Michael Hawkins Jr. leads young Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl loss

Michael Hawkins Jr. doing everything still wasn't enough.

Oklahoma's 2024 season ended with a 21-20 loss to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. The deficit had the Sooners finishing the season with a losing record at 6-7.

It was a game the Sooners started with a 14-0 lead thanks to a pair of touchdowns in their first two possessions. Navy then found the end zone in the zone in the second then again in the third on a 95-yard run to tie things up. The Midshipmen took their first lead with 4:34 left.

Hawkins led OU down the field and hit Jake Roberts for a 10-yard TD with only six seconds left. Brent Venables then wanted to go for the win and went for two, with Hawkins ultimately getting sacked to secure Navy's win.

Here's everything you need to know from OU's bowl loss.

Game MVP: Michael Hawkins Jr.

Despite being a freshman making only his fourth career start, Michael Hawkins Jr. took control of the Sooners.

There was really nothing in Hawkins' favor Friday. He has thrown only five passes against Maine since losing the starting job Game 7 against South Carolina. He got to start the bowl game only because Jackson Arnold transferred to Auburn. And Hawkins' reign as QB1 was temporary with top portal prospect John Mateer coming from Washington.

OU also started the game with only one non-freshman wide receiver suited up in redshirt senior Major Melson, who never caught a pass during his college career. Every receiver Hawkins threw a pass to Friday was a fellow freshman. And that did result in several drops that erased what would be big plays.

Yet, Hawkins was still OU's leader in its last outing of 2024. He showed he can one day be the guy for the Sooners, but could also do it now, too, if needed. He even led the Sooners down the field for a potential game-winning TD drive before getting sacked on the two-point conversion.

Hawkins made expected freshman mistakes, but overall he was dynamic as both a passer and a runner. He even pulled off what was probably the best offensive play of the season from a Sooner (see below).

Through the air, Hawkins was 28-of-43 for 247 yards with the 56-yard TD to Zion Kearney and the potential game-winning TD pass to Roberts. On the ground, Hawkins led the Sooners with 17 carries for 61 rushing yards. He even had a loooong TD run called back in the third quarter because of a holding call that would have inflated those stats even more.

Top play

This one could be on SportsCenter's Top Plays later.

Michael Hawkins went left on a bootleg, but after no one was open and pressure started coming, Hawkins scrambled back to his right across the field. He got to the right hash before flicking his wrist and hitting Zion Kearney for a 56-yard TD pass that put OU ahead 14-0 in the first quarter.

The score was also Kearney's first career TD catch as a freshman.

Number to know: 12

Brent Venables made sure to point out Thursday during the coaches press conference that of OU's 24 offensive players suiting up for the Armed Forces Bowl, 12 were freshmen.

Half of the Sooners' offensive weapons were freshmen. That included Hawkins, who made his fourth career start. Every receiver that caught a pass was a freshman. Two freshmen running backs combined for nine carries. And the offensive line featured two starting freshmen on the left side.

That caused headaches (and maybe even the loss) on Friday. Venables had to burn two timeouts before the first quarter even ended. There were drops. There was a simplified playbook.

But with a glass half full, the Armed Forces Bowl showed that, yes, the state of Oklahoma football right now is troublesome, but the future is promising. All 12 of those freshmen who played on offense Friday are expected to return. And all proved there's talent and potential. Then some might even get to redshirt and develop even more before we see them again.

What's next: 2025

The Armed Forces Bowl put a bow on OU's 2024 season.

Although it seems the transition has already started, the Sooners are now officially moving on to next season and, like most programs, will have an entirely new look next year, especially on offense.

Brent Venables hired Ben Arbuckle from Washington State to be OU's new offensive coordinator. Arbuckle has already been in Norman and even coached OU's quarterbacks for the bowl game. Joe Jon Finley still called plays on Friday, though, so Arbuckle hasn't had full control of the offense yet.

Arbuckle also brought with him his star quarterback, John Mateer, who was the No. 1 player available in the transfer portal. Mateer will be the presumed QB1 next season, replacing Jackson Arnold, who transferred to Auburn.

This new-look offense in Venables' fourth season leading the Sooners will debut against Illinois State on Aug. 30 in Norman.