Brent Venables stepped to the podium for his weekly press conference on Tuesday and delivered a 19-minute opening statement. The majority of that time was spent ranting about the struggles he saw from Oklahoma during the game on Saturday, and again when he re-watched the Sooners’ 25-15 loss to Tennessee.
One of the first things he addressed was his motivation to bench sophomore and former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold for freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.
“We were not in any kind of rhythm offensively,” Venables said. “It just didn’t feel like we were making good decisions within the scheme. And certainly there were lots of issues, but making good decisions and putting us in a good position is part of everyone’s job. I felt that maybe Mike could come in and spark us.”
During his coach’s show on Monday, Venables announced Hawkins as the Sooners’ starting quarterback against Auburn, forgoing a week-long quarterback battle that many were expecting to take place.
“Maybe this will give us a better chance moving forward,” Venables said. “I believe in Mike. I made that announcement for a lot of reasons, I certainly didn't want a decision like that to hang over anyone’s head, and we’ve got to get better. Sometimes maybe change is good.”
From the first play of the game, when a bad snap led to confusion between Arnold and junior running back Jovantae Barnes and ultimately resulted in a five-yard loss, to Arnold’s whacky backwards pass fumble, Oklahoma’s offense was a disaster.
It was those simple mistakes that Arnold and the Sooners made in the weeks prior against Tulane and Houston, and continued to make against the Volunteers that frustrated Venables.
“We gotta get better at the basics,” Venables said. “I hate saying that non-stop.”
Additionally, he noted that “nothing impacts the game more than turnovers.” Arnold’s three turnovers and the manner in which they happened — an underthrown interception into triple coverage, and fumbles at the Tennessee five and 33-yard line — contributed to Hawkins replacing him.
Since 2023, the Sooners are 11-0 when they win the turnover margin and 2-3 when they don’t, according to Venables.
Venables noted how any player on OU’s roster is susceptible to being benched in any game. He even used a hypothetical scenario where senior linebacker Danny Stutsman, a projected first-round pick in the NFL Draft and Preseason Coaches All-SEC First Team honoree, would get benched for making three consecutive mistakes, a nod to Arnold’s three first-half turnovers against the Volunteers.
Despite the change, Venables is not giving up on Arnold and his development. He also understands the surrounding factors that affect quarterback play, such as his supporting cast and coaching.
“If we just get incrementally better, don’t turn the ball over, play physical, play with great effort, and everything that has been good continues to get better … we’ll have a chance to be competitive and win every single game that’s on our schedule,” Venables said. “If we don’t do those things, we’ll continue to be frustrated.”
“... The challenges are only going to become greater as we continue to play. It’s all hard, but it’s all good though. I don’t shy away from that whatsoever. I think it’s a great opportunity, that’s how I look at it, and a great story of overcoming. To me, that’s how we’re all defined, is what we’re able to overcome.”
Four of OU’s five primary receivers — Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony and Jayden Gibson — have either not played or been severely limited in the first four games. The Sooners are averaging 3.6 yards per carry, last in the SEC, with Arnold, who has been sacked 10 times this season, as the leading rusher.
“Ain’t nobody throwing anybody away,” Venables said. “From a player standpoint, we’ve got to get guys better and we’ve got to develop them. We’ve got to do a great job of putting them in a successful position.”
“... At quarterback, there’s a lot of other moving parts that affect you too. So I get that, and I try to weigh it all together.”
Venables noted in Saturday’s postgame press conference that he hadn’t spoken to Arnold about the decision when it happened, during halftime or immediately after the game.
However, he spoke pleasantly about the way Arnold has handled the tough conversations they’ve had since then.
“He understood,” Venables said of Arnold’s reaction to being benched. “He had a great mindset, no surprise. He’s a tough guy, he takes responsibility, and didn’t make excuses. We’ve seen lots of different scenarios go down. Put your head down and get better, that’s it. That’s what you can control, so he’s doing that.
“... Jackson is going to have an amazing future and career. He’s going to play this game a long time. All of that will work itself out in due time, and that might be pulling the trigger even on Saturday night … so he’s gotta stay ready.”
Hawkins will lead the Sooners into what they hope will be a bounce-back game that features a revitalized offense. The Tigers have already lost two home games to California and Arkansas, which bodes well for Oklahoma, which will be playing its first road game as a member of the SEC.
Still, the 88,000-plus capacity Jordan-Hare Stadium is a tough environment for anyone to shoulder, particularly a true freshman quarterback making his first start.
“He hasn’t played a whole bunch of college football, he hasn’t been to that stadium. So you try to paint an adequate picture, then you pump in the crowd noise (at practice), and then you tell him to focus on the things you can control,” Venables said. “If he’s a strong-minded guy, he’ll do that. Think about the process, think about managing things the right way, don’t try to do too much and all those kinds of things.
“... He’ll have to bear a heavy burden.”
