Oklahoma and Texas will meet up for the 120th time on Saturday, October 12, at 2:30 p.m. Central for the Red River Rivalry. For their 2024 matchup, the Texas Longhorns are ranked #1 in both the AP and the Coaches Poll. The Oklahoma Sooners come ranked #18 by AP and #16 by the Coaches Poll. But how do the quarterbacks match up?
Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers will be starting his first game since his abdominal injury against UTSA on September 14, SI.com reported. For the Sooners, quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. will be starting. He’s a true freshman who started his first game two weeks ago against Auburn. Hawkins was chosen to replace Jackson Arnold after a lackluster showing in his first four games, ESPN reported.
How do Ewers and Hawkins compare? And what are their comparative betting odds? With only two games to Hawkins’ starting record, here’s what we know and what’s predicted.
Both Ewers & Hawkins Bring Strengths That Will Put the Competition on Notice
Michael Hawkins, Jr., #9 is 6’1″ and 204 pounds, born in Dallas, Texas, according to ESPN’s stats. Quinn Ewers is 6’2″ and 210 pounds, born in Southlake, Texas.
Hawkins’ completion percentage against AP Top 25 stands at 61.1%, with one touchdown. Ewers’ completion percentage against AP Top 25 stands at 66.7% with three touchdowns.
For 2024, Ewers has an overall 73.4% completion, with 691 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Hawkins, in comparison, has an overall 62.2% competition rate, with 310 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions.
Hawkins is under a lot of pressure as the first true freshman starting quarterback to ever face off against Texas. His starting debut against Auburn helped the Sooners rally a 27-21 win in the fourth quarter. He also had an impressive 48-yard touchdown run that caused the Longhorns to take notice.
CT Insider reported that Longhorns Coach Steve Sarkisian said about Hawkins’ run: “His first touchdown was a pass where he tucked it and took off and ran. When he pulls it, it’s not to get four or five or six yards. He went for 50.”
Ewers comes into the game with a clear experience advantage over Hawkins. In 2022, he led the Longhorns to a 49-0 win over OU. However, OU beat Texas in 2023 in a close 34-30 game.
Ewers has had quite a few injuries in his college career, which may lead him to be more fragile, and possibly less prone to the same touchdown runs that Hawkins might attempt. But that doesn’t make him any less formidable. Against Colorado State, for example, he threw an impressive no-look touchdown to Matthew Golden.
One person commented on the YouTube video, “This was not just a no look pass. He also CHANGED THE PASS MID-THROW! … I was in the stands, and aligned with the QB and the receiver running the quick out in the right flat. I’m telling you… Ewer’s eyes, yes, but also his footwork, shoulder rotation, and throw trajectory were all aligned and aimed at that quick out… until midway through the throwing motion when JUST HIS ARM ARC shifted left to the quick curl. The defenders had no chance.”
While Hawkins will no doubt put on a strong showing, his team’s large number of offensive injuries will be tough to overcome. ESPN reported that leading wide receiver Deion Burks is now out, adding to the list of Sooners who won’t be playing. Other injured receivers are: Jalil Farooq, Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony, and Jayden Gibson.
But Ewers also has his own weaknesses to overcome. In previous return games, he completed 67% of his passes, but also turned the ball over once in each game. Oklahoma, meanwhile, has averaged one interception per game in the last five games, BurntOrangeNation reported. In last year’s game against OU, Ewers threw interceptions in the two opening drives of the game.
In the Longhorns’ favor: if Ewers needs to step down, backup Arch Manning has proven himself more than capable of stepping in.
Betting Odds Favor the Longhorns, With Both Quarterbacks Making a Strong Showing
As far as betting odds, SI.com is estimating that Hawkins will easily get over 31.5 rushing yards.
“The Longhorns are an elite defense, but the group hasn’t faced a dual-threat quarterback like Hawkins,” SI.com noted.
However, SI.com is also betting that Ewers will get over 252.5 passing yards. They believe Ewers will employ a similar approach that he used in the Michigan win.
In overall betting odds, the Longhorns are ranked as 14-point favorites with odds of -110, according to Bettors Insider. They noted that Oklahoma has won 17 of the last 25 Red River matchups, and records aren’t always predictive for the Cotton Bowl games. However, they still believe that the Longhorns won’t be overtaken this year, and are predicting a final score of Texas 34 to Oklahoma 17.
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