As an OU fan going on about 40 years now, I have learned that you never know how a QB will play until he is thrust into live game action. Recruiting is imperfect. QB play is less about arm talent than moxie and mental makeup. If you would have told me 2 years ago that Mike Hawkins would look like a potential future star as a true freshman and Jackson Arnold would look completely overwhelmed, I would not have believed it. I saw those two square off in the Allen vs. Denton Guyer game in 2022, and JA was one of the best high school players I had ever seen, while MH played poorly enough to leave me wondering why we were recruiting him. Fast forward to now, and the roles look completely reversed.
Folks, with this schedule, we were going to lose some games, and with all the injuries to our offense, it wasn’t going to look pretty. Tennessee is damn good team, but we looked good enough to beat them with even an average offense. Unfortunately, we saw much worse in the first half. But in the second, Hawkins displayed fire, moxie, and play-making ability. He had “it” and gave us a reason to believe things can and will get better. I am not sure he would have been given a chance to show what he could do if the supporting cast had been healthy and the offense under JA had been merely pedestrian instead of totally incompetent.
We found something. With this defense - and holy crap was it great - we don’t need to score 40 points a game. Anything over 20 likely keeps us in most games. I, for one, am excited for next week. Auburn is a tough place to play, but the Tigers are not the Vols, and I think Hawkins can lead us to a bounce back win. I will be there cheering him and the rest of the team on.
Folks, with this schedule, we were going to lose some games, and with all the injuries to our offense, it wasn’t going to look pretty. Tennessee is damn good team, but we looked good enough to beat them with even an average offense. Unfortunately, we saw much worse in the first half. But in the second, Hawkins displayed fire, moxie, and play-making ability. He had “it” and gave us a reason to believe things can and will get better. I am not sure he would have been given a chance to show what he could do if the supporting cast had been healthy and the offense under JA had been merely pedestrian instead of totally incompetent.
We found something. With this defense - and holy crap was it great - we don’t need to score 40 points a game. Anything over 20 likely keeps us in most games. I, for one, am excited for next week. Auburn is a tough place to play, but the Tigers are not the Vols, and I think Hawkins can lead us to a bounce back win. I will be there cheering him and the rest of the team on.
