NORMAN — The explosiveness has been noticeably missing from Oklahoma's passing game through four weeks.

With injuries piling up in the receiver room, and Jackson Arnold struggling, the passing game has been almost non-existent. The Sooners rank 126th nationally in passing yards per completion (9.13), 116th in yards per attempt (5.5) and 111th in passing yards per game (171.2). Through his first 14 quarters of action, Arnold had completed just 12 of 36 (33%) passes with a target depth beyond 10 yards, per Pro Football Focus.

That's why the connection between Michael Hawkins Jr. and Jaquaize Pettaway was so notable in the second half against Tennessee.

Hawkins found Pettaway for a 19-yard gain early in the fourth quarter, which marked OU first passing play of over 15 yards. Hawkins found Pettaway for 46-yard gain later in the quarter, which marked the second-longest passing play of the season for the Sooners. It was just one yard behind Jalil Farooq's 47-yard catch on the opening drive of the season.

The duo has worked together a lot on the second-string offense since Hawkins arrived before the spring, and it showed against the Vols.

"Me and Mike have been close ever since he got here back in December," Pettaway said. "It has been an ongoing relationship. We just got really close to each other. The connection we have is every day at practice, talking about staying on the same page."

It was a particularly encouraging sign for Pettaway.

Despite the injuries at receiver, the true sophomore has barely played this season. He logged just 21 total snaps over the first three weeks, per Pro Football Focus, as he's dealt with lingering injuries. He didn't catch a pass during that stretch, and it looked like Pettaway may not have much of an impact on the offense.

But things might be different with Hawkins. Pettaway caught three passes for a team-high 79 yards and showed a real connection with Hawkins, as he picked up the slack with Deion Burks exiting the game.

That fourth quarter was a real confidence booster for Pettaway, and with Hawkins getting the start this weekend against Auburn, the duo could get a chance to build on what they showed last weekend.

"Being on the field with him, felt like another day at practice," Pettaway said. "I know he can place the ball where it needs to be at. I just need to turn my head and find the ball and catch the ball."

The true sophomore had his "welcome to the SEC" moment early against Tennessee, blowing up a swing pass on third down that forced the Vols to punt.

But Carter did more than that. He had two tackles for loss, which tied Trace Ford for the team lead, and had the second-most solo tackles. He also had the highest PFF performance grade (87.9) and highest tackling grade (81.1).

He also played 22 snaps after playing just 22 through the first three weeks, indicating that Carter has earned a bigger role moving forward.

"You saw on Saturday," OU linebacker Kobie McKinzie said. "You get that dude going to the right space, he can make plays. Simple. He’s a really really good ball player. Athletic. Fast. And he can put the lid on you for sure."

The Sooners' offensive line struggled against the Vols, but it wasn't just the guys up front. The Sooners had a pass block grade of 41.1 and a run block grade of 43.6 as the Sooners finished with 36 yards on 34 carries.

Everybody, from the wide receivers and tight ends, struggled to contain the Vols' defensive line.

“I take full responsibility," Sharp said of his struggles against Tennessee. "Just position wise and leader of the offense, we’ve gotta be better. Straight up. Just every one of us gotta do our job. That’s simply it. We’re right there. We’re so close to just busting a big one on each play or just winning the ball game.”

Sharp — who finished with a run-blocking grade of 55.5 — caught four passes for 36 yards but had a significant drop and struggled to make an impact. But the message was to move on and improve.

“Just keep stacking," Sharp said. "That’s just one game. That’s one game. That’s one loss. We’ve still got a lot of games and a lot of football ahead of us. I have a few years under my belt and I’ve lost a few games at Southeastern, so I know what it’s like to keep going and keep grinding and just keep pushing ahead of us.”

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