In Norman, Oklahoma, the No. 15-ranked team struggled to find its rhythm on offense, leading to a quarterback switch during their 25-15 loss to No. 6 Tennessee. Head coach Brent Venables benched starter Jackson Arnold in favor of freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. in the second quarter. The Sooners’ offense sputtered, and Venables announced that the team would “evaluate” the quarterback position to determine who can lead them to victory.
Arnold, a highly touted prospect, won the starting job in the spring but struggled in the first half, throwing for just 54 yards and an interception. Hawkins, on the other hand, finished with 132 yards and a touchdown. The Sooners’ offense was plagued by turnovers, including two fumbles by Arnold, which led to Tennessee scoring opportunities.
Venables expressed frustration with his team’s performance, citing mistakes and miscommunications. “We come right back and have a lateral behind the line on an RPO that the read is run it all day,” he said. “We don’t have any backward RPOs.” The Sooners’ defense forced a punt on the next drive, but Tennessee pinned Oklahoma deep in their own territory, leading to a safety.
The Sooners failed to score a touchdown in the first half at home for the first time in over a decade, according to team records. Hawkins, who played the rest of the game, admitted to feeling nervous at first but eventually settled in. “I felt pretty comfortable just getting those drives going and then finally getting points on the board,” he said.
Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell took responsibility for the team’s struggles, saying he would work to find a solution. “They’re both young quarterbacks that’ve got to continue to grow up,” Littrell said. Venables emphasized the need for his quarterback to “execute the basics of our offense consistently,” which he believes is not too complicated.
Despite the loss, Venables remains optimistic about the team’s chances this season. “We’ve got a good enough team to still have a really good year,” he said. “You got a lot of football in front of us, but we got a lot of improvement to make as well.”
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