After Tennessee Disaster, Oklahoma’s QB Position is Now a Wide-Open Competition
NORMAN ā Brent Venables had no choice. The only path forward was obvious.
Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, so uneven in his first four career starts, suddenly couldnāt hang onto the football on Saturday night against Tennessee.
So less than halfway through what became a 25-15 loss to the No. 6-ranked Volunteers, Venables pulled Arnold and replaced him with freshman Michael Hawkins.
Now, as the No. 15 Sooners lickĀ their wounds while preparing to hit the road at Auburn, there was one pervading question to be asked in the postgame press conference.
Was the change to give Arnold a different perspective on a lousy game? Or is it more permanent?
In short, does Venables have a quarterback competition on his hands for the first time in his head coaching career?
Absolutely. Starting Monday, itās Arnold versus Hawkins for the starting job, Venables proclaimed late Saturday night.
āFigure out who the the best guy is to, you know, help us get to number four, find our fourth win,ā Venables said.
Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Seth Littrell seemed a little surprised to hear that Venables had declared the competition open this week.
āIām not gonna get into this quarterback evaluation thing tonight,ā Littrell said. āMy thing that Iām looking for is a guy who can manage the game and execute at a high level.ā
That wasnāt Arnold against the Vols. In reality, heās had a tough time being consistent through the first four games ā or his first five starts, going back to last yearās Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona, in which he threw two touchdowns but lost four turnovers.
Saturday against Tennessee, he lost three more: an interception to a receiver covered by three white-clad defensive backs, a fumble on the goal line that was supposed to be pitched to the running back, and a disheveled pass that was ruled to have been backwards for a 21-yard loss, resulting in another fumble.
In his five starts, Arnold has lost nine turnovers, and those have directly produced 37 points for the opposition.
Hawkins began a little uneven himself, fumbling a wayward snap on his first play, then spending most the rest of the night escaping Tennesseeās fearsome pass rush.
But statistically, the competition wasnāt close.
Arnold completed 7-of-16 passes for 54 yards and netted minus-21 yards rushing on five carries.
Hawkins completed 11-of-18 for 132 yards with a touchdown pass. He also rushed for a touchdown, scrambling and flipping into the end zone, although that was taken away after a lengthy replay review determined he was on the ground before the ball crossed the line. (Jovantae Barnes cashed that drive in on the next play.)
āIt was a great moment obviously for me,ā Hawkins said. āIt was nothing big. Just maximizing my opportunity.ā
Arnold had nine possessions, committed three turnovers, had three three-and-outs, one loss on downs, one safety and produced three points.
Hawkins had seven possessions, suffered zero turnovers, also had three three-and-outs and one loss on downs, but drove 66 and 76 yards for touchdowns in the final minutes.
āI think the big thing is trying to get comfortable with the system the first time you get in there,ā Hawkins said, ājust trying to build your eyes and put points on the board.ā
For Hawkins, it was a good moment, maybe not great. The true freshman from Frisco, TX, via Allen, is the son of former Venables defensive back Mike Hawkins Sr. Heās athletic, explosive, dynamic ā and as a high school senior last year showed heās a gifted passer, too.
He enrolled in January and almost immediately won the backup quarterback job behind Arnold while endearing himself to his teammates as a smart, composed young athlete whoās still coming into his own as a leader.
āHe’s a tremendous athlete,ā Venables said. āThere were several times there where we had edge pressure that we didn’t block, and he got outside of. And so he has some playmaking ability, and he can, you know, hurt you with his legs, but also, that can’t be your game. And so, but we did have a few drives where we got into a nice rhythm, and he showed that he can make some plays. And then there’s some plays out there, too, that we have opportunities there that we didn’t execute ā we didn’t make the throws.ā
āI think he got more comfortable as the game went on,ā Littrell said. āHeās a tough kid. Heās full of energy. Obviously he can make you right in a lot of different ways. Heās talented not only in being able to extend plays, but extremely live arm and strong in the pocket. Heās a tough kid. Great mentality. Heās a guy that weāve been really excited about, along with Jackson. Jackson has a lot of the same.ā
Venables doesnāt seem worried that Arnold is any kind of lost cause. Through four games, heās completing 59.8 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Arnold is averaging just 134.5 yards per game through the air, and his passer efficiency rating is 120.9, which would be tied for 92nd nationally in last weekās ratings.
But Venables and Littrell both sounded optimistic about Arnoldās immediate future, even with him now in the middle of a wide-open quarterback competition.
āI would be surprised if that doesnāt bring out the best in him,ā Venables said. āThereāll be some disappointment on Jacksonās part absolutely. But again, heās a tough young man and he knows he needs to be better. And again, this is a game of performance, and heāll have the opportunity to go right back at it here this week. Heās a great teammate. Heās a selfless guy. Again, nobodyās harder on him than him. Heās got incredibly high standards. Standards have always driven every decision he makes and who he is as a young man. Heāll respond in the right way.ā
Venables said the winner of the competition between Hawkins and Arnold will actually be quite simple.
āWhoās the most consistent and can execute the basics of our offense consistently,ā Venables said. āYou know, thatās not real complicated. And then you gotta get in the game and you gotta perform, too. Thatās part of it, too.ā