Jackson Arnold benched, Oklahoma turns to Michael Hawkins at QB vs. Tennessee
Oklahoma made a quarterback change on the fly on Saturday night, inserting true freshman Michael Hawkins into the game against Tennessee and seemingly benching starter Jackson Arnold for the time being. Tennessee leads 19-3 at the time of the swap, right before halftime.
Arnold struggled heavily in the first half on Saturday night, including a trio of turnovers, two of them particularly ugly. He was 7-of-16 for 54 yards and an interception plus two fumbles at the time of his benching.
Hawkins led a series right before halftime and the Sooners quickly punted.
The final straw seemed to be a backwards pass that Arnold left short of his receiver with minutes remaining in the second quarter, as the Volunteers recovered the fumble and went on to score. It was Jackson’s third turnover in less than 30 minutes.
In the first quarter, Arnold threw his interception trying to connect on a deep corner route, instead finding double coverage and a Tennessee defender. Minutes later, right after Oklahoma forced and recovered a Tennessee fumble, Arnold fumbled himself to give the ball right back.
Then came his third turnover, which was the final straw.
This story will be updated.