Branson Hickman came into this season having started 20 consecutive games. The last game he missed was against Tulsa on Oct. 29, 2022.
This season, Hickman has already missed two games against Houston and Tulane, and has been another player on the offensive line who has dealt with its fair share of injuries, along with redshirt senior offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett, who was ruled out for the season after undergoing bicep surgery.
“It was tough mentally,” Hickman said on Monday. “It was tough mentally for me just not being out there with the guys, and I’m just excited to be back.”
With a banged up offensive line, Oklahoma has failed to get in any sort of rhythm, ranking near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference in every major offensive stat. Through four games, the Sooners rank dead last in the SEC in total offense, first downs and third-down conversion rate.
Filling in for Hickman during his absence was redshirt freshman offensive lineman Joshua Bates, who saw extended action against Houston and Tulane, after having appeared in only one game last season. In the games Hickman missed, the Sooners averaged only 3.5 yards per carry and sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold was sacked six times.
In Hickman’s return against Tennessee, the offensive line allowed three sacks and 11 tackles for loss, in the Sooners’ 25-15 loss to the Volunteers.
Regardless of the offensive struggles, Hickman feels Bates did as well as he could after being thrown into a difficult situation.
“I thought Josh did a great job,” Hickman said. “He had to step up to the plate, and he was playing banged up too, but I thought he did a great job. Josh will be a really good player down the road, and I’m excited for him.”
Having Hickman back on the offensive line is not the only notable change the Sooners offense has made, as they will hand over the reins to true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., after Arnold was benched in the second quarter against Tennessee. The former consensus five-star recruit has nine turnovers in five career starts.
Hickman noted that it would be an easy transition for him between Arnold and Hawkins after working with all of the quarterbacks during fall camp.
“Throughout camp, everyone works with everyone,” Hickman said. “So me and Mike have a good relationship and work together a pretty good amount.”
With the offensive line being the subject of criticism from fans, Hickman knows that the group can’t listen to the outside noise, and instead is focusing on what it takes to get better every day.
This season, the offensive line has allowed 12 sacks and 28 tackles for loss, which rank 14th and 15th in the SEC, respectively.
“Just continue to show up to work every day,” Hickman said. “Obviously we’re not clicking at the moment. Just got to keep doing more. We’re meeting more together outside of the allotted times. We’re really trying to up our level.”
