myerburg.

There are too many flaws for this team to stay in the Top 25. The biggest issue with OU is an offense that has no quarterback and no surrounding skill talent — the receiver corps has been decimated by injuries — and looks like a yearlong problem. At quarterback, Brent Venables and his staff seem to have whiffed on former starter Jackson Arnold and don’t seem to know how to manufacture anything positive behind Michael Hawkins Jr., a more limited passer. The Sooners still have to face the Rebels, No. 18 Missouri, the Crimson Tide and LSU, so getting to six wins might be easier said than done. – Myerburg, USA TODAY Sports

The offense, which had been inconsistent for much of the year, had another poor showing as they relied on Michael Hawkins Jr. to carry the load for the offense. And although Hawkins has shown good mental toughness through his first two and a half games, they asked way too much of him on Saturday.

Hawkins has a lot of talent, but the coaching staff has to help him more than they did on Saturday. The Sooners have another tough defense to face next Saturday when South Carolina comes to town.

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Best photos from Oklahoma vs. Texas in the Red River Rivalry

A look at some of the best photos from Oklahoma’s 34-3 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners.

The State Fair of Texas always provides a phenomenal backdrop for what is the best rivalry in college sports. On Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners fell well short of expectations in their 34-3 loss to the Texas Longhorns.

Sure, the Longhorns are the No. 1 team in the nation and OU is still dealing with a lot of injuries at wide receiver, but many of the issues that are plaguing the offense have less to do with personnel available and gameplan and execution.

It’s the second time in three years in which the Sooners have been blown out by the Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry. And it’s the second time in three years that Oklahoma failed to score a touchdown.

It was a huge letdown by the Oklahoma Sooners, who now fall to 4-2 on the season with a number of tough games looking ahead. You may not have enjoyed the game, but I’m sure there were some fantastic scenes around the State Fair that Oklahoma fans enjoyed before and after the game. Here’s a look at some of the best photos from the game.

No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners suffer huge loss to No. 1 Texas Longhorns

Oklahoma’s offense struggled in the Sooners 34-3 loss to the Texas Longhorns.

For the second time in two years, the Oklahoma Sooners suffered an embarrassing loss to their Red River rival, the Texas Longhorns. The 34-3 loss is only slightly better than the 49-0 loss the Soones suffered in 2022 during Brent Venables first season as the head coach at Oklahoma.

Things started off promising for the Oklahoma Sooners. The defense forced a pair of three and outs to open the game, including an interception by Billy Bowman. Oklahoma’s pressure packages made Ewers uncomfortable in the early going.

The Sooners held the Longhorns to zero points in the first quarter. OU actually held a 3-0 lead after 15 minutes, and the defense was playing pretty well. But in the second quarter, the wheels began to fall off.

Texas went on an 11-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in a touchdown throw from Quinn Ewers to tight end Gunnar Heim on a play action throwback.

The Sooners struggled to tackle and allowed big runs in the ground game as Tre Wisner ran for 119 yards and a touchdown, averaging over nine yards per carry.

The Longhorns took complete control with the help of fumbles by their true freshmen, Hawkins and running back Taylor Tatum, on back-to-back drives.

Texas took advantage of those fumbles and expanded their lead to 21-3. A missed field goal before halftime kept it from being a bigger margin at the break. But at halftime, it felt like the game was pretty much over. Oklahoma’s offense couldn’t find any momentum in the second quarter and that spilled into the second half.

The Sooners offense never really got anything going after halftime. Hawkins looked like a true freshman, who was unwilling to throw the ball even when wide receivers appeared open or was reluctant to throw the ball into tight windows.

Texas didn’t really have to do much in the second half to secure the win. The Longhorns scored 13 points in the second half and coasted to another blowout win over the Sooners for the second time in three years under Brent Venables.

Oklahoma’s offense is a huge problem after six games. There hasn’t been a complete performance this season, and they haven’t found anything that shows that they do well.

The Sooners struggled to get the ball across midfield all game. It took until the final seconds of the game for the Sooners to get into scoring range while Texas was playing prevent defense.

For the game, Hawkins was 19 of 30 for 149 yards passing. Oklahoma averaged just 2.3 yards per carry on the day. Even when things seemed to be going well for the Sooners, they couldn’t sustain it.

On the other side of things, Texas racked up 406 total yards and was 5 of 13 on third down. The Longhorns ran for 177 yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. Quinn Ewers, making his return from an abdominal injury after sitting out the last two games was an efficient 20 of 29 for 199 yards and two total touchdowns.

The Sooners have a lot of questions to answer, with a stout South Carolina defense coming to Norman next week.

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Joel Klatt reveals prediction for Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns

Joel Klatt predicts Oklahoma vs. Texas Longhorns.

Oklahoma enters the 120th edition of the Red River Showdown as a big underdog. The first matchup as part of the SEC boasts the No. 1 Texas Longhorns vs. the No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners.

Texas looks like the best team in the nation, coasting to a 5-0 record even without starting quarterback Quinn Ewers for the last two games. Oklahoma has had their difficulties getting to 4-1, which is why most aren’t giving the Sooners a chance in this game.

Joel Klatt of Fox Sports and the “Joel Klatt Show: A College Football Podcast” shared his thoughts on OU-Texas this week and has questions about the Sooners offense heading into the top 25 matchup.

“Here’s my question for this game,” Klatt said. “Is Oklahoma’s offense going to be able to keep pace at all? The answer to that is no. Texas’ defense is way too good. So, OU’s not going to be able to just roll out there and score a bunch of points.”

The offense for the Oklahoma Sooners has been inconsistent through five games. They’ve created big plays and are 4-1, but it hasn’t been able to sustain drives with much regularity. Klatt went on to talk about the Sooners defense, giving them praise for what they’re doing this year, but ultimately, it comes back to OU’s offense.

“I know the Sooners defense is fourth in the country,” Klatt said. “We’re talking about Steve Sarkisian and Texas. They’re going to come out there on fire. He always has a great gameplan for these big games and I believe Texas is going to be able to move the football and they will be able to go and score some points. I don’t trust Oklahoma to go and do the same. This is not an offense that I trust. Defense is very good, fourth in the country. Offense, nope, 121st in the country in total offense and they’re facing a defense in Texas that has allowed three touchdowns in five games.”

But it’s this final statement that has me curious.

Klatt said, “You’re not going to be able to go turn Texas over enough like you did against Auburn.”

Klatt already mentioned that the Sooners forced three turnovers in last year’s game. Quinn Ewers threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball, and they were big moments in the game. The Longhorns have had their turnover problems this season, averaging 1.4 giveaways a game. Oklahoma’s defense is averaging 2.6 takeaways this season.

The Sooners only forced one turnover against Auburn, but it was the biggest play of the game, a pick-six by Kip Lewis.

You can’t rely on turnovers to become a factor in a football game. There’s an ebb and flow of it. A defense also can’t go out there trying to force it. What’s made Oklahoma’s defense so good is their ability to play sound defensive football. If they can continue to do that, they could force Texas into some bad spots.

But Klatt’s not off. The offense needs to take a big step in this game for the Sooners to win the football game. But they won’t have to go score 40 points to win. The Sooners defense should be able to keep the Texas offense in the 20s, which will give OU a chance.

[autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] has now had three full weeks with the first-team offense. The offensive line is the healthiest it has been all year. If there’s a concern beyond that, it’s another week without Deion Burks. If he can continue the way he’s played and improve the Sooners passing attack, OU should move the ball better moving forward.

So what was Klatt’s final prediction for OU-Texas? “I like Texas in this game. Texas 34-17,” Klatt said.

We’ll find out tomorrow afternoon in the greatest rivalry game in college football.

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No. 16 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Texas Longhorns Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Expert predictions for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown.

The 120th edition of the Red River Showdown has a chance to be another classic matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns. Texas holds the all-time series lead at 63-51-5. However, OU has dominated the matchup since the turn of the century at 17-8, including Big 12 title games.

The Longhorns come in as the No. 1 team in the nation in both major polls and look like a team headed to the College Football Playoff.

The Oklahoma Sooners are a team with something to prove. They’re 4-1 and picked up a solid win over Auburn on the road in Michael Hawkins Jr.’s first collegiate start.

Can the Sooners make it two in a row and knock off the No. 1 team in the nation? Here are this week’s Sooners Wire staff predictions.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Last week, the sport of college football showed us that anything is possible.

The Red River Rivalry shows us nearly every season that the unexpected can and will happen. This matchup is almost always decided by one score, and I think that will be the case again this year.

Oklahoma’s defense will have to play a whale of a game for the Sooners to pull off the upset. Brent Venables and his staff have worked tirelessly to build a defense that can stand firm against anyone, and we’ll see where there is still work to be done on Saturday. It wouldn’t surprise me if the defense has to score again for OU to win the ballgame.

The Sooners will need to take care of the football, play field position, and capitalize on big-play opportunities. We’re probably asking too much of Michael Hawkins Jr. behind a shaky offensive line and without his best offensive players once again.

But that’s the life of being OU’s starting quarterback. I think Hawkins has what it takes and wins this game, becoming a legend in Norman in the process. Venables gets another huge win under his belt, and the Sooners take down No. 1.

Oklahoma 28, Texas 21

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Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

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3 Oklahoma freshmen that need to standout this week against the Longhorns

Taking a look at three freshman not named Michael Hawkins Jr. the Sooners need to show up on Saturday.

Saturday is a massive moment in the Oklahoma football season. It always is when they take on Texas, but even more so considering how the season has unfolded.

The Sooners entered with the belief they had their quarterback of the future in [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], only for doubt to be cast after he struggled for multiple games. Head coach Brent Venables benched Arnold for former four-star freshman [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] to jumpstart his offense.

True freshman Hawkins showed grit and determination and, with his legs, added another component that helped give Oklahoma other ways to move the ball. He is set to start his second game and the first Red River game of his career this Saturday. His play as the team’s starting quarterback is paramount to Oklahoma’s chances of pulling off the upset of the No. 1 team in the country.

However, instead of focusing on the obvious, we wanted to highlight three other freshmen not named Hawkins who need to have big games for Oklahoma to pull off something it hasn’t done since 1982: beating Texas when they were ranked 10 spots or lower than their opponent.

Eli Bowen, CB

Texas has the best combination of wide receivers and quarterbacks that Oklahoma has faced this season. That much really cannot be argued. Quinn Ewers has incredible talent, and the combination of Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, DeAndre Moore, and Johntay Cook is formidable.

Oklahoma is likely not that worried about Texas’s run game as it is not nearly as dynamic and potent as last year with the departure of Jonathon Brooks to the NFL and injuries to multiple impact runners.

Oklahoma’s bigger worry should be containing the Longhorns’ passing attack. With a dynamic group of wide receivers, [autotag]Eli Bowen[/autotag] must continue his terrific play on Saturday, no matter who he may be matched against.

Pro Football Focus has Bowen as the Sooners’ highest-graded cornerback through five weeks, and his coverage grade is third on the team. He’s adapted to college football fine, and now he’s become a contributor for the Sooners. He needs to play well every week.

Up Next: Dynamic skill player set to return

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Brent Venables says Michael Hawkins Jr. is ‘easy to bet on’

Brent Venables discussed the confidence he has in Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.

When the No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners take the trip to Dallas, Texas, to take on the No. 1 Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown, they’ll be making history.

Michael Hawkins Jr. will become the first true freshman to start for the Sooners in the Red River Showdown. This comes two weeks after he was the first true freshman to start on the road for Oklahoma in their win over Auburn.

In a season of firsts, Hawkins hasn’t been shaken by the moment.

He entered the Tennessee game just before halftime with the Sooners down 16. He didn’t try to force things, instead playing within himself and playing under control. In the fourth quarter, he orchestrated a pair of touchdown drives that helped put the Sooners in striking distance. Ultimately the rally fell short, but it set the stage for Hawkins to take over as the starter that week.

His performance against Auburn supported what we saw against Tennessee, a player unfazed by the hostile Jordan-Hare environment. While the offensive output might not have been what we expect out of an Oklahoma offense, Hawkins came through with a big 48-yard touchdown to open the scoring. Then when the game was teetering in Auburn’s direction and OU was down 11, Hawkins came up with the offensive play of the game, a 60-yard completion to J.J. Hester to put the Sooners inside the five-yard line.

He’s shown a resilient personality during his time as Oklahoma’s quarterback and looks like a player that will be locked in when OU meets Texas this Saturday afternoon.

During his weekly press conference, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables discussed his true freshman quarterback.

“Mike’s a very process-driven guy. He’s always been mature beyond his years. He’ll do a good job,” Venables said. “Don’t overcomplicate things and again, don’t try to win the game in the first quarter. … Don’t let the emotions highjack what it takes to execute.”

Hawkins hasn’t allowed the flow of the game or the difficult environments to impact his decision-making. Whether the game is tied or Oklahoma’s been behind, he’s been the same player throughout his six quarters of SEC play.

Against the No. 1 team in the nation, the Sooners will need that steady hand to continue to lead the offense. And Venables believes Hawkins has what it takes to lead the Sooners into the Red River Showdown.

“I’ve got faith,” Venables said. “He’s a guy that (is) easy guy to bet on.”

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