Oklahoma benches Jackson Arnold: Sooners face tough decision after backup QB Michael Hawkins provides late spark

Oklahoma benched starting quarterback Jackson Arnold late in the first half of its 25-15 loss to No. 6 Tennessee on Saturday night, inserting rookie Michael Hawkins Jr. instead. The surprise move came after Arnold committed three turnovers, putting the No. 15 Sooners at a disadvantage in their first conference game as a member of the SEC.

When OU took Arnold out of the game, he had completed 7 of 16 passes for 54 yards with one interception. He also dropped the ball on a first-and-goal at Tennessee's 5-yard line, wasting a golden scoring opportunity early in the second quarter. Later in the second quarter, Arnold threw a swing pass that was ruled a lateral and recovered by the Volunteers.

Arnold made a brief cameo appearance late in the fourth quarter as Hawkins made the most significant effort of his young career. The former three-star prospect completed 11 of 18 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, and also gained 22 yards on the ground, making him the Sooners' best runner.

While Hawkins didn't make an immediate splash, he led two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter as Oklahoma tried to get back into the game. They were the first touchdowns allowed by the Volunteers' defense this season.

While Hawkins was given permission to fill in for Arnold, his backup quarterback Casey Thompson was also spotted warming up on the sidelines as the Sooners searched for answers during a disastrous second quarter. The Sooners scored minus-20 yards and also suffered a safety during the quarter as Tennessee's ferocious defense went up against OU's banged-up offensive line.

While Arnold was far from his best, the Sooners continued to struggle with their offensive woes in the first half, as Tennessee had six tackles for loss. Additionally, veteran receiver Nic Anderson left the game in the first half with an injury and was ruled out after playing only a few snaps in his season debut.

The replacement of Arnold presents Oklahoma coach Brent Venables with a difficult decision as the Sooners enter their first season in the SEC. Next up is a trip to Auburn, then an off week before the all-important Red River Rivalry game against No. 1 Texas on Oct. 12 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Arnold has long been viewed as the future of the program at the quarterback position. He was ranked by 247Sports as the fourth-best signal caller in the class of 2023, behind only Arch Manning of Texas, Nico Iamaleava of Tennessee and Dante Moore, who is now at Oregon.

But problems began early this season, as the Sooners looked uncoordinated offensively in wins over Houston and Tulane in Weeks 2 and 3. The inconsistency of the offensive line and the lack of quality playmakers at running back and receiver are at least partially to blame for OU's early-season struggles. But Arnold bore much of the blame on Saturday. His first-quarter interception came on a careless throw into coverage, and things only got worse from there.