How is Texas preparing for Oklahoma QB Michael Hawkins Jr.?

The true freshman will make his second career start in the Red River Showdown.

Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian watches his team warm up ahead of the Texas Longhorns' game against the ULM Warhawks at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Sept. 21, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns have had a whole year to think about what went wrong in the 34-30 defeat to the Oklahoma Sooners in last year's Red River Showdown.

Heading into Saturday, the No. 1 ranked Longhorns are once again favored to win, but the challenge for Texas won't be how to stop quarterback Dillon Gabriel like last year. Instead, the Sooners will have true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. under snap Saturday.

Hawkins Jr. first saw action against Temple in week 1 but his first time playing in meaningful minutes came against the Sooners' loss to Tennessee in week 4. After Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables benched then-starter Jackson Arnold, Hawkins Jr. completed 11 of his 18 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, sporting a 57.8 quarterback rating.

In his first start against Auburn, Hawkins Jr. threw 161 yards on 10 completed passes, but his real skill came from his legs. Hawkins Jr. completed a 48-yard run for a touchdown in the first quarter and ended with 69 yards off 14 attempts.

When Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked how to stop Hawkins Jr. on the ground, Sarkisian stated that Texas needs to be "really cognizant of him in the pocket."

"We want to try to get to the quarterback but our rush lanes are really critical in this game," Sarkisian said. "Because when he pulls it, it's not to get four or five or six yards. I mean, he went 50 for a touchdown against Auburn, so we got to be really mindful of his ability to extend plays and then create explosives with his legs."

Sarkisian mentioned how Hawkins Jr. has a "blank slate" as a freshman and doesn't have any past "scars" that could affect his play style.

"He's sure he's going to go in there and let it rip and go play," Sarkisian said. "And our job is to try to confuse him. Our job is to try to make it difficult on him."

How does Texas confuse him?

"We have to do that a variety of ways that all hopefully can add up to make it a tough day for him," Sarkisian said before ultimately admitting it's "easier said than done."

Texas has done a fantastic job so far containing the quarterback this year. In the first five games, Texas's defense has held quarterback rushing yards in the negatives with -20 yards on 27 carries.

But the Longhorns haven't faced a quarterback this mobile and fast yet this season. Despite that, the Longhorns are still favored by two touchdowns at -14.5.

The kickoff for the Red River Showdown will be at 2:30 p.m. CT this year and will be on ABC.