Oklahoma QB to make history in matchup against top-ranked Texas

For the second week in a row, true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. will start at quarterback for Oklahoma when the team takes the field on Saturday. This time, however, Hawkins will be attempting to lead the Sooners to a victory over Texas, the current No. 1-ranked team in the AP Top 25 poll.

Whether Oklahoma can get a win this weekend or not, its starting signal-caller will still make history. In 109 previous meetings against the Longhorns, the Sooners have never started a true freshman at quarterback. This will change on Saturday, with Hawkins scheduled to open the matchup in the starting lineup.

Oklahoma’s young passer made his first start for the school during the Sooners’ most recent game on Sept. 28 against unranked Auburn. Oklahoma was able to emerge from the contest with a 27-21 victory, thanks in part to Hawkins’ ability as both a passer and a rusher.

In the win over the Tigers, the Sooners freshman quarterback completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 161 yards in addition to rushing for 69 yards and one touchdown.

Despite not throwing a touchdown against Auburn, Oklahoma had to be pleased with the fact that Hawkins didn’t turn the ball over at all, which is something the team wasn’t able to do in its three previous games with Jackson Arnold starting at quarterback.

Arnold was benched by the Sooners during the team’s 25-15 loss to Tennessee on Sept. 21 after turning the ball over twice (one interception and one fumble) in the first half of the game. He was replaced by Hawkins in the second quarter of the matchup, and he hasn’t attempted a pass for Oklahoma since his benching.

The Sooners were able to get the win over Auburn in the freshman’s first start, but the young quarterback has a very tall task ahead of him on Saturday against Texas.

Not only do the Longhorns currently have one of the best offenses in the nation, but their defense is also among the top units in college football.

In Texas’s five games this season, the school is allowing its opponents to only throw for 121.6 yards per contest, which is currently the second-best average among FBS schools. Oh, and it has also only given up a single passing touchdown in its five matchups this year.

Since it will be difficult to throw the ball against the Longhorns, perhaps Hawkins and Oklahoma’s offense will attempt to rely more on the rushing attack for success. Unfortunately, the chances of that happening aren’t that much higher since Texas currently ranks 23rd in the nation in yards allowed per rushing attempt.

The game is going to be played on a neutral field inside Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, but it’s setting up to be an extremely difficult matchup for the Sooners. As of Wednesday, ESPN BET has the Longhorns as a 14.5-point favorite.

Can Hawkins overcome the odds and help Oklahoma create another memorable moment in the historic Red River Rivalry on Saturday, or will Texas prove once again why it is currently the No. 1 team in the country?