With Oklahoma QB John Mateer Struggling, is Michael Hawkins the One Big Thing at Tennessee?

COLUMN

Saturday needs to be a big day for John Mateer.

If it’s not, and the Sooners’ recent trend continues, then it needs to be a big day for Michael Hawkins.

No. 18-ranked Oklahoma plays at No. 14 Tennessee, and there’s a lot on the line. For starters, the loser can kiss any hope of a playoff berth goodbye with still a month left in the regular season. That’s a scar no program wants to bear.

Personally, it’s the ideal stage for a nice bounce-back game for the Sooners’ quarterback. But Mateer has been here once before, hasn’t he? Just three weeks ago, he leaped off the operating table like some real-life Joe Pendleton (“Heaven Can Wait;” just Google it) and sprinted into the huddle against the Longhorns — only to never come close to the end zone in a crushing defeat.

Sure, Mateer broke his thumb. Yes, he had surgery. And naturally, he needed to knock off a bit of rust when he came back. But the bottom line is that his last three games, Oklahoma’s quarterback hasn’t been the same player that he was before the injury.

After the Auburn game, when the injury occurred (in the first quarter) and he rallied the Sooners to victory (with a fourth-quarter touchdown drive), Mateer was averaging 304 yard per game and 12.8 yards per completion while hitting 67.4 percent of his throws. His last three games, he’s averaging 192 yards per game, 10.4 yards per completion and a .578 completion percentage.

Oklahoma Sooners John Mateer — Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer against Texas. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He’s also seen his rushing numbers plummet, from 48 yards per game, 4.4 per carry, and five touchdowns, to 11 yards per game, 1.4 per carry and zero TDs.

“I just didn’t get it done,” Mateer said on Tuesday. “It hurt to watch, and it sucks, but gotta move forward.”

Has Mateer suffered a hit to his confidence? Is he not seeing the field properly? Could he still be adjusting to SEC defenses after playing a Mountain West schedule at Washington State last year? Or could he be simply overrated?

Sign up for the FREE Sooners On SI Newsletter!

Mateer’s problems are likely some combination of all of the above.

“I’m still confident in what I’m looking at it, and there’s just a couple that I missed,” he said. “And that happens. It just happened to me at bad times. That’s all it was.”

“I don’t think in any way, shape or form his confidence is just shaken,” Arbuckle said. “He didn’t play his best. He knows that. I know that. We all know that.”

Read More OU-Tennessee Coverage

Some Big Names Included on OU's First Availability Report at Tennessee
Oklahoma, Brent Venables Embrace Challenge of Neyland Stadium
After Puzzling Start, Ben Arbuckle Promises More X-Man
How to Watch No. 18 OU at No. 14 Tennessee

Oklahoma has reached the point in the season — and in Brent Venables’ head coaching career — that if Mateer steps into the orange maw on Saturday and isn’t markedly better, Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle need to have their backup plan ready.

Yes, that means Michael Hawkins coming off the bench against the Vols one more time.

Hawkins didn’t have a ton of success against the Vols last year in Norman after Jackson Arnold gift-wrapped three ugly turnovers, but he moved the football and did produce a pair of nice fourth-quarter touchdown drives.

Oklahoma Sooners Michael Hawkins Jr. — Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. against Tennessee. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If the OU coaches know what they’re doing, they’ll have Hawkins ready this week — mentally, emotionally and physically.

The plan was for Hawkins to redshirt, but Oklahoma is now 6-2 and staring at the possibility of another 6-6 season. All bets are off. Jobs are on the line. The transfer portal looms large. Quarterbacks are always on the market.

Remember, the plan for Arnold in 2023 was to redshirt him behind Dillon Gabriel, but Venables and then-OC Jeff Lebby thought it would be cute to run him as a short-yardage fullback early in the season, and when they needed him to pull their fat out of the fire at BYU, he shed the redshirt and helped his team win the game.

Oklahoma Sooners Jackson Arnold — Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold against BYU. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

That whole thing blew up in OU's face, didn't it? Gabriel went on to become a superstar at Oregon and is starting for the Cleveland Browns. After a season lost in 2024, Arnold is now at Auburn and who cares how many years of eligibility he has left?

Hawkins can begin the same path on Saturday in Knoxville — which would be just his third game of the season.

If Hawkins rallies the Sooners to a win, then the job is his. If not, then get back to Norman, give both guys a fair assessment and open up the competition for the final three games of the year.

Beat Tennessee, and the season can be saved. Lose to the Vols, and prepare for the worst.

Either way, starting now, Hawkins can be a central figure in the Sooners’ journey.