As Brent Venables subbed out former five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold for true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., it was evident an offensive change had to be made.
Through the Sooners’ first four games, Arnold currently ranks last among Power 4 starters with 4.73 total yards per play and 115th among all FBS quarterbacks who’ve played more than 100 snaps. In his five career starts, including his game at the Alamo Bowl, he has committed nine turnovers — six interceptions and three fumbles — that have led to 37 points scored by the opponent.
However, during Venables’ weekly press conference, the head coach admitted the root of the issue does not always originate and grow solely within a player’s problems.
“It always starts with us as coaches,” Venables said on Tuesday. “Coaching the details, coaching the communication, making sure we’re putting them in a position where we can effectively communicate, effectively execute. That is the basic expectation, and we’ve been incredibly inconsistent that way.”
Although OU’s sophomore quarterback has struggled, the Sooners' offense as a whole has been disappointing. Overall, the offense is ranked 119 out of 132 nationally. The rushing offense, which ranked 101, is averaging 3.56 yards a carry, and the passing game is sitting at 111.
During its first Southeastern Conference game against Tennessee, OU had just seven yards, three turnovers and a safety on 15 first-down attempts, with 12 of those attempts recording zero or negative yardage. Oklahoma’s offensive line has also struggled, giving neither Arnold nor Hawkins time to work in the pocket, and missing key blocks throughout the game.
These difficulties continue to raise questions about how equipped co-offensive coordinators Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley are to lead OU through a difficult SEC schedule.
“From a player standpoint, we’ve got to get guys better, we’ve got to develop them, we’ve got to do a great job of putting them into a successful position, and we’ve got to execute from within there too,” Venables said. “I always look at us first and ask this question.
“Why are we not?”
As OU heads into its first road game of the season, and its second SEC contest of the year, Venables is expecting Littrell and Finley to step up, as Hawkins, who was announced as the starting quarterback on Monday, gives them a fresh slate.
“Anything that is put on tape starts with us,” Venables said. “So, you’re either coaching it, or you're allowing it. We got to get better there.”
Johnson moves spots
Venables announced on his coach’s show Monday that sophomore defensive back Jacobe Johnson will move to wide receiver.
“Based on this team, this moment of our season, this is what the team needs. We wouldn't do it if there wasn't going to be real opportunity,” Venables said during the show on Monday. “That's the vision, and that's my challenge for the coaches -- if you think he can really help, then let's use him.”
The room has taken a hit, as junior Jayden Gibson suffered a season-ending injury during fall camp and senior Jalil Farooq underwent surgery on his foot during week one that will sideline him for six to eight weeks. Redshirt sophomore Nic Anderson and redshirt junior Deion Burks also sustained injuries against Tennessee.
“Jacobe is a natural receiver,” Venables said during the press conference. “He played a lot more receiver growing up than he did defensive back.”
While playing for Mustang High School, Johnson played defensive back and wide receiver. During his senior season, Johnson had 1,200 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns. He also had 39 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble and four pass breakups as a defensive back that season.
This season, Johnson has played 56 snaps as a backup cornerback and on special teams. He has seven total tackles through four games.
“He’s a fantastic defensive back,” Venables said. “He’s really coming on and has been an excellent special teams player for us. He plays with great effort, is super physical, is incredibly talented, and certainly, this wasn’t a decision we took lightly.”
As Venables and the staff look to work him into the offense, the head coach knows it could take time for Johnson to adjust. However, he knows this is an opportunity to improve the wide receiver room in the long run.
“Will there be an impact this week?” Venables posed. “I don’t know, I mean that is kind of a reach. That wasn’t the mindset. The mindset was how can we get better this season.”
Defense will go without Dolby
Oklahoma’s offense has struggled to stay healthy, but OU’s defense has been solid through non conference play.
However, as senior defensive back Kendel Dolby went down with an ankle dislocation during the game against Tennessee on Saturday, it showed just how fast things can change.
“On that side of the ball, we lost Kendel Dolby,” Venables said. “My heart breaks for him. He will be fine. He will recover, and he will continue to have an opportunity to play this game a long time. He’s a guy I’ve been bragging on for several months, due to obvious reasons, and just hate that part of the game.”
In 16 career games with the Sooners, Dolby has 59 combined tackles with three sacks and six tackles for a loss. He also has two interceptions and five passes. Dolby’s surgery is scheduled as early as tomorrow.
Despite Dolby’s injury, the defense has stayed relatively healthy heading into Oklahoma’s matchup against Auburn.
“Defensively, the playing depth, other than Kendal Dolby, we really haven’t had a lot of issues from an injury standpoint,” Venables said. “That shows.”
No. 21 Oklahoma (3-1) will play Auburn (2-2) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Jordan — Hare Stadium in Auburn on ABC.
This story was edited by Gracie Rawlings.
