Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables seems to think Michael Hawkins passed the ultimate litmus test

The Oklahoma Sooners took a flier on their true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins during the middle of their first-ever SEC game against the Tennessee Volunteers. Jackson Arnold just wasn't getting the job done, and Hawkins came in and provided a spark. The first play he did what Arnold couldn't the prior three games.

That's what they needed, because, through all of the play-calling and execution struggles, through all of the injuries and offensive line woes, Hawkins still came in and did his thing, and that lifted the team up

You saw that in their first SEC win against the Auburn Tigers, one that was a magical win , getting Brent Venables his first-ever taste of Sooner Magic as a head coach.

Hawkins has been great, especially considering the circumstances. With none of his top-five wide receivers playing and a bad and banged-up offensive line on the road in one of the toughest places to play, he played great. He's showing that he's the real deal, and his team knows that, too.

Will he make mistakes? Yes. That's what young players do. But, he's had more good than bad so far, and the toughness test has shown as well, as he's willing to put his body on the line for his team.

So far, he has shown everything needed to prove that he's going to be a successful QB. He's passed the litmus test.

“That’s a pretty strong litmus test right there… He went right into the tiger’s den and was fearless,” Venables said after the win.

Hawkins displayed what kids are calling today, that dawg in him, as he was as mentally tough as it got. He started the game great, with a 48-yard run, and never let it get him too high. And then when the offense was struggling, he never let it get him low.

As the quarterback and the orchestrator, you can sometimes feel you are responsible for everything, and you can let that mess with your mentality. Hawkins stayed evenly composed.

And, as we said before, the fact that he did it in his first-ever start on the road at Jordan-Hare Stadium, says a lot about him. This kid is the real deal from everything we have seen so far.

Related: Oklahoma Sooners QB Michael Hawkins Jr. had one of the best moments you will see and it wasn't on the field