coach Brent Venables turned to true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. to give his team a spark. Hawkins Jr. entered last week’s game just before halftime, replacing former five-star sophomore Jackson Arnold who Venables chose over Dillon Gabriel last offseason.
Against Auburn in Week 5, the change at QB hasn’t fixed Oklahoma’s offense, but when the Sooners needed their new starter to come through late, he did everything he could to put his team up three with a two-point conversion following a pick-six.
Michael Hawkins > John Elway pic.twitter.com/C5MOc5yPry
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 28, 2024
The OU defense gave Hawkins the lead, so the freshman made sure he’d give them a bit of breathing room for the final minutes of the game. Trailing 24-21, Auburn still has a chance to tie or win the game late, but the true freshman was confident enough to silence the crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
In his first career start, Hawkins went 10/15 for 161 yards passing before the final few minutes of the game. He was more effective, however, on the ground with 12 carries for 66 yards a touchdown, and the crucial conversion. Hawkins’ mobility was a big reason that Venables chose to play him in Week 5 over Arnold.