Brent Venables said it at halftime during the on-field TV interview, and he said it again following a 34-3 loss to No. 1 Texas. He did not consider making a quarterback change.

Michael Hawkins Jr., who replaced Jackson Arnold in the Tennessee game, struggled to do much of anything in his second career start. He completed 19 of his 30 passes for 148 yards. He ran 20 times for 27 yards. Oklahoma missed a field goal on its opening drive, fumbled on consecutive drives in the second quarter, and averaged just 3.4 yards per play.

Hawkins wasn’t exactly effective, but Oklahoma’s issues weren’t exclusively a Hawkins problem.

The Sooners’ depth concerns at receiver were well-known coming into the game. Each of the top 5 wideouts was unavailable for one reason or another. The offensive line, a mash unit all season, allowed 5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. There were calls to see Arnold in the second half, but the former 5-star recruit likely would have faced the same issues.

“It starts with me,” Venables said after the game. “I’ve got to do a better job getting these guys ready to play.”

Venables put the blame on the coaching staff. Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Seth Littrell was said to have not addressed the team following the game. The Sooners (4-2) scored 15 points in a loss to Tennessee 3 weeks ago. The offense produced only 2 touchdowns in the win over Auburn. Saturday’s bottoming out on offense marked the first time since the 2022 Red River Rivalry that OU had been held under 10 points.

“We, obviously, haven’t been very good all season, Venables said. “We have to do a better job putting guys in a place to be successful.”

Texas has outscored Oklahoma 113-37 in the Red River Rivalry since Venables took over the program. Under Bob Stoops and then Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma never went without a touchdown inside the Cotton Bowl. It has happened twice now under Venables.

That’s bigger than Hawkins, which also means fixing it will be a much taller task.