Brent Venables says Michael Hawkins Jr. is 'easy to bet on'

When the No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners take the trip to Dallas, Texas, to take on the No. 1 Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown, they’ll be making history.

Michael Hawkins Jr. will become the first true freshman to start for the Sooners in the Red River Showdown. This comes two weeks after he was the first true freshman to start on the road for Oklahoma in their win over Auburn.

In a season of firsts, Hawkins hasn’t been shaken by the moment.

He entered the Tennessee game just before halftime with the Sooners down 16. He didn’t try to force things, instead playing within himself and playing under control. In the fourth quarter, he orchestrated a pair of touchdown drives that helped put the Sooners in striking distance. Ultimately the rally fell short, but it set the stage for Hawkins to take over as the starter that week.

His performance against Auburn supported what we saw against Tennessee, a player unfazed by the hostile Jordan-Hare environment. While the offensive output might not have been what we expect out of an Oklahoma offense, Hawkins came through with a big 48-yard touchdown to open the scoring. Then when the game was teetering in Auburn’s direction and OU was down 11, Hawkins came up with the offensive play of the game, a 60-yard completion to J.J. Hester to put the Sooners inside the five-yard line.

He’s shown a resilient personality during his time as Oklahoma’s quarterback and looks like a player that will be locked in when OU meets Texas this Saturday afternoon.

During his weekly press conference, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables discussed his true freshman quarterback.

“Mike’s a very process-driven guy. He’s always been mature beyond his years. He’ll do a good job,” Venables said. “Don’t overcomplicate things and again, don’t try to win the game in the first quarter. … Don’t let the emotions highjack what it takes to execute.”

Hawkins hasn’t allowed the flow of the game or the difficult environments to impact his decision-making. Whether the game is tied or Oklahoma’s been behind, he’s been the same player throughout his six quarters of SEC play.

Against the No. 1 team in the nation, the Sooners will need that steady hand to continue to lead the offense. And Venables believes Hawkins has what it takes to lead the Sooners into the Red River Showdown.

“I’ve got faith,” Venables said. “He’s a guy that (is) easy guy to bet on.”

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