The Oklahoma Sooners went on the road to pick up a big SEC win, beating Auburn 27-21.
QB Michael Hawkins Jr. became just the seventh true freshman to start a game at quarterback in Oklahoma history, and only the second true freshman QB to make his first career start in a road game the other was Troy Aikman in 1984, who made his first start in a 28-11 loss at Kansas.
The true freshman completed 10 of 15 passes (67%) for 161 yards and rushed 14 times for a team- and career-high 69 yards and a touchdown. He also flipped into the end zone to score on a two-point conversion attempt that gave OU a three-point lead with 4:06 left in the game.
He scored his first career rushing TD on a 48-yard play on OU’s first possession of the game. It represented Oklahoma’s longest scrimmage play of the season to that point, and the longest rush by an OU quarterback since Dillon Gabriel had a 61-yard rushing TD at Nebraska in 2021.
He became the fourth OU true freshman quarterback to win his starting debut and the first to win in his debut on the road.
Jovantae Barnes registered his second rushing touchdown of the season and the eighth of his career on a 2-yard play in the fourth quarter. He rushed 18 times for 61 yards in the game.
Through five games this season, OU has allowed only eight touchdowns on its opponents’ 65 possessions.
Billy Bowman Jr. notched a game-high and season-high eight tackles.Overall, Oklahoma recorded four sacks and eight tackles for loss tonight and now has 18 sacks and 40 TFLs through five games.