Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) looks for an open receiver during the game against UTSA at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.

No. 1 Texas planning to start QB Quinn Ewers vs. No. 18 Oklahoma

Quarterback Quinn Ewers has been out since Sept. 14 for top-ranked Texas, but he is expected to start on Saturday in the Red River Rivalry game against No. 18 Oklahoma in Dallas.

Recovering from an oblique injury, Ewers practiced Monday after taking part in three practices last week, coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters ahead of Texas’ first game in the Southeastern Conference.

“I thought he looked good coming off the bye,” Sarkisian said. “I think if anybody benefited from the time off, it was probably him. We’re going to monitor him daily just to kind of see how he continues to progress, but I feel good about how he was (Monday).

“I feel good about him going into Saturday, but that remains to be seen.”

Ewers exited Texas’ victory against UTSA on Sept. 14 and was replaced by freshman Arch Manning, who guided the Longhorns (5-0) to wins over UL Monroe and Mississippi State.

This season, Ewers has 691 passing yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions and a 73.4 percent completion percentage, while Manning has completed 70.5 percent of his passes for 901 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (9) runs the ball as Auburn Tigers take on Oklahoma Sooners at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Oklahoma Sooners defeated Auburn Tigers 27-21.

SEC notebook: Sooners savor rest; Florida, Georgia happy to be home

Oklahoma is getting healthy while getting a freshman quarterback ready for No. 2 Texas at the Cotton Bowl.

Sooners coach Brent Venables expects an immense benefit to true freshman Michael Hawkins — and seven injured starters — with a bye this week before taking on the rival Longhorns.

“It’s a benefit for Mike and the offensive staff, so here’s your first body of work, good, bad and ugly and some things where we need to get better,” Venables said. “For him, you would expect there to be great growth from the first game to the second game from everything that takes place from a practice standpoint.”

Venables used a total of 28 underclassmen at Auburn to secure OU’s first SEC road win in its first attempt. Hawkins replaced a struggling Jackson Arnold and finished 10 of 15 for 161 yards plus 69 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Tigers.

The bye week timing stands to be a victory in and of itself for Venables.

“Every year is different,” he said. “It’s unique from trying to get some guys healthy is the biggest thing. This is one of the most challenging schedules we’ve had. From an opponent’s view, certainly they’re going to be able to do the same thing as well.”

–Florida coach Billy Napier said the Gators enjoyed their open date and practiced with purpose to prepare for UCF.

“For us, in-state opponent, UCF program continues to grow. It’s a big week here in Gainesville,” Napier said.

Big games are a near-term trend for Florida with successive games against Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia up next.

The Gators are committed to playing two quarterbacks, Napier said, but how they deploy the tandem of Graham Mertz and freshman DJ Lagway will differ every game.

“Based on how they practice, the opponent. We’ll execute that regardless,” Napier said.

The critical component Saturday night in The Swamp for Florida is the run defense. Former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn runs to set up the rest of the offense and the Knights are doing it better than almost everyone in college football, averaging 326.0 yards per game.

Running back R.J. Harvey had 16 TDs last season and is putting up video-game numbers in 2024. He opened with 11 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns against New Hampshire, had 19-126-4 against Sam Houston and 29-180-2 at TCU. Last week in a loss to Colorado, he caught four passes for 92 yards with a touchdown and rushed for 77 yards.

“Gus has always been a very good game-planner. The run-play-action system,” Napier said. “The quarterback is involved in about every play. There’s some option elements. There’s some Wildcat elements. I think they’re really well-coached up front. It is a true challenge. I think they had close to 500 yards offense (vs. Colorado) they just struggled in the red zone, had a couple critical turnovers.

“Harvey is at the core of everything they do for sure.”

For Florida, running the ball might be its best defense. Napier calls on his core starting offensive line to set the tone Saturday night.

“We’re trying to develop some of the younger players, mostly in a practice setting, but we’ve committed to getting those guys some reps in the game,” Napier said of his offensive line. “We’re going to continue to do that. Pick our spots. But ultimately we’ve got five guys taking the majority of the reps.”

–Disappointment lingers for Kirby Smart as Georgia moves past the high-profile defeat at Alabama that ended a 42-game regular-season winning streak.

“We’re excited for our first SEC home game,” Smart said on Wednesday during the SEC coaches teleconference.

Georgia dropped three spots to No. 5 in the Top 25 poll with Auburn headed to Athens this week.

Alabama lost a 30-7 lead but held off the Bulldogs with a 75-yard touchdown pass by Jalen Milroe and a game-sealing interception of Carson Beck on Georgia’s final possession.

Smart is usually allergic to hypothetical questions but said he would have leaned toward going for the two-point conversion and win had the Bulldogs’ last drive ended with a touchdown.

“We had discussed it previously, and I felt very strongly that if the clock was under 30 seconds that we would probably go for two. But talking to the analytics afterwards, it would have suggested to not do it, you know — to play overtime, to kick it,” Smart said. “And there’s a lot that goes into that because when you give a team enough time and they know what they need, meaning it’s not tied, they have more aggression. They had three timeouts. They would have only needed a field goal. It would have played out, you know, a possibly different way, but we had discussed it and leaning towards going for two if it was under 30 (seconds), which I think happened around 43 (seconds) or something.”

–Field Level Media

Auburn Tigers running back Jarquez Hunter (27) runs the ball as Auburn Tigers take on Oklahoma Sooners at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.

Late pick-6 helps No. 21 Oklahoma rally past Auburn

Kip Lewis returned an interception 63 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter as No. 21 Oklahoma rallied for a 27-21 win over Auburn in an SEC matchup on Saturday in Auburn, Al.

With just over four minutes remaining and Auburn leading 21-16, Tigers quarterback Payton Thorne looked to Cam Coleman over the middle before throwing his only interception of the game.

Coleman nearly chased Lewis down, but the Sooners’ linebacker dove for the end zone, giving Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1) its first lead since the second quarter.

Thorne finished 21 of 32 for 338 and three touchdowns. The interception was his sixth of the season.

Michael Hawkins Jr., making his first career start after replacing a struggling Jackson Arnold in last week’s loss to Tennessee, finished 10 of 15 for 161 yards and ran for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Hawkins also dove for the two-point conversion after Lewis’ touchdown.

Auburn (2-3, 0-2) outgained the Sooners 482-291.

After Oklahoma cut the deficit to 14-10 with a field goal late in the third quarter, the Tigers’ offense answered.

Auburn converted on fourth-and-1 from the Sooners’ 3-yard on the first play of the fourth quarter before Thorne hit Luke Deal for a 1-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead.

Oklahoma took over from there, scoring 17 points in the final 8:32 to pull off the comeback.
Jovantae Barnes pulled the Sooners within 21-16 on his 2-yard run before Lewis thwarted the Tigers’ next possession.

Hawkins got off to a hot start, running for a 48-yard touchdown on Oklahoma’s first drive of the game to put the visitors ahead 7-0.

Auburn’s defense clamped down and kept the Sooners from doing much offensively until late in the third quarter.

The Tigers squandered a chance to extend their 14-7 lead entering halftime after driving deep into Oklahoma territory.

After coming up short on third down in the final seconds before halftime, the Tigers rushed kicker Towns McGough onto the field for a 31-yard try. The kick went wide, but the Sooners called for having 12 men on the field.

McGough missed wide again on the ensuing untimed down to keep the halftime margin at seven.

–Field Level Media

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) runs past Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott (55) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Tennessee Volunteers at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.

Oklahoma benches QB Jackson Arnold, will start freshman vs. Auburn

Oklahoma is benching quarterback Jackson Arnold and turning to true freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. for its Saturday road game against Auburn, coach Brent Venables said Monday during his weekly coaches show.

Arnold, a sophomore, completed 61 of 102 passes for 538 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions in the first four games of the season, leading the Sooners to a 3-1 record. He also rushed for 138 yards and a pair of scores.

Oklahoma benched Arnold on Saturday during a 25-15 home loss to then-No. 6 Tennessee after the signal-caller hit on just 7 of 16 passes for 54 yards and a pick. Hawkins took over, throwing for 132 yards and a TD on 11-of-18 passing.

The Sooners, who were ranked 15th in the nation ahead of the meeting with the Volunteers, dropped to No. 21 this week.

Hawkins was rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports.

–Field Level Media

Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Tennessee Volunteers at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.

No. 6 Tennessee’s D stifles No. 15 Oklahoma in Sooners’ SEC debut

Nico Iamaleava threw for 194 yards and a touchdown, overcoming a pair of lost fumbles, as No. 6 Tennessee held on for a 25-15 win over No. 15 Oklahoma on Saturday in Norman, Okla.

Volunteers coach Josh Heupel, who quarterbacked the Sooners to the 2000 national title as the Heisman Trophy runner-up, was honored before the game.

Then Heupel’s defense dominated the Sooners as Iamaleava did enough to keep Tennessee (4-0, 1-0 SEC) undefeated.

The Volunteers held Oklahoma to minus-4 yards combined in the second and third quarters as they steadily stretched their lead.

The Sooners (3-1, 0-1) came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns, but couldn’t cut their deficit below 10 points.

Oklahoma starting quarterback Jackson Arnold was benched after going just 7-of-16 for 54 yards, giving way to freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., who didn’t do much better initially. But he led the fourth-quarter comeback attempt and finished 11-of-18 for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 22 yards on 12 carries.

Bru McCoy finished with four catches for 92 yards for the Vols, while Dylan Sampson ran for 92 yards and a score.

Tennessee outgained the Sooners 345-222.

Iamaleava coughed up the ball twice in the second quarter, each time giving the Sooners the ball in Tennessee territory. But both times, the Volunteers’ defense quickly answered.

First, Iamaleava has hit by Robert Spears-Jennings at the Tennessee 6, where it was recovered by Ethan Downs.

But Jackson Arnold fumbled in the backfield on the next play and it was recovered by Tennessee’s Joshua Josephs.

In the ensuing drive, the Volunteers were able to pin the Sooners inside their own 5 after punting, and Jayson Jenkins then brought down Jovantae Barnes for a safety.

Later in the quarter, Iamaleava was sacked and lost the ball again; this time Gracen Halton recovered at the Vols’ 33.

But again, the Sooners gave the ball right back, as Arnold’s swing pass was ruled a lateral and Tennessee recovered in Oklahoma territory.

Tennessee then kept the ball on the ground, as Sampson carried the ball on eight consecutive plays, finishing with a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Vols up 19-3 at the break.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel prior to the game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Former Sooner Josh Heupel leads No. 6 Vols against No. 15 Oklahoma

A quarter-century ago, Josh Heupel was one of the centerpieces of Oklahoma’s football rebirth.

On Saturday, Heupel will be a piece of another significant milestone when his sixth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers take on the No. 15 Sooners in Norman, Okla.

Oklahoma will be playing its first league contest since joining the Southeastern Conference.

“It will be unique going back into that stadium,” Heupel said. “I have teammates and friends back there. It’s going to be a (different) viewpoint. I am not sure I spent a day on the opposing sideline inside the stadium — not even for a scrimmage.”

Heupel signed with the Sooners out of Snow College in Utah, not long after Bob Stoops’ arrival as Oklahoma’s head coach before the 1999 season.

The Sooners made their first bowl game in five seasons during Heupel’s first season. During his second, Oklahoma went undefeated and won the program’s seventh national championship. Heupel also finished runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting that season.

Brent Venables, now in his third season as the Sooners’ head coach, was Oklahoma’s co-defensive coordinator during Heupel’s time as a player.

Heupel was also a longtime assistant at Oklahoma under Stoops but was fired following the 2014 season. After stints at Utah State and Missouri, Heupel got his first head-coaching job at UCF, and he is in his fourth season as the Volunteers’ head coach.

Venables expects a strong reception for Heupel in Norman.

“There can’t be someone with a stronger legacy,” Venables said. “The first year, going 7-5, then out of nowhere to go 13-0 and several games within that year, Oklahoma was an underdog or had to come from behind in those games where you really felt Sooner Magic was reignited. And he was a catalyst of that. And people won’t forget that.”

The game is about much more than Heupel’s return or the Sooners’ introduction into the SEC.

Tennessee (3-0) comes in with one of the most powerful offenses in college football, having outscored its opponents 191-13.

Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava and Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold were two of the top quarterbacks to come out of the 2023 class.

Iamaleava has completed 71.6 percent of his passes this season, and a strong run game in addition to that has helped the Volunteers average 693.3 yards per game.

“Man, what a talent,” Venables said of Iamaleava. “He’s just been fantastic. He’s got a great presence to him, he’s got a great supporting cast and a great defense.”

Saturday will be Iamaleava’s first true road game as the starter.

Oklahoma’s strength so far has been its defense.

The Sooners (3-0) are holding opponents to less than 265 yards per game and have forced 10 turnovers so far, tied for the nation’s best.

“They play really assignment sound,” Heupel said. “They understand where they’re supposed to be and recognizing patterns and getting into windows. They tie all three phases, all three levels of the defense in extremely well. And then when you have the ball in their hands, they’re extremely active.”

–Field Level Media

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) dives for a touchdown beside Tulane Green Wave defensive back Johnathan Edwards (8) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Tulane Green Wave at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.

Jackson Arnold (3 total TDs), No. 15 Oklahoma top Tulane

Jackson Arnold threw for 169 yards and a touchdown and ran for 97 yards and another score as No. 15 Oklahoma held off Tulane 34-19 on Saturday in Norman, Okla.

The Sooners were in a precarious position in the fourth after Tulane pulled within five.

But then Billy Bowman Jr. pulled down a redirected Darian Mensah pass for an interception, giving Oklahoma the ball in Tulane territory.

Then the Sooners (3-0), who had come up empty on four consecutive drives, finally showed some life.

Arnold hit Deion Burks for a 20-yard gain to begin the drive, then three plays later, Arnold broke off a 24-yard touchdown run to give Oklahoma some breathing room.

The Sooners’ R Mason Thomas came up with two sacks on the next drive to all but seal the game.

Thomas forced and recovered a fumble with less than two minutes left.

Arnold finished 18-of-29 passing with one interception as the Sooners failed to reach 200 yards passing for the third consecutive game to start the season. Oklahoma hadn’t thrown for less than 200 yards in three consecutive games since 2014.

The Sooners outgained Tulane 349-279.

Mensah was 14-of-32 passing for 166 yards, a touchdown and an interception while Makhi Hughes ran for 71 yards on 19 carries for the Green Wave (1-2).

Earlier in the fourth quarter, Tulane brought pressure up the middle, forcing Arnold to quickly look for a receiver over the middle.

Green Wave linebacker Tyler Grubbs stepped in front of Burks and had plenty of clear space in front of him, going 22 yards for a touchdown.

Tulane’s two-point conversion was unsuccessful, keeping the score 24-19.

Tulane managed just 36 yards on its first four drives, punting each time and picking up just one first down.

But the Green Wave started finding some rhythm offensively after that, eating up nearly five minutes on a 12-play drive. Tulane came up empty on the drive, though, with a missed field goal.

The Sooners responded with a quick touchdown drive, keyed by Arnold’s 47-yard run on the first play, to take a 21-0 lead.

Tatum finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Tulane kept up its offensive momentum on its last drive of the half, as backup quarterback Ty Thompson came in on second-and-goal and found Reggie Brown in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown to cut the Sooners’ lead to 21-6 at the break.

–Field Level Media

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables fist bumps Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Oklahoma won 69-45.

Sooners working through challenges with new sideline tech

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said the Sooners are using the nonconference portion of the schedule to get ready for what their first season in the SEC will actually look like.

“Next year we have Michigan and we actually travel to Temple,” Venables said of the 2025 September slate for the Sooners.

Building depth has become a challenge at certain positions, including the offensive line.

“Everybody in college football, that’s just the way it is, can leave,” Venables said. “Having a roster built on stability and consistently is a little bit different. It’s that way for everyone in college football.”

Technology is one of the areas the Sooners are putting in some extra work following consistent communication challenges with quarterback Dillon Gabriel. College football is using direct-to-helmet communication from coaches for the first time this season.

“Sometimes it’s worse than others, sometimes it’s better than others. Nothing has been quote-unquote smooth,” Venables said. “I think we did work on improving the sound of those. Part of it — it’s all new. Not only coaches but for players, best practice and how to take what’s being communicated on the headset and take it (to the field).”

–Field Level Media

Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) throws a pass during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Houston Cougars at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024.

Quarterbacks showing their youth for No. 15 Oklahoma, Tulane

No. 15 Oklahoma and Tulane are looking for better things out of their young quarterbacks this weekend when the Sooners and Green Wave play Saturday in Norman, Okla.

Oklahoma is 2-0 but coming off a shaky offensive performance in last week’s 16-12 home win over Houston.

The Sooners managed just 249 yards of total offense, and sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold was 19 of 32 for 174 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

“He’s a mature, tough guy,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “So he’s handled all of it really well. Again, he had great self-awareness and has taken ownership where he’s needed to, and that’s allowed him to take the next step as far as his progression and development.”

While Arnold struggled against Houston, Oklahoma’s offensive issues go far beyond him.

The offensive line has been a revolving door, with the Sooners on their third center of the season already — starter Branson Hickman injured an ankle in the opener, then Geirean Hatchett sustained a season-ending torn biceps injury. Joshua Bates has been forced into action despite Venables saying Bates was playing without the full use of one arm.

The Sooners’ running game has struggled, rushing for just 75 yards last week after much of their 220 yards on the ground in the opener came late with the game well in hand.

Arnold has also been without several key targets, though Venables said there was a chance Nic Anderson, who had 10 touchdown catches a year ago, could make his season debut Saturday after dealing with a hamstring injury.

“This is a group of guys that are committed to the work and the things that it takes,” Venables said. “It may not happen as fast as everyone would like, but it’ll get better.”

Tulane (1-1) is coming off a 34-27 home loss to Kansas State last Saturday, when redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 342 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter that resulted in a K-State defensive touchdown.

“Everything’s new for (Mensah),” Green Wave coach Jon Sumrall said. “He’s learning. … He’s going to get it. He’s going to learn it. Usually being a kid, you touch a hot stove and you learn it’s hot, don’t touch it anymore. Hopefully, he learns, ‘Hey, if I’m in traffic, put the ball away.’”

Through two games, Oklahoma has forced eight turnovers, tied for the FBS lead. Tulane has turned the ball over twice.

“Good scheme and good players usually make for good football, and they’re really well-coached with great players,” Sumrall said of the Sooners’ defense. “They’re multiple. They keep you really guessing, keep you off balance. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

For the second consecutive matchup against Oklahoma, the Green Wave are battling inclement weather in the lead-up to the game.

In 2021, Hurricane Ida forced the teams’ season-opening matchup to be moved from New Orleans to Norman.

Now, Tropical Storm Francine has impacted Tulane’s preparations, as they practiced at the New Orleans Saints’ facility early in the week.

In that 2021 meeting, the Green Wave took the Sooners down to the wire before the Sooners pulled out a 40-35 win.

Oklahoma has won both previous meetings with Tulane.

–Field Level Media

Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Danny Stutsman (28) brings down Houston Cougars running back Re'Shaun Sanford II (26) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Houston Cougars at Gaylord Family Ð Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024.

Late safety seals No. 15 Oklahoma’s tight win over Houston

Gracen Halton brought down Stacy Sneed in the end zone for a safety in the final two minutes to help No. 15 Oklahoma eke out a 16-12 win over Houston on Saturday in Norman, Okla.

The Cougars got the ball back with 1:46 remaining at their own 5 with a chance to drive for the win. But on first down, Halton cut right through the Houston offensive line and brought down Sneed for the safety.

The play was the last in a string of big defensive stops by the Sooners (2-0).

After Houston (0-2) cut the deficit to 14-12 early in the second half, Oklahoma’s defense came up with four consecutive stops to put the game away.

The Cougars got one more chance, getting the ball back at their own 13 with 29 seconds remaining, but couldn’t get the ball into Oklahoma territory before time ran out.

Houston outgained the Sooners 318-249.

The 249 yards were Oklahoma’s fewest since 2022.

Jackson Arnold threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns for the Sooners, who ran for just 75 yards.

The Cougars’ Donovan Smith was 24-of-28 passing for 260 yards and a touchdown.

After scoring two touchdowns on its first four drives — one with an extremely short field — Oklahoma’s offense struggled.

The Sooners came up empty on their next five drives, with four punts and an interception.

After Houston scored to pull within 14-12, Oklahoma was moving the ball downfield early in the third, picking up three first downs and moving into Houston territory.

But Arnold underthrew a deep ball to Deion Burks and Jeremiah Wilson came up with the interception.

On the first drive of the third quarter, just after an Oklahoma interception was wiped out by a pass interference call, the Cougars came up big.

Smith hit Joseph Manjack IV for a 44-yard touchdown to pull Houston with two.

A two-point conversion attempt failed.

After forcing six turnovers in their season-opening win, it didn’t take long for the Sooners to come up with a takeaway against Houston.

Oklahoma’s punt on the game’s first drive bounced in front of and past Mekhi Mews. Neither Mews nor the Sooners’ Jacobe Johnson reacted as the ball looked to be going out of bounds, but it remained in bounds and Oklahoma’s Lewis Carter dove on it as officials signaled the turnover.

The play stood after a review, and on the first play of the next drive, Arnold hit Brenen Thompson for a 10-yard touchdown to put the Sooners ahead.

–Field Level Media