A little over two quarters of football was all ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit needed to see to determine the Oklahoma Sooners need to make a quarterback change.
In Saturday’s 25-15 loss to the No. 6-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, Oklahoma benched starting quarterback Jackson Arnold after a 54-yard, one-interception performance in the first half, giving way to backup Michael Hawkins.
The freshman signal-caller looked much better than Arnold did against the Vols defense, completing 11 of 18 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, and he rushed for another 22 yards on 12 carries.
Herbstreit, who was on the call during the UT-Oklahoma broadcast, stated in the final minutes of the game that Hawkins is who the Sooners should roll with next week against the Auburn Tigers.
“This kid’s your quarterback,” Herbstreit said. “This is the quarterback right here, No. 9, moving on into next week. He’s done enough in these handful of series in the second half. This is what it’s all about right here. This kid is fighting for every inch.”
Sep 29, 2018; University Park, PA, USA; ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit walks on the field prior to the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Ohio State defeated Penn State 27-26.
Sep 29, 2018; University Park, PA, USA; ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit walks on the field prior to the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Ohio State defeated Penn State 27-26.
Though Arnold’s numbers through the first three games weren’t particularly bad, they weren’t overly impressive either. The sophomore QB completed 62.8% of his passes for 484 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions, and though Oklahoma was 3-0 entering the week, few would say Arnold was the reason why.
Aside from a 51-point outburst against Temple in the season opener — a game in which Arnold had four touchdown passes — he rarely contributed in either of the Sooners’ other two wins.
Though Hawkins first drive resulted in a three-and-out, he led Oklahoma to 176 yards on seven drives, accounting for 69% of the Sooners’ 222 yards of total offense.
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