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Brent Venables expresses faith in Michael Hawkins Jr. ahead of first Red River Rivalry start

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels10/09/24

ChandlerVessels

michael hawkins
John Reed-Imagn Images

Michael Hawkins Jr. has the confidence of his teammates and coach Brent Venables heading into the Red River Rivalry against Texas. Hawkins has only logged one college start prior and will become the first Oklahoma true freshman to start in the rivalry’s history, which dates back more than a century.

The four-star recruit from the 2024 class took over in Week 4 amid struggles from Jackson Arnold in an eventual loss to Tennessee. He then went on to lead the Sooners to a 27-21 road win against Auburn the next week, showcasing his rushing ability with a 48-yard touchdown on the first drive.

Although the win at Jordan-Hare Stadium certainly inspires confidence in Hawkins, there are few atmospheres in college football that compare to what he will see Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. The pressure is there for everyone, and is only amplified by his extremely limited experience.

It’s the type of game that can make or break players, but Venables’ faith in his QB is strong.

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“Mike’s a very process-driven guy,” the coach said in his weekly press conference. “He’s always been mature beyond his years. I think he’ll do a good job. I trust and have faith and belief in what I’ve seen and he’ll have trust and belief in the guys around him.”

Hawkins has been efficient in his limited time so far this season, completing 63% of his passes with no interceptions. That has been a big improvement after Arnold turned it over three times in the Week 4 loss to the Vols.

Hawkins also gives the Sooners more of a dual-threat quarterback who can make plays with his legs based on the defensive coverage. Venables likes that about his young QB, but wants to remind him to do so within reason on a big stage like this.

“Play the calls and don’t overcomplicate things, and again, don’t try to win the game in the first quarter,” he said. “He’s a playmaker, so you don’t want to handcuff him either, but don’t let the emotions hijack what it takes to execute. The decision, the timing, the patience. All of those things that the quarterback has to have. But I’ve got faith.

“He’s a guy that’s an easy guy to bet on. He’s got a lot of really good qualities that maybe sometimes a younger player doesn’t have. But he hasn’t been there, done that, so I’m not discounting that.”

We’ll see what Hawkins is made of when the Sooners kick off against the No. 1 Longhorns at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday.