If you were hoping that Oklahoma’s newest offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, was a much better option than what the Sooners had in 2024, the bowl game results should give you plenty of optimism.
Due to interim co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns departing for Oklahoma State, Arbuckle was allowed to coach the Sooners’ quarterbacks ahead of their bowl game.
The results were evident. Michael Hawkins was the best part of the Sooners’ bowl game loss, making several key plays that kept Oklahoma’s offense moving.
Sure, we all expected to see Hawkins make plays with his legs. His rushing talent has never been in doubt. However, what stood out to me the most was his decisiveness. He missed some plays, no doubt, and the last two-point conversion was on him, but he’s a freshman. Those mistakes happen.
The rest of the game? That was a lot more than I expected out of him. When he entered the game against Tennessee, he made some plays happen out of structure that added some excitement, but he looked hesitant in structure. The Auburn game was much of the same.
In the Sooners’ loss to Texas, watching him simply refuse to throw the ball was frustrating. He had players open that he just didn’t pull the trigger on, and it stymied Oklahoma’s offense. Then, his three turnover performance against South Carolina shattered any sort of belief in him from this staff. I’m sure it affected Hawkins’s confidence as well, even if he won’t publicly say that.
Yet, after less than a month of working with Arbuckle, Hawkins was a different quarterback than the last time we saw him. He was confident. The ball came out quickly and in rhythm. Was he perfect? No, far from it. However, he was largely improved, which is the better takeaway. Nobody should expect a freshman to be completely perfect.
If Arbuckle’s numbers at Western Kentucky and Washington State didn’t prove his ability to you, look at what he did with Hawkins in just a few practices.
What can he do with the Sooners’ offense in an entire offseason? I’m excited to find out.