Moments before kickoff, Kendall Miller looked to his sideline, surprised by who he saw.

The head coach of Emerson High School spotted Oklahoma true freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., who made the trip from Norman to Frisco, Texas, to surprise his former team in their most recent game on Oct. 3.

As soon as Hawkins took the field, Miller felt the energy shift on his team’s sideline, much like it did during his playing days at Emerson.

“Here’s a guy who’s at the top of the country, and he came back here to cheer on his high school team,” Miller said. “That gave us a spark.”

Spark is the word that could characterize Hawkins’ game-and-a-half as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback. With flips into the end zone and explosive plays, Hawkins has revitalized the Sooners’ stagnant offense.

On Saturday, he will become OU’s first true freshman quarterback to start in the Red River Rivalry when the No. 18 Sooners (4-1, 1-1 SEC) take on No. 1 Texas (5-0, 1-0) at 2:30 p.m. o’clock Saturday in Dallas. But as Hawkins connected with players, coaches and staff after the Emerson game, it appeared he was less than nine days away from entering Cotton Bowl Stadium for the biggest game of his life.

“We all (noticed),” Miller said, “he didn’t look or act different.”

In addition to Hawkins, there will be an offensive line Saturday that has given up 12 sacks, fourth-most in the SEC, and the conference’s toughest offense. After ruling out Deion Burks on Thursday, Oklahoma will be without its five primary wide receivers against the No. 2 pass defense nationally.

On the other hand, Texas, the No. 2 scoring defense in college football, has given up the fewest number of touchdowns nationally (3). The Longhorns are the nation’s eighth-best defense in third downs, while the Sooners’ offense ranks 130th out of 134 in third down conversions.

Seemingly all possible odds are stacked against Hawkins and the Sooners, who are 15-point underdogs against their rivals.

Still, those who know Hawkins know better than to discount him.

“I’m confident,” head coach Brent Venables said. “He’s an easy guy to bet on.”

Through it all, the true freshman’s calm demeanor has not wavered leading up to his biggest task, inspiring a sense of confidence among many of his teammates.

“His preparation has stayed the same from when he was in that backup role to (now) in the starting role,” redshirt senior tight end Jake Roberts said. “If he’s nervous, I can’t tell.”

After seeing a poised Hawkins on the sidelines of his alma mater, Miller thought back to last year’s regional final, when Emerson fell behind 14-0 against Colleyville Heritage, which was 12-1 with a key violations in the region at the time.

Emerson’s slow start caused many on the team to panic, with the exception of Hawkins, who looked to his coach with words of encouragement.

“Coach, I’m fine,” Hawkins told Miller, “I got this.”

“It was the look in his eyes that (assured me),” Miller said, reflecting on the moment leading up to Emerson’s 59-48 comeback victory. “I don’t know if we punted after that.”

Two weeks ago, as he watched Hawkins try to catapult over three defenders to reach the end zone on a two-point conversion, the screams of Miller’s family filled his living room. The conversion gave the Sooners a 24-21 fourth-quarter lead over Auburn after trailing in the previous two quarters and helped OU seal its first SEC win.

MICHAEL HAWKINS JR IS ELECTRICSOARING EAGLE FOR THE 2PT CONVERSION AND OKLAHOMA LEADS 24-21 🦅 pic.twitter.com/ZBa8EqXqeJ

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 28, 2024

His somersault into the end zone against Tennessee confirmed his desire to win and see as OU’s starting quarterback moving forward. A week later, his pylon dive against Auburn helped seal a comeback victory and added the spark the Sooners’ offense had been missing.

“It got everyone excited,” senior wide receiver JJ Hester said. “It gets everyone’s mojo going. … It’s great to have that on the team.”

OU is ranked No. 131 nationally with just 13 games of 20+ yards this season. Five of those came in the last game and a half under Hawkins, compared to eight in the Sooners’ first three and a half games when sophomore Jackson Arnold was the starter.

Hawkins has already sparked OU’s offense in his short time at the helm, thanks in large part to the two memorable moments he created.

Now he enters the Red River Rivalry, the play Baker Mayfield used for his 2017 Heisman moment – ​​a 59-yard game-sealing touchdown pass to Mark Andrews. It’s also where Caleb Williams delivered a 66-yard touchdown run for a thrilling 55-48 victory in 2021. The then-true freshman had taken over for struggling former five-star Spencer Rattler — sound familiar?

And last year, Cotton Bowl Stadium is where Dillon Gabriel etched his name in OU history by leading a game-winning 75-yard touchdown drive to beat the Longhorns 34-30.

No game has cemented the quarterback’s legacy in Norman more than the Red River Rivalry.

Now, against all odds and in addition to the offense he committed, Hawkins has the opportunity to make his own mark in Oklahoma football history.

“I’ve seen what he’s done when the odds were against him,” Miller said. “If there’s anyone I dare bet on, it’s him.”