It sure doesn't feel like it around Norman, but Oklahoma is 4-2 on the young season. The Sooners' goals are still attainable, although you'd have a hard time convincing even the most die-hard OU loyalist that there's a bounce-back coming for their comatose team.
In the wake of a 34-3 thrashing at the hands of No. 1 Texas, the Sooners turn their focus towards a pitfall-laden latter half of the schedule. It's an absolute minefield that features matchups with four of the nation's top 15 teams.
If there are brighter days ahead for Oklahoma, at least in this calendar year, the program is going to have to rely upon a bevy of true freshmen that have been pressed into action ahead of schedule. That begins with quarterback Michael Hawkins, who completed a modest 19 of 30 passes for 148 yards and lost a fumble last weekend in the Red River Rivalry defeat. Since dethroning an ineffective Jackson Arnold for the starting job in late September, Hawkins has shown flashes of brilliance, but he's also experienced some of the speed bumps that come along the way for every freshman signal-caller.
"Your perspective is that you have a brand-new quarterback who [was] starting his second game," said Brent Venables of his recently appointed QB1. "His first action was against the No. 6 team in the country. His second start was against the No. 1 team in the country. You’ve got to have perspective on all of it and not be quick to judge and have the eye for what it is. Again, as I go back, were there opportunities there [against Texas]? Were guys wide open? Yeah, several times wide open. Is the protection there when they were wide open? Yeah, it sure was. Do we got to pull the trigger? Yeah, we do. And do we got to get better with our route detail? You know, there’s a coaching piece to that. What you put on the field is a reflection of what you are coached. But at the same time, you have to take what we practice — what we did right at practice — and we got to take it to game day."
Hawkins hasn't gotten much help from his offensive line; he was sacked five times by the Longhorns and couldn't rely on the run game to provide any offensive balance. This season, the Sooners are averaging a putrid 3.4 yards per carry as a team, and the Oklahoma backfield totaled just 62 rushing yards last weekend. The offense's ghastly overall performance can't be pinned down on one individual or even one position group.
"There’s a lot of young guys out there," remarked offensive coordinator Seth Littrell. "It’s not just Mike. Again, we gotta do a good job of making sure those guys stay comfortable, understanding how we’re trying to accomplish the execution part of things. The things that we do well throughout the week of practice, we gotta carry that over into games. It’s been inconsistent, and that starts with me. I’ll be the first to say it, I gotta get better in putting them in situations to be successful, obviously.”
Only two wide receivers caught multiple passes Saturday; one of them was junior speed demon Brenen Thompson, who made three grabs for 19 yards. The other was true freshman Zion Kearney, who was the Sooners' highest-ranked WR signee in the 2024 recruiting class. On a miserable day for the Oklahoma offense, Kearney's performance comprised something of a bright spot. He reeled in four passes for 45 yards, leading Oklahoma in both of those respective categories.
"Three of them were first downs," said Venables of Kearney's four receptions. "It was great. And then again, that's after having done some good things in the last outing as well. And he's been showing the progress at practice. He's actually really showing up in the special teams as well. And that's a challenge. I challenge a lot of guys. 'Hey, look, the more you earn your way on special teams, it will bleed over into what you're doing at your position, on offense or defense. So value your role. Make the most of your role, make the most of your opportunity.' And he's done that, and you see real growth and improvement.
"Ivan Carreon got in there and made a catch in there late, and [Zion Ragins], he's tough as all get-out," Venables continued. "He's going to make the improvement there, and he's got to get a little more detailed. He's had some real opportunities, and I really expect him to capitalize on that, because he's tough. He's a hard worker, he really cares, and just he's got to get a little bit more detail. But a lot of those young guys we're counting on."
Meanwhile, in the backfield, true freshman running back Taylor Tatum is quickly emerging as the Sooners' top option at the position. The Longview (Texas) native was the nation's No. 1 running back prospect in the 2024 class, and he's wasted no time in seizing his opportunity to push for a starting role.
However, his meteoric rise hit a snag on Saturday. Late in the second quarter, Tatum popped off for a 13-yard run, which ended up being the Sooners' longest ground gain of the day. But at the end of the run, he coughed up the ball, and the Longhorns recovered.
Even so, the Oklahoma staff isn't about to give up on the gifted young back.
"He's got tremendous talent," Venables said of Tatum. "As soon as he fumbled, I said, 'Hey man, don't bury this guy.' And Coach Murray's on the same page. Those are... terrible things to have happen. That's how you lose games. But there's too much talent. He's an incredibly competitive kid. He's tough-minded. He's a guy that bounces back quickly through adversity, and a guy that we completely believe in."
Junior running back Jovantae Barnes leads the Sooners with 237 rushing yards on the season, and he offered a vote of confidence to his younger compatriot in the Oklahoma backfield.
“Taylor doesn't let anything like that get to him," explained Barnes. "I wish I had that kind of mindset on me. But he doesn't let little moments like that or big moments like that get to him. That's kind of where I'm proud of him for that; just not letting that moment get to him and stick with him. Obviously he wants to get it back 100 percent, but just letting that fuel him and going into the next game with a hungry mindset and just a good demeanor... I'm just proud of him on not letting that dwell on him and letting it mess up his mindset.”
On the defensive side of the ball, there was little doubt that freshman cornerback Eli Bowen enjoyed the best individual performance of the day for Oklahoma. He logged a career-high eight tackles (1 for loss), and made a textbook coverage play in the end zone to thwart a potential touchdown catch from Texas wideout Ryan Wingo. Despite his relatively diminutive 5-foot-9 frame, Bowen's fearless play has endeared him to teammates, coaches and fans alike. He notched his first career start against the Longhorns and appears to have cemented a spot in the lineup moving forward. He's one of two true freshmen that have earned a starting job on the Oklahoma defense, joining defensive tackle Jayden Jackson.
“Absolute baller," declared co-defensive coordinator Zac Alley in reference to Bowen. "I can’t say enough about how he plays, how he tackles in space, how he covers with confidence. Just a really special, special young man, and he’s got a great future.”
Veteran safety Robert Spears-Jennings concurred with Alley's assessment.
“Eli, he puts in the work every week, so that’s no surprise for me," Spears-Jennings observed. "He had a great game. He had the best game on the defense, I’ll say right now. All that work that he put in from fall, spring, all that is showing now and this is just a little glimpse of Eli.”
Between Bowen, Jackson, Tatum, Kearney and numerous others, the youth movement at Oklahoma will have to help carry this team across the finish line in 2024. And ultimately, it all starts at the quarterback position with Hawkins, who's been tasked with executing the most difficult role on the field — in some of the most difficult circumstances that an Oklahoma signal-caller has faced in the 21st century, at that. Even so, there's belief within that the Sooners can rally around their 18-year-old quarterback and get the season back on track.
“It's making sure he still has that confidence, and 100 percent he still has that," said Barnes of Hawkins. "Not one time have I seen Mike with his head down or heard him say 'Dang, I should have did this.' He's a competitor. He's going to be hard on himself. But I think he's been doing a great job with the next play and just 'keep going.' We have a long season. We have so many games to play.
"He's a competitor. He wants to do better. I want to do better. Everyone wants to do better. We just have to make sure he keeps going and keeps that confidence.”
Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, softball, basketball, and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!
