Michael Hawkins Jr. remains the starting quarterback of the Oklahoma Soonersenthused head coach Brent Venables on his coaching show on Monday.

This announcement comes after the Sooners lost to Texas 34-3 in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday. Backup Jackson Arnold was the starter at the start of the season but was swapped out in favor of Hawkins last month.

Hawkins finished 19 of 30 for 148 yards against the Longhorns and didn't throw a throw, interception or touchdown. He added 27 rushing yards to his total on 20 attempts, unable to find a rhythm against the Longhorns' stout defense.

Trailing 21-3 at halftime, many wondered if it might be time for Venables to return to Arnold, but instead opted to keep Hawkins in the game. The Sooners were subsequently shut out in the final two quarters and Arnold did not see the field.

Entering Week 8, Arnold is still the team's leading passer with 538 yards and seven touchdowns. Hawkins Jr. has thrown one touchdown pass (none in the last two weeks) and thrown for 458 yards in his two and a half games as the primary quarterback.

Arnold is also the team's second-leading rusher with 138 yards and two touchdowns compared to Hawkins Jr. with 128 yards and one touchdown.

Right now, it looks like Venables has a lot of confidence in his true freshman quarterback.

Looking forward, the Sooners' next game will be a home game against the Sooners South Carolina Gamecocks All signs point to Hawkins Jr. getting the start under center. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.

After that, the Sooners have a great opportunity to earn a ranked win on the road and prove that they are still a team to be reckoned with in the new-look SEC. Consecutive encounters against Missouri, Alabama And LSU The end of the regular season will determine how the Sooners fare in the final CFP rankings, so they need to sort out their offensive issues before then.