Michael Hawkins Jr. feels the weight of the Red River Rivalry game on his shoulders again.
A year removed from a rocky debut against Texas, the sophomore quarterback has a chance to step into the spotlight again due to redshirt junior John Mateer’s right-hand injury.
Hawkins made his first Red River Rivalry appearance during the 2024-25 season after he was named the starter, following former Sooner quarterback Jackson Arnold’s poor performances in the first four games of the season.
Hawkins’ breakout moments came in a 25-15 loss to then-No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers and a 27-21 win over Auburn. Against the Volunteers, Hawkins threw for 132 yards and a touchdown in the second half. He put on an impressive performance in comparison to Arnold, who had 54 passing yards, an interception and two fumbles in the first half. Hawkins then led the Sooners to their first Southeastern Conference in a victory over the Tigers that was defined by Hawkins' 48-yard rushing touchdown and a pick-six by redshirt junior linebacker Kip Lewis.
Hawkins headed into the 2024 Red River Rivalry game as the consensus starting quarterback over Arnold but left much to be desired, as a Sooner team riddled with injuries fell 34-3 to then-No. 1 Texas.
Hawkins entered this season as the team's No. 2 quarterback after Mateer transferred from Washington State. Hawkins joins Jason White, Landry Jones, Blake Bell, Caleb Williams and Davis Beville as a notable backup to take a shot at the Texas Longhorns in Dallas.
Jason White, Oct. 6, 2001
OU quarterback Jason White
White shined in his first Red River appearance, as he led then-No. 3 Sooners to a win over then-No. 5 Texas.
White filled in for Nate Hybl, who suffered a shoulder injury against Kansas State a week before. Hybl started the game and struggled before White came in and capitalized on the situation, going 16-of-23 with 108 yards in the air along with 38 on the ground. The Sooners won 14-3 with scores coming from a 2-yard run from Quentin Griffin, along with Roy Williams and Teddy Lehman's iconic “Superman” play.
Hybl later returned in the season and finished as the starter, with White having to wait until 2003 to take full reins of the OU offense due to injuries.White went on to beat Texas twice more in his career and won the Heisman Award in the 2003-4 season.
Landry Jones, Oct. 17, 2009
Senior quarterback Landry Jones (12) stands up in the pocket in a game against Notre Dame on Saturday.
Jones made his first appearance against Texas in a 16-13 loss after Sam Bradford was injured early on in the first quarter.
Jones finished 24-of-43 passing with 250 yards in the air and put together a statement drive late in the third quarter with a 35-yard passing touchdown to wide receiver Ryan Broyles to tie the game 13-13. However, Texas converted the winning field goal and held the Sooners scoreless in the fourth quarter of a heartbreaking loss for Jones.
Jones was named the starter for the rest of the 2009-10 season and is the Sooner quarterback with the most wins. Jones took 39 wins, including a Fiesta Bowl win in the 2010-11 season. He had a combined record of 3-1 against Texas.
Blake Bell, Oct. 12, 2013
Blake Bell dives into the endzone during the OU/TX game. The Sooners won 63-21.
Bell's first and only appearance against Texas was one that many Sooner fans were quick to forget, as the then-No. 12 Sooners fell to unranked Texas 36-20.
Bell filled in for Trevor Knight, who failed to recover from a knee injury he sustained against West Virginia over a month before the Red River game. The backup was unable to find any rhythm under center, as the only touchdowns came from a Damien Williams rushing touchdown and a 54-yard Geneo Grissom pick-six. Despite throwing for 133 yards, Bell also threw two interceptions, including one that led to a Longhorns’ pick-six.
Bell's final game as the interim starter came against the then-No. 6 Oklahoma State Cowboys, where he led the Sooners to a 33-24 victory before Knight started the remainder of the year.
Caleb Williams, Oct. 9, 2021
Freshman quarterback Caleb Williams during the Valero Alamo Bowl against No. 14 Oregon at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 29.
Williams had arguably a polarizing appearance against Texas in a 55-48 shootout win after taking over for Spencer Rattler at the start of the second quarter.
Williams went 16-of-25 passing with 212 yards in the air and 88 yards on the ground along with three total touchdowns. During the game, Williams produced a 66-yard rushing touchdown on fourth down and a 52-yard touchdown heave to wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. to set the Sooners up for a 2-point conversion to tie the game.
Williams' performance in 2021 marked a memorable one even though he would transfer to the University of Southern California after an Alamo Bowl win over then-No. 14 Oregon Ducks to conclude the season.
Davis Beville, Oct. 8, 2022
Redshirt senior quarterback Davis Beville during the game against Iowa State on Sept. 30.
Beville was forced into the interim starting role a few days after starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a head injury against TCU.
Beville's performance led to a 49-0 loss to the Longhorns. Beville was only able to contribute 38 yards through the air, with -21 yards on the ground. Five different Sooners attempted a pass throughout the game in an unsuccessful attempt to misdirect Texas.
Beville's first and only Red River outing contributed to the first of two Red River Rivalry losses for head coach Brent Venables..
Coming off a 44-0 win against Kent State, Hawkins will look to get his revenge on Texas at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on ABC.
This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel. Kylie Caldwell and Gretchen Schultz copy edited this story.
