Oklahoma-Texas Preview — One Big Thing: Can Michael Hawkins Be Elite?

When the Sooners have elite quarterback play against the Longhorns, OU almost always wins. Can Michael Hawkins be "next" for OU?

Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins / John Reed-Imagn Images

DALLAS — When Michael Hawkins takes the field on Saturday afternoon in the Cotton Bowl, he’ll look up in the stands and see his mom and dad.

And when the game ends — win or lose — they’ll both be right there.

What happens in between will truly define how the Michael Hawkins Era begins at Oklahoma.

Sure, he’s already made history. Twice. He quarterbacked the Sooners to their first-ever victory as a member of the Southeastern Conference, rallying from 11 down in the fourth quarter to win 27-21 at Auburn two weeks ago. And his start against the No. 1-ranked Longhorns this Saturday makes him the first OU true freshman to ever start against Texas.

But how Hawkins performs — and, let’s be truthful, how his teammates perform — for four hours or so under college football’s hottest spotlight could make him immortal.

A true freshman quarterback? Beating Texas? When the Longhorns are ranked No. 1?

Sort of makes the head swim a bit, no?

Maybe Hawkins and the Sooners really do have no shot. Oddsmakers laid Texas as a 14 1/2-point favorite, and that apparently wasn’t enough to satiate the sports wagerers out there, so the spread climbed to 15. Maybe this Longhorn team really does deserve all its flowers.

Maybe Texas really is back. Finally.

But let’s say, for a moment, that Horns QB Quinn Ewers follows the trend he started two years ago and adds to his four career turnovers in the Red River Rivalry.

And let’s say, for the sake of argument, that Danny Stutsman and the Sooner defense rise up again and deliver another goal-line stand.

And let’s continue the discussion and suggest that the OU run defense can keep the Longhorns’ serviceable run game from consistently pushing forward.

At that point, maybe it’ll be on Hawkins to do something special. Maybe OU needs its young quarterback to make a play down the stretch. 

And maybe Hawkins will recapture some of the Sooner Magic he used to beat Auburn.

Elite quarterback play has defined Oklahoma’s biggest wins in this series over the last two decades.

• In 2003, Jason White went 17-of-21 for 290 yards with four touchdowns as the Sooners routed the Horns 65-13.

• In 2007, Sam Bradford engineered a 12-play, 94-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter and capped it off with a 35-yard TD strike to Malcolm Kelly to beat UT 28-21.

• In 2017, Baker Mayfield threw for 304 yards, including a 54-yard TD to Jeff Badet, as the Sooners built a 20-0 lead. But Texas erased it all and led early in the fourth quarter before Mayfield found Mark Andrews on third down for a 59-yard score in a 29-24 OU victory.

• In 2019, Jalen Hurts rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown and threw for 235 yards and three TDs — all to CeeDee Lamb — and OU overcame Hurts’ early turnovers and led two fourth-quarter TD drives as OU won 34-27.

• In 2020, after Texas rallied from a 14-point hole, Spencer Rattler ran for a touchdown and threw two of his three TD passes in overtime, including the go-ahead strike to Drake Stoops and the 2-point conversion to Theo Wease in the third OT to power Oklahoma to a 53-45 triumph.

• In 2021, after Texas seized a 28-7 lead, Rattler was benched and Caleb Williams ran for a 66-yard TD on fourth down. Williams then threw for 212 yards and two TDs, including a 52-yard shoestring miracle catch at the pylon by Marvin Mims midway through the fourth quarter, and Kennedy Brooks put it away for a 55-48 OU win.

• In 2023, a year after he missed the Red River Rivalry with a concussion (OU lost 49-0), Gabriel returned with a vengeance, rushing for 113 yards and a touchdown and throwing for 285 and a TD, capped off by his 3-yard strike to Nic Anderson with 15 seconds to play as the Sooners again had a big lead, lost it, then rallied to win 34-30. 

Other big-time performances by Oklahoma QBs have been wasted for one reason or another, such as Kyler Murray’s scintillating show in 2018, or Bradford’s Herculean effort in 2008. Chalk those up to bad defenses (Mike Stoops was fired the next day) or bad breaks (Ryan Reynolds’ season-ending knee injury hurt more than just Reynolds).

Brent Venables cautions that Hawkins doesn’t need to do anything heroic to win his first OU-Texas game.

But history tells us — maybe he does.