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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