Turnovers gave Brent Venables no choice but to start Michael Hawkins, bench Jackson Arnold vs. Auburn

Expressing plenty of frustration, Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables spent 19 minutes on his Tuesday press conference going over multiple plays of poor execution on offense in the Sooners' Week 4 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.

Venables harped on repeated mistakes but became the most visibly upset over Oklahoma's multiple turnovers, all three coming from quarterback Jackson Arnold. The Sooners pulled Arnold halfway through the game after two fumbles and an interception. The case could be made that Oklahoma could have won the game if even one of those fumbles bounced the other way for the Sooners.

Related: Brent Venables announces Michael Hawkins Oklahoma Sooners' starting QB against Auburn in Week 5 matchup

Oklahoma turned to freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. to assume the mantle under center. Hawkins played about as well as you'd expect a true freshman to play, but he deserves credit for being able to work into a rhythm in the fourth quarter, leading two touchdown drives for the Sooners to make the final score a bit more respectable.

Speaking on the decision to bench Arnold and name Hawkins the starter against Auburn, Venables specifically cited the turnovers and how those cost the Sooners in Week 4.

"What happened was we led to three turnovers and, where, again, things that can’t happen..Whether it’s field position where it absolutely can’t happen or maybe where things weren’t forced, and then and then some of the other basic decision making where I know what the rules are and we’re not doing what the rules are. And that happens sometimes...for us in that game, It was just getting away from us. And if it was still 3-3, you might have been able to tolerate it."

Arguably the biggest difference between the two was Hawkins' willingness to simply throw the ball away when a play went sideways. Arnold has been guilty of trying to force plays to happen and it's led to a few bad plays such as his pick-six against Tulane in Week 3.

Venables emphasized that Jackson Arnold's future at Oklahoma isn't over and he could still play a factor for the team in 2024 and beyond. But for this week, with a bye week and Texas looming large right after, the Sooners need a mistake-free game to generate something positive offensively going into their bye.

It won't be easy for a true freshman to make his first start on the road at a place like Jordan-Hare, but this was the only decision Venables could make. Hopefully, it turns out to be the correct one.