Michael Hawkins Jr. will get start vs. Auburn; how is QB1 Jackson Arnold handling it?

It took Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables less than 48 hours after the Sooners' loss to Tennessee to make a decision on the starting quarterback for this week's game at Auburn

True freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. will get his first collegiate start as the Sooners take to the road for the first time this season for a Saturday afternoon contest against the Auburn Tigers.

It will be Oklahoma's first true road game as a member of the SEC Conference, and a big challenge for the newly appointed Sooner starting quarterback but one he believes Hawkins will be ready for.

"Mike will have his opportunity to run out there and be our guy and see where we're a and try to give us a kick start ," Venables said on Monday night during his "Sooner Sports Talk" program.

Hawkins, a 6-foot, 1 inch, 195 pound, first -year player from Frisco, Texas, replaced Jackson Arnold in the second quarter on Saturday night against Tennessee and finished out the game. Arnold, a former five-star recruit and Gatorade National Player of the Year, has struggled at the position in the past couple of games.

The Sooners managed just three points in the first half against Tennessee as Arnold completed just 7 of 16 pass attempts for 54 yards with in interception and two costly fumbles. The last time Oklahoma replaced a starting quarterback that early in a game for a reason other than injury was in 2021 when Caleb Williams was called into action in place of Spencer Rattler.

While he was in the game against Tennessee, Hawkins completed 11 of 18 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also contributed 22 rushing yards. Given the rare opportunity for a freshman to speak to the media (Lincoln Riley prohibited it), Hawkins was asked after the game on Saturday how he would handle the competition for the starter's job this week:

"Nothing different," he said. "Just keeping your head down, going to work every week."

Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell was asked postgame on Saturday how Arnold would handle the benching and potential quarterback switch. "He's a tough kid. He's like a little pro, too, man," he said of Arnold. "

"That's just part of football. You have off nights, and sometimes as coaches you make decisions that you feel like at that point in time are the best moving forward," he said. "That doesn't mean anything in the future. It's just part of the game."

Oklahoma star defensive back and team leader Billy Bowman is a close friend of Arnold's, and he knows his teammate is hurting inside right now, although he's trying not to show it.

"We're all trying to (help him) to continue to keep his head up," Bowman told reporters after practice on Monday.

"He's still kind of hanging it low. It's hard to be in that position. Being a quarterback, especially at this university, it's got to be one of the hardest things to do. You have so many expectations, and he's probably put so much pressure on himself."

Hawkins brings a different dimension to the Oklahoma offense. We saw some of that while he was in the game on Saturday against a very good Tennessee defense. His ability to keep plays alive with his quickness and athleticism is something the Sooners definitely need right now.

We'll see if Hawkins can provide the spark that has been missing in the Sooner offense as OU goes after its fourth win of the season at Auburn on Saturday.