The offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle sees lights of the way John Mateer interacted with Cam Ward in Washington State in the way Michael Hawkins Jr. has interacted with Mateer so far this season at Oklahoma.
Hawkins will make its first start of the season on Saturday when the Sooners n ° 5 (4-0) will face the opponent Non Conference Kent State (1-3) in Norman, Okla.
Mateer went out after maintaining a broken hand at the first quarter of September 20 at the time. 22 Auburn. While serving Ward’s backup with the cougars in 2023, Mateer learned the importance of having a well -prepared replacement ready to roll.
“I think it stayed with John,” said Arbuckle, the Washington state of 2023-24. “I think John knows:” It’s not all about me, you know. I have to make sure that I improve everyone. “”
Hawkins started four games last season when the Sooners rebounded between him and Jackson Arnold on the spot.
It was a team from Oklahoma exhausted to the wide receiver. This season, the Sooners have been much better.
This Oklahoma team has four players on average at least 50 reception yards per game, led by the 76.8 of Jaren Kanak, by Jaren Kanak. Isaiah Sategna III, Deion Burks and Keontez Lewis combined for five hits.
“I feel like it’s a great situation right now,” said Hawkins. “… Being in fire last year helped me a lot with my process and knowing the game and being able to order a group. It helped me a lot last year.”
The Sooners should also add another room to the receiver group on Saturday with the beginnings of the Gibson Javonnie season. Gibson, a transfer of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, suffered a broken leg during spring training.
“I am delighted to make him react in the football game, to react in this offense and to really find his place,” said Arbuckle. “I think he is a big playmaker, I really do it.”
Gibson is not the only Oklahoma player to make his debut in season. The Eli Bowen corner half should also come back from an injury.
With the Texas looming on the horizon next week, it is important for the Sooners to quickly bring the two players back into the swing of things.
OKLAHOMA’s defense is part of the second National National Defense match in total defense, granting only 207.5 yards per game and third in authorized points (9.0).
One thing that the Sooners have not yet done defensively, it is the turnover. Oklahoma is the only FBS team remaining without taking away.
Sooners coach Brent Venables said that even if the creation of reversals was important, the Sooners could not emphasize it.
“I don’t want to be this team that is there while trying to tear the ball and no one is attacking the Balloon holder either,” said Venables. “It’s bad football. But at the same time, guy, we have to create reversals.”
Kent State is on a sequence of three consecutive defeats, having been ahead of 159-52 during this section.
The Golden Flash have not beat an FBS opponent since 2022, dropping 25 consecutive games to such opponents.
Kent’s state has been inactive since its defeat of 66-10 at the time. 7 Florida State on September 20.
The game will be a kind of return for the offensive coordinator Golden Flashs, Clay Patterson, from Oklahoma.
“We have to match their physique,” said Patterson. “We know we are going. We can’t fight. This is the great thing.”
Oklahoma won the only previous meeting between the teams, beating Kent State 33-3 in 2022 in Norman.
– field level media
