Behind 4th-quarter heroics, Michael Hawkins leads Sooners to comeback win

AUBURN, Alabama — As Michael Hawkins faced a second-and-8 at his own 35-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, there wasn't reason to expect an explosive play.

The offense's ineffectiveness was the biggest reason why the Sooners trailed Auburn 21-10 with under nine minutes left. The offense had just 221 total yards and had only scored three points since their opening drive of the game. There had been almost no explosive plays in the passing game — Hawkins had completed just 9 of 14 passes for 101 yards, and only two of his completions went for more than 15 yards.

But Hawkins saw JJ Hester facing man coverage on the outside with no safety help over the top. The true freshman took the snap, surveyed Hester, stepped up in the pocket and delivered a rainbow down the right sideline.

Hester hauled it in, and he was eventually tackled at the five-yard line. The 60-yard play — the Sooners' longest from scrimmage this season — completely flipped the game.

"It was a huge (play) because you know Mike Hawkins, he's a true freshman and comes out there and leads them down," OU linebacker Kip Lewis said. "You can't ask for nothing better than a true freshman. That kid is solid. He's a true freshman. That kid is solid. He's gutsy. I love that about him."

It proved to be one of the three biggest plays in the Sooners' 27-21 win over Auburn. That pass led to a two-yard touchdown run from Jovantae Barnes, which cut the Auburn lead to five points.

The scoring drive seemed to spark OU's defense, which struggled most of the game to contain Auburn's offense. But on the next drive, Lewis intercepted Payton Thorne and returned it for a 63-yard pick-six, giving the Sooners a one-point lead.

But the incoming two-point conversion was pivotal to give the Sooners a field-goal lead. Hawkins took the snap and rolled out to his right as he tried to reach the corner.

Just like he did against Tennessee last weekend, Hawkins was sent flying by Auburn defenders as he crossed the goal line and converted.

"That was just a play we needed," Hawkins said. "I put my body on the line for the team, and I'm just so thankful to have my team behind me."

Those two plays were massive in the Sooners rally, and helped the offense overcome what had largely been an uninspiring day.

Hawkins, making his first career start, inspired confidence early in the game when he scrambled for a 48-yard touchdown on the Sooners' first offensive series, but the offense went stale for the remainder of the first half. The Sooners scored zero points, gained 63 yards and just two first downs over the next four drives, as they trailed 14-7 heading into halftime. Without Deion Burks, Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Jayden Gibson or Andrel Anthony available, the Sooners simply couldn't generate offense.

It was more of the same in the third quarter, gaining just 66 yards and scoring three points in the frame. At the end of the third quarter, the Sooners had just 172 total yards and averaged just 4.9 yards per play.

But Hawkins never lost confidence. There was always hope that if the Sooners stayed in the game, a big play was around the corner.

"The biggest thing for us this game was just staying down, keeping our head down, knowing that we're going to get it going and just move the ball successfully as a whole," Hawkins said. "It (ended up in) a great way."

The result? A gutsy performance for Hawkins to snag his first win as the starter.

The individual stats don't jump off the page. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 161 yards and turned 14 carries into 69 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and a score. But he didn't turn the ball over, and he made two of the biggest plays in the game on the road without having most of his weapons available.

It's a performance Hawkins and the Sooners (4-1, 1-1 SEC) can build on as they head into a much-needed bye week.

"It's a lot for a veteran quarterback, (much less) a freshman quarterback," OU offensive coordinator Seth Littrell said. "But he's really mature beyond his years. He really is. He's very poised, very calm, that's his demeanor. He's very confident in himself. If you don't know him on an everyday basis, you probably would think he's quiet and not as outspoken. But he has a lion inside of him that, man. He breeds that.

"He's a competitive kid and he's gonna sell out for his teammates. And so I thought he had a great day, and we're gonna look back at this tape and we're gonna grow from it, and there's gonna be things that we're all gonna look back and say we can do this so much better. But at the same time, I'm proud of him, proud of the effort, and I'm just excited to be able to — as a coach, a guy like that — just try to put in better situations at times and watch him grow."