Tag: OU Football

Should the Oklahoma Sooners have a quarterback competition?

Should the Oklahoma Sooners open up the quarterback job to a competition with two games remaining in the season?

The Oklahoma Sooners are 10 games into the season and haven’t found a consistent answer at quarterback in 2024. That’s such an anomaly for OU Football, a place that features four Heisman winners over the last 25 years and several more finalists. Poor quarterback play isn’t the norm in Norman.

The problems on offense are many. The offense has struggled with injuries, which has certainly impacted everyone around the quarterback. At the same time, turnovers in key situations once again killed any chance the Sooners had of winning a hard-fought game.

The Sooners’ defense gave Oklahoma a chance to win the football game. When OU only needed a field goal to beat the Tigers, [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] fumbled the ball, and the game away.

Twice this season, turnovers have led to changes at quarterback. Arnold had another critical turnover on a night when he wasn’t productive in the offense, throwing for just 74 yards and 3.1 yards per attempt.

He and true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] have each shown some good things this season. Neither has been able to stake their claim to the starting quarterback job with much authority.

Earlier this season, Brent Venables didn’t rule out the idea of using both quarterbacks in a game. With two games to go, the time may be now to do so.

What Oklahoma does at quarterback in 2025 is one of the bigger storylines ahead of the upcoming offseason. The Sooners have two more games to figure out if either guy can be counted on to be the guy next year or if they need to go into the transfer portal for a veteran quarterback option.

As the Sooners give some of the younger guys some snaps over the next few weeks, finding a scripted series or two for Hawkins could be good for his development. The last time he was on the field was early in the first quarter against South Carolina. He’s a better player than those first three series revealed.

Though Casey Thompson provides you with an experienced voice in the quarterback room, does it make sense to put him on the field and take valuable developmental snaps away from your young quarterbacks? I don’t think so. His experience is valuable, but in a lost season, you have to keep developing players and Arnold and Hawkins deserve the opportunity to finish the season on a high note.

Alabama and LSU will be tough matchups for whoever they put at quarterback. However, the Sooners should create an opportunity for Arnold and Hawkins to compete for snaps and playing time.

If practice is where players sharpen each other, allowing them to compete for playing time could be a catalyst for the final two games of the season and, perhaps, the future.

Oklahoma administration offers support for Sooners head coach Brent Venables

Speaking at the OU Board of Regents meeting, Joseph Harroz and Joe Castiglione offered Brent Venables a vote of confidence.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had a disappointing season to say the least. 5-5 is unacceptable at the University of Oklahoma regardless of the conference one plays in. Sure, the SEC is a different challenge than what the Big 12 has offered in recent years, but head coach Brent Venables and his staff knew what was coming, and the result this season hasn’t lived up to expectations.

The Sooners most recent loss to Missouri felt like arguably the most disappointing of the season. With a lead at halftime and then again in the final two minutes, Oklahoma watched the win slip through their grasp. Now, the Sooners are staring at a potential second losing season in three years under head coach Brent Venables.

But as the hot seat turns up, Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz and athletic director Joe Castiglione offered support for their head coach. At Tuesday’s OU Board of Regents meeting, Harroz and Castiglione were asked about their confidence in Venables.

“It’s unwavering right now,” Harroz told media members. “We know it’s been a tough season. I’ve been around Oklahoma Football for a long time. We have the right coach. This is our coach. We knew it was going to be a tough year going to the SEC, the first year. You add that with all of the things that are taking place around the shifting NIL landscape, with hopefully more certainty coming next year if the preliminary approval becomes final in the lawsuit. We knew there was going to be some turbulence. Obviously, we’d love to have more wins, but our confidence in the coach is as steady as it’s ever been.”

Harroz went on to share with The Oklahoman that his confidence in Venables is at “100%.”

The season has certainly had it’s share of issues from injuries to staff changes to inexperience on the offensive side of the ball. Castiglione is aware of the challenges Venables and his staff have faced.

“I believe in Brent,” Castiglione shared with The Oklahoman. “He’s gone up against the best offensive coordinators that college football has seen as a defensive coordinator. He understands, as any head coach would, what makes teams tough to defend, and we want to be focused on hiring a coach that can assemble the strategy to make our offense one of the toughest to defend in college football.

“You do that with getting the right coaches to identify the right talent and teach and develop them. Put the team in a position to be successful and play complementary football. Because we’ve seen all of the time how important that is to win games, especially in a very, very challenging league like the SEC. But we want to continue to have our sights set on being among the best in the SEC and beyond.”

The Oklahoma Sooners won’t likely reach a bowl game in 2024 unless they can find an offense over the final three weeks of the regular season. With games against Alabama and LSU remaining after the bye, the Sooners are on track for their worst season since 1998.

Brent Venables and the Sooners will have a number of important decisions to make this offseason. From the offensive coordinator to their quarterback situation. Venables has to get this offseason right.

Will Jackson Arnold be back for Oklahoma Football in 2025?

At his weekly press conference, Brent Venables expressed confidence in Oklahoma’s future at quarterback.

The Oklahoma Sooners didn’t envision needing to answer the question of who would be their quarterback in 2025, but this season has been one of many surprises.

Brent Venables removed starting quarterback Jackson Arnold after three turnovers in first half of the loss to Tennessee. Venables then went back to his former five-star in the first quarter against South Carolina after turnovers by Michael Hawkins Jr. on the Sooners’ first three possessions. Despite the yo-yo that the quarterback position has found itself in, Venables doesn’t believe there’s any reason to worry about whether or not Jackson Arnold will return to quarterback the Sooners in 2025.

At his weekly press conference, Venables said, “Dang right, he wants to be back. Why would he not? That’s the way I look at it….  you’re the starting quarterback at Oklahoma. This is your dream. You turned down a lot of good people to come here, and now that you’ve faced some headwinds, now you’re just going to quit? I don’t see that in him, and I don’t see that in guys in our locker room.”

Arnold is now just five starts and six games into his collegiate career. There have been some growing pains, but he’s looked really good at times, including in Saturday’s loss to Ole Miss. There was enough to like from his performance on the road against a good Ole Miss team that the Sooners should feel comfortable continuing to develop Arnold and looking to him to be their quarterback in 2025.

Arnold stayed ready to roll for the Sooners and it showed in his relief appearance against South Carolina and in the first half against Ole Miss. Venables isn’t concerned about Arnold or anyone else in the locker room losing focus despite the difficulties they’ve faced this year.

At one point, it felt like Oklahoma’s promising quarterback situation was unraveling. But as the season has come along, it became clear that the Sooners’ offensive struggles had less to do with the quarterbacks and more to do with the issues around them along the offensive line and at wide receiver.

The Sooners offense has a lot of growing to do, but after Arnold’s performance against Ole Miss, the Sooners can feel confident in the direction at quarterback once again. Arnold looking to return next season takes a major need off the transfer portal recruiting board.

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Brent Venables laments mistakes after Oklahoma Sooners latest loss

Brent Venables addressed the mistakes his team made against Ole Miss.

The Oklahoma Sooners lost their third straight game and fourth out of their last five on Saturday. The Sooners dropped to 1-4 in the SEC and 4-4 overall in 2024 with the 26-14 loss.

Following the game, third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] addressed his team’s performance and some of the missed opportunities that could have swung things in Oklahoma’s favor in his postgame press conference.

“We’ve got to have more discipline, and everything starts and ends with discipline,” Venables said. “We’ve got to play with it. You’ve got to take the things that you do in the course of practice and you got to take it to gameday. Poise under pressure.”

Venables also stressed the importance of playing well against good football teams, especially in a conference littered with them. Ole Miss may not be the best team in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], but they are certainly a talented team capable of playing with almost anyone.

“Teams are too good,” Venables said. “And this, this is a team that’s too good. They’ve got a really good system. And when you make mistakes they’re going to punish you, and it can be the smallest fundamental stakes.”

Oklahoma made their fair share of mistakes on both sides of the football in this game and failed to bow up defensively like we’re used to seeing in 2024. Couple that with an offense that has obvious limitations and an offensive line that can’t compete in the Power Four, and that’s not a recipe for beating a great football team.

The mistakes, lack of toughness, lack of talent, and lack of discipline ultimately fall on the head coach. Venables is no doubt aware of that fact, and the rest of the college football world will have their eyes on how he fixes the many problems that are facing this program right now.

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Watch Oklahoma running back commit race for long touchdown

Oklahoma Sooners running back commit Tory Blaylock had a huge night on Friday breaking off a pair of long touchdown runs in Texas High School Football.

The Oklahoma Sooners have one of the best recruiting classes pledged to join them in 2025. One of the best players at his position, [autotag]Tory Blaylock[/autotag] is having a fantastic season in his senior year at Atascocita.

On Friday night, Atascocita had a big-time matchup against Houston Summer Creek. Summer Creek came into the game without allowing a point in 2024.

On his first carry of the game, Blaylock took the ball 80 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring. On the play, the Sooners’ four-star commit broke several tackles before using his elite speed to break away from the Summer Creek defense for the long touchdown run.

But Blaylock wasn’t done. On his second carry of the game, he took the handoff 72 yards for his second score of the night. By halftime, Atascocita was up 35-7. A second-half flurry from Summer Creek put them in the lead with 3:04 remaining in the game.

Blaylock came through again, scoring the go-ahead touchdown to give the Eagles the 42-39 win. Blaylock finished the night with 187 rushing yards, according to High School on SI.

Tory Blaylock is considered the No. 19 running back in the nation according to 247Sports and the No. 11 player at his position by Rivals.

Also a track star for Atascocita, Blaylock has the game-breaking speed to be a difference-maker at the collegiate level. In the win over Summer Creek, he showed the physicality needed to thrive at the position.

Tory Blaylock has the ability to contribute early in his Sooners career.

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Michael Hawkins Jr. displaying unwavering demeanor as Sooners’ starting quarterback

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. displaying the right mindset early in his tenure as the starting quarterback.

When the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns meet in the Red River Rivalry next Saturday, it will be one of the biggest games of the year. The Sooners look to pull off an upset over the No. 1 team in the country in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Though many overlook the Sooners against Texas, the program is trending in a better direction.

The offensive line is the healthiest it has been all year. The wide receiver room will likely have [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] back for OU-Texas. But what has given the Sooners more life has been the play of quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. He’ll make the second start of his career when the Sooners face the Longhorns, providing Hawkins with another big-time environment to overcome.

When meeting with the media this week, Brent Venables shared the mentality he wants Hawkins to continue to have heading into the big-time matchup in Dallas.

“You know, he’s got to not try to win the game in the first drive of the game, and play within the system, take care of the football. You do that. And you got good special teams, you got a good defense, and you can make some plays with guys around you. You have a chance to win each and every week.” Venables said. “Don’t want the moment the emotions of what that game means to everybody, emotions that will be in the stadium, the intensity to hijack the focus that it takes to have the details so we can execute at a really high level. Execution wins, not emotion, and not all the fans and everything else that’s going to be going.”

Through 1 1/2 games, Michael Hawkins doesn’t look like a player who gets caught up in the emotions of the game. He’s looked comfortable in the offense. He has played within himself, not trying to do too much or force plays that aren’t there.

He’s taken care of the football, and he’s provided some big plays along the way. Hawkins looks confident in what he’s doing and what he’s being asked to do.

In 2024, Hawkins is completing 62.2% of his passes for 310 yards. He’s thrown a touchdown and ran for a touchdown. If you take sack yardage out of the equation, as Pro Football Focus does, Hawkins has ran for 127 yards at 5.3 yards per carry this season.

He displayed an unwavering demeanor in his first meaningful action against Tennessee and Auburn. Thrown into the fire at the end of the first half while down 16 to the Volunteers, Hawkins orchestrated a couple of fourth-quarter touchdown drives to give the Sooners an opportunity to get back into the game.

On Saturday, in Auburn, Alabama, Hawkins was unfazed by the big-time SEC environment. When his team was down 11 and needed its quarterback to make a play, he completed a 60-yard bomb to J.J. Hester on a perfect throw down the sideline.

What’s allowed Hawkins to have success in his limited experience as the Sooners starting quarterback?

“He’s super consistent, he’s calm, really cerebral, he’s super coachable,” Venables said.

It’s a message that Hawkins reiterated ahead of the biggest game in his young career.

“Just being consistent,” Hawkins said after practice on Wednesday. “Focus on the little details that we need to get better at. Myself, focus on the things that I need to get better at going into this Texas game. Then, when next week comes, tune in on the game plan and get it going from there.”

Hawkins has shown he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win. He’s sacrificed his body at the goal line in back-to-back weeks to get the Sooners points. He’s also playing controlled football and looks like a player who understands the Sooners have a good team around him.

Against Texas, in a little more than a week, Hawkins and the Sooners will face their biggest test yet. But if the last two games are any indication, he won’t be rattled by the moment.

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Pair of Oklahoma Sooners included on Pro Football Focus’ SEC Team of the Week

Two Oklahoma Sooners earned spots on Pro Football Focus’ SEC Team of the Week.

It took a team effort from the Oklahoma Sooners to leave Jordan-Hare Stadium with a win. After the Auburn Tigers took an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter, it appeared the game was beginning to slip away. Then the Sooner Magic happened.

True freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins responded with a 60-yard completion to J.J. Hester, and Jovantae Barnes punched it in for the touchdown to cut Auburn’s lead to five. After that score, it was all Oklahoma, highlighted by [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag]’ interception return for the go-ahead touchdown.

In the win, two Sooners in particular stood out to the analysts over at Pro Football Focus. Lewis and tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] were among the highest-graded players of the week, earning a spot on PFF’s SEC Team of the Week. Lewis also earned a spot on Pro Football Focus’ National Team of the Week.

The standout linebacker finished the day with five total tackles, a tackle for loss, and the huge pick-six that turned the tide for good in Oklahoma’s favor. Lewis was the highest-graded among Power Four teams in week five. He’s fourth on the team in total tackles with 21 despite just the 10th most snaps on defense.

Sharp, who’s become one of the more reliable options in the Sooners passing attack, recorded four receptions for 48 yards. His day could have been even bigger if not for an offensive pass interference call on a botched pick play in the first half.

Sharp’s had at least four catches in four of Oklahoma’s five games this season and at least 36 yards in three of the five games. Saturday against Auburn, Sharp earned his best grade yet as a run blocker from Pro Football Focus.

The Sooners have some talented players on both sides of the ball. As they wade into the second half of the season with five games against top 15 teams, Oklahoma will need that talent to continue to shine every week.

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Oklahoma Sooners complete incredible comeback, beat Auburn 27-21

Oklahoma Sooners beat Auburn Tigers 27-21 in Michael Hawkins, Jr.’s first collegiate start.

Oklahoma’s first SEC road trip provided plenty of drama on Saturday afternoon.

Michael Hawkins Jr. was making the first start of his career in the unfriendly confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium. For much of the game, the Auburn Tigers were in control, but the Sooners true freshman quarterback provided some magical moments late.

He was aided by several huge defensive plays in the fourth quarter, and the Sooners came away with a tough road win, 27-21.

Oklahoma scored on its first drive of the game when Hawkins electrified with a 48-yard touchdown run.

The Sooners defense stood tall on Auburn’s second possession when it held the Tigers on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. But the Sooners offense wasn’t able to do much.

For the rest of the first half, it was all Auburn. The Tigers hit several big plays in the passing game and were finding some room to run.

Payton Thorne hit Keandre Lambert-Smith for a 31-yard touchdown. On Auburn’s next possession, Malcolm Simmons beat the Sooners over the top for a 48-yard touchdown reception.

The Tigers had a chance for more points at the end of the half, but missed two opportunities at a field goal to extend their lead. They went into halftime up 14-7.

The Sooners offense went three and out on its first drive of the second half but the defense stood tall to get the ball back.

Hawkins and the Sooners found their way into scoring range on an 11-play drive. Jovantae Barnes provided a 16-yard run to kick-start the drive, and the Sooners overcame a couple of penalties that put them in a second-and-18. Hawkins, Jr. found J.J. Hester for a 21-yard completion on the sideline. A defensive pass interference gave Oklahoma first-and-goal at the 1-yard line, but they couldn’t punch into the end zone when Barnes was stopped for a loss on first down, and the second-down play was erased due to an illegal motion penalty.

They settled for a field goal to make it 14-10.

Auburn responded with a touchdown drive, highlighted by a big-time reception by true freshman and former five-star wide receiver Cam Coleman. The Sooners couldn’t stop Auburn on another fourth-down attempt near the goal line, and on first-and-goal at the 1, Thorne found Luke Deal for the touchdown.

On their next drive, the Sooners received a big play from Bauer Sharp to put the Sooners in the Tigers’ half of the field. But penalties and an inability to get anyone open down the field forced the Sooners to turn it over on downs.

The Sooners took advantage of another missed field goal from Auburn when Hawkins hit J.J. Hester on a 60-yard completion deep down the sideline. It was a beautiful ball that put the Sooners inside the 5-yard line. Two plays later, Jovantae Barnes punched it in to cut into Auburn’s lead. After a failed two-point play, the Sooners trailed 21-16.

As Auburn began its ensuing drive, it looked to take time off the clock in Sooners territory. Faced with a third-and-4, Thorne dropped back to pass and attempted to hit a slant over the middle. Kip Lewis, who’d been having a great game, dropped back into the short middle of the field, picked off Thorne’s pass, and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown.

Hawkins then came through with an acrobatic two-point conversion to put Oklahoma up 24-21.

The Tigers gained the ball back with plenty of time to get in position for a game-tying field goal or to take the lead, but R Mason Thomas came through on third and fourth down with back-to-back sacks to force a turnover on downs and give the ball back to the Sooners with less than two minutes to play.

The Sooners couldn’t pick up a first down but kicked a field goal to extend the lead to 27-21.

OU shut down the Tigers on their final drive, and a Hail Mary fell way short of the endzone, and the Sooners picked up the win.

Auburn outgained Oklahoma, 482-291, including 204-180 in the second half. But the big play from Hawkins to Hester and the Lewis interception returned for a touchdown turned the game in the fourth quarter.

Hawkins finished 10 of 15 for 161 yards and ran 14 times for 69 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Oklahoma moves to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play heading into the bye week.

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3 keys to an Oklahoma Sooners win over the Auburn Tigers

If the Oklahoma Sooners are going to beat Auburn, they must do these three things.

The Oklahoma Sooners (3-1, 0-1 SEC) took a tough loss last week against a good Tennessee Volunteers team. There were some good moments on both sides of the ball, and [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his crew are hoping to build on the good and correct what went wrong as they go on the road to face the Auburn Tigers (2-2, 0-1 SEC).

The Sooners come into the game riding a defense that is allowing just 14.8 points per game, which ranks 26th in the nation. They’re 28th in the nation in yardage allowed: 284.8 yards per game.

Though Auburn has turned the ball over a bunch, it has playmakers on offense that can threaten the Sooners’ defense.

In a reversal of fortune, it’s the Oklahoma offense that’s struggling. However, it is hoping for better production and ball security as it turns to true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr[/autotag].

Given the Oklahoma Sooners schedule the rest of the way, this feels like a must-win football game. What does Oklahoma need to do to win on the road in the unfriendly confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium? Here are three keys to the game.

More: Sooners Wire Staff Predicts Oklahoma vs. Auburn

Up Next: Keys to the Game

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

3 freshmen to watch for Oklahoma Sooners against Auburn Tigers

Who are three freshman players on OU’s depth chart to keep your eye on this week against Auburn?

The Oklahoma Sooners are 3-1. After beginning the year with three straight wins, they’re looking to get back into the win column following their first loss of the season last week. OU will head to Auburn for the first road game of the season and its first road game as a member of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

The Tigers are 2-2, having lost to Arkansas in Week 4. They’re looking for a bounce-back win as well.

With injuries galore for the Sooners, this game could be closer than previously expected.

Head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] will look to young players all over the roster to step up at key positions. That includes some players who are playing their first season at the collegiate level.

Here’s your list of three true freshmen to watch in Week 5.

1. Michael Hawkins Jr., QB

[autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] will become the first true freshman to make his first career start on the road for the Sooners since Troy Aikman in 1984. Aikman played very poorly in that game, and OU fell to Kansas.

Oklahoma fans are hoping for a different result on Saturday, as Hawkins takes over after [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] was benched last week. The true freshman played his first meaningful snaps at this level last week and gave the struggling OU offense a bit of a spark late in the fourth quarter. It was too little too late, but Hawkins did enough to earn the start for the Auburn game.

Hawkins is a dual-threat at QB, but he will not have much help behind a shaky offensive line and without the top five wide receivers on the roster. If Hawkins can move the ball more effectively than what we’ve seen from Arnold and get the win, it’ll be considered a success, even if it isn’t pretty.

2. Zion Kearney, WR

True freshman wide receiver [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag] is one of the few healthy players left in OU’s wide receiver room that offer size. With Jayden Gibson, Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony and Deion Burks all out this week, Oklahoma will try to piece things together to give Hawkins someone to throw the ball to.

Kearney hasn’t received much run so far this season, but against the physical cornerbacks Auburn employs on the outside, a bigger body will be needed to create separation. Jaquaize Pettaway should get plenty more looks in the slot this week, and Oklahoma needs something from the duo of Brenen Thompson and J.J. Hester. Cornerback Jacobe Johnson made the switch to wideout to offer a potential solution.

Kearney and Hawkins came to Norman in the most recent recruiting class, along with Zion Ragins, Ivan Carreon, K.J. Daniels and Jacob Jordan. Maybe the chemistry of the freshmen can open the field up the passing game for the OU offense.

3. Reggie Powers III, DB

The loss of starting cheetah Kendel Dolby for the rest of the season is a big one for the Sooners. Dolby had begun to make the role his and had become an excellent player. Without him on the field, it’ll likely be Samuel Omosigho who steps up to be the starter, and Woodi Washington will probably see time there as well. OU is unsure if Dasan McCullough, who has played the position in the past, will be back this week.

One true freshman who could see a lot of snaps at cheetah on Saturday is [autotag]Reggie Powers III[/autotag]. He’s a versatile player on the back end of the defense, capable of playing safety or cheetah. Before last week’s game, he was listed third on the depth chart at the position behind Dolby and Omosigho.

Powers will certainly be tested whenever he’s in there, but his future is bright at OU as part of the next generation of the defensive backfield in Norman. Just like so many other parts of the roster, injuries are forcing players to step into roles where they may not be ready.

We’ll get to see what these true freshmen have as OU takes to the road in week five.

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