New QB Hawkins leads No. 21 OU against Auburn in Sooners’ first SEC road game

Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (9) passes against Tennessee during the second of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

By JOHN ZENOR AP Sports Writer

(AP) — The Oklahoma Sooners and Auburn Tigers both are trying to bounce back from 10-point losses in their Southeastern Conference openers where turnovers proved costly and backup quarterbacks were called upon in the second half.

The similarities don’t go much beyond that.

Coach Brent Venables has already said the 21st-ranked Sooners (3-1, 0-1 SEC) are turning to freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. for his first college start Saturday against the Tigers (2-2, 0-1).

Hawkins replaced former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold in the second half of that 25-15 loss to Tennessee and the Sooners did close the gap. Arnold had three first-half turnovers.

“We didn’t want it to hang over anyone’s head and have speculation kind of create an additional story,” Venables said. “Mike’s a really talented guy, can really spin it. Makes quick decisions and is really athletic.

“Still believe in Jackson. It’s just the right thing to do in this moment.”

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze has bigger problems. He had already benched starter Payton Thorne after a four-interception game in a loss to California. He then called on second-year freshman Hank Brown against New Mexico and Arkansas but benched him after three first-half interceptions in the 24-14 loss to the Razorbacks.

He hasn’t said who’s starting this one, but the more experienced Thorne had a solid second half.

“What really went into that decision was that I experienced that two weeks earlier and I wasn’t going to continue down that road,” Freeze said. “It has nothing to do with my confidence in Hank. But in that moment, our team needed something else to try to give us a shot.”

Sooners Quarterback Situation
Hawkins provided the Sooners with a second-half spark, passing for 132 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 22 yards. The four-star prospect out of Dallas is a dual-threat quarterback, and Auburn struggled to stop the runs of Arkansas’s Taylen Green.

Auburn’s Worse Quarterback Situation
It’s not clear if either Thorne or Brown is going to be good enough to help the Tigers have a strong SEC record. Thorne has more experience and is a better runner, but it will likely come down to who is deemed less likely to lose the game with mistakes.

Turnover Battle
Oklahoma is adept at forcing turnovers and Auburn is prone to committing them. The Sooners are tied for the national lead with 12 takeaways, including an FBS-best eight forced fumbles. Auburn has thrown eight interceptions and lost six fumbles, ranking next-to-last nationally in turnover margin.

“It’s sickening, truthfully, to know that you’re averaging almost 7 yards a rush and creating explosive plays and not scoring the points that should come with what those stats say,” Freeze said. “But I’ve never been (on) any team that turned the football over and won football games.”

Top Transfer Targets
Both teams lean heavily on transfer receivers in their passing game. Oklahoma’s Deion Burks, a Purdue transfer, has 26 catches, the most by any player in their first four games with the Sooners. He has gained 201 yards with three touchdowns.

Penn State transfer KeAndre Lambert-Smith is leading Auburn with 12 catches for 338 yards and an SEC-leading five touchdowns.

Rare Meeting
Both previous Oklahoma-Auburn matchups have come in the Sugar Bowl. The third-ranked Sooners won 40-22 to end the 1971 season against the fifth-ranked Tigers. No. 7 Oklahoma ended Bob Stoops’ tenure with a 35-19 win over No. 17 Auburn to finish off the 2016 season.

The Sooners’ only other game in the state of Alabama ended with Stoops’ top-ranked team beating the Alabama Crimson Tide 20-13 in 2003.