When Michael Hawkins, Jr. walked from the field toward the corner of Jordan-Hare stadium, the young freshman quarterback exhibited only a stone-faced expression as he gazed upon the crimson clad fans gathered there chanting his name after witnessing a “Sooner Magic” comeback in Oklahoma’s first Southeastern Conference road game.

It was the same look Hawkins had carried a week before, when coaches called him from the bench to replace a heralded starter and provide a spark for an ailing offense.

Hawkins’ spark had not been enough to eek out a win against Tennessee back in Norman. But, this time, Hawkins had just led the Sooners to a 27-21 win over Auburn in a hostile environment of 88,000 roaring Tiger fans.

This time, Hawkins had darted 48 yards for a touchdown on OU’s first series, giving Oklahoma an early 7-0 lead.

This time, the Sooners down by 11 points and with hope seemingly slipping away in the fourth quarter, Hawkins had thrown a 60-yard bomb to backup wide receiver J.J. Hester, who was called upon because the Sooners top five receivers were sidelined with injury.

This time, Hawkins solidified himself as a fan favorite. It happened the moment he scrambled and careened himself in a leaping arc over a wall of Tiger defenders at the goal line to score a two-point conversion following Kip Lewis’ 63-yard pick six to lead to a remarkable fourth quarter come-from-behind win.

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