NORMAN, Oklahoma (AP) — Just one month ago, the long-awaited Jackson Arnold era began in Oklahoma.

The hopes of the team and its rabid fans were high. The former five-star quarterback seemed ready to take his place among the greats at a school that has produced four Heisman winners at the position this century.

Now Arnold is fighting for his job after losing the ball three times in the first half against Tennessee on Saturday night. Michael Hawkins Jr. got the Sooners going in the second half of the 25-15 loss, and now coach Brent Venables has declared the position vacant ahead of next week’s game at Auburn.

Venables addressed the quarterback situation in his postgame opening remarks and then shared what he will be looking for throughout the week.

“Who is the most consistent, who can consistently implement the fundamentals of our offense,” he said. “It’s not really complicated. And then you have to get into the game and then you have to perform.”

Arnold’s mistakes were the main reason Tennessee led 19-3 at halftime. Twice in the second quarter, Oklahoma’s defense recovered fumbles from Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Both times, Arnold fumbled the ball back to Tennessee on the next play. The second time, it was on a backwards pass – something that Venables said wasn’t even an option on that play.

“At times Jackson was inconsistent,” Venables said. “That inconsistency caused us to be out of rhythm. You have to look at the things that are there and then go back and see who has the ownership, but I’m confident that was the right move under the circumstances.”

Arnold completed 7 of 16 passes for 54 yards, had one interception and ran five times for minus-21 yards with two lost fumbles before being benched.

Hawkins, a true freshman, had some good moments in helping the Sooners beat the Volunteers 12-6 in the second half. He completed 11 of 18 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown and ran for 22 yards. His agility helped the Sooners overcome a overwhelmed offensive line.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Hawkins – on his first play late in the second quarter, he dropped the shotgun snap, but he fell on the ball. It took him a few drives in the third quarter to get into the swing of things.

“The main thing for me is just staying relaxed,” he said. “I have our guys around me building me up and I know they’re behind me. So when I come in, we can just move the ball and take advantage of big plays.”

Arnold was inconsistent before Saturday’s game. His first start came in last season’s Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona, where he threw for 361 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions. He hadn’t thrown for more than 200 yards in any of his three previous starts this season. He couldn’t get the offense going in the 16-12 win over Houston. Against Tulane, he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma held on and won.

While Arnold struggled, the talented Hawkins stood ready. Labeled a four-star talent by ESPN, On3 and Rivals, he signed in January and made an immediate impact. When asked in August why Hawkins beat out transfer Casey Thompson for the backup job, Venables said it was as much a matter of mental makeup as talent.

Venables was impressed with how Hawkins handled being thrown into the Sooners’ first SEC game.

“He’s confident,” Venables said. “He’s relaxed in the right way. The moment won’t overwhelm him, even though he’s still a young guy.”

Venables said Hawkins still has a lot of work ahead of him.

“Mike is pretty excited – you’ve seen that,” Venables said. “There are a couple of times where he’s three or four steps ahead of the game. That’s going to happen. Of course you have to slow things down and let things develop, that’s part of it. But he’s a great competitor, he’s got a lot of talent and he’s dedicated.”

Venables said there was a lot for him and offensive coordinator Seth Littrell to evaluate and he wanted to give the situation the attention it needed rather than acting impulsively.

“You give them some leniency, but you still evaluate the work,” Venables said. “You keep it in perspective. You know that everyone grows at a certain rate and matures to a certain degree. When I say leniency, I mean that young people are going to make mistakes.”

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