Why Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold felt “free” in his return to the lineup

NORMAN – For the second straight home game, Oklahoma made a quarterback change.

Real newbie Michael Hawkins Jr. converted on each of the first three possessions, immediately putting OU in a 21-0 hole.

He was then included in the loss to Tennessee Jackson Arnold third turnover.

On Saturday it was Arnold who replaced Hawkins.

The former 5-star couldn’t turn the tide as Oklahoma was still embarrassed by the unranked Gamecocks 35-9, but he took care of the ball and was able to try to control the offense under duress.

“Three drive turnovers in a row, that’s a pretty easy decision,” OU coach Brent Venables said of the change after the game.

Neither Arnold nor Hawkins had much time to retreat and pick apart the defense.

South Carolina sacked Oklahoma’s two quarterbacks nine times, which was the most sacks the Sooners have allowed since the NCAA began tracking the statistic in 2000, but Arnold still completed 18 of 36 passes for 225 yards and a score. He became the first OU quarterback to pass for 200 yards in a game this year.

Trailing 21-0, Arnold said he was able to let things go for the first time this year.

“In some ways, I honestly felt a lot freer,” Arnold said after the game. “I have nothing to lose, I just went out there and had fun.”

For a true freshman, being benched for five starts in his career is not what he ever imagined the season would be like for a highly touted prospect like Arnold.

The last few weeks have tested Arnold in ways he said he never felt mentally pressured.

“It was probably the hardest weeks of my life,” he said. “A lot of soul searching, a lot of diving into what I really care about, what I really care about. I have leaned heavily on my relationships: family, friends, God and all of the above, these have been the hardest weeks of my life, but I see it as character building and I trust the plan God has for me, by preparing myself in the same way.”

The Tennessee game was the fourth contest of the year, meaning Arnold could still redshirt if he were out the rest of the year.

Arnold revealed how the conversation went between him and his head coach after Hawkins started against Auburn, but it was never an obstacle for him to get back on the field in Norman.

“I told Coach V that I didn’t want to take pointless snaps and burn a redshirt when it would be better for me to keep it if things continued like this,” Arnold said. “But I also told him that if I came and won a game I would do that. I invested so much in the team and would still be there for them.

After being out of the firing line for a few weeks, Arnold said he was able to see the game through a “different lens.”

He admitted that the pressure of filling in as QB1 at Oklahoma was intense and that he wasn’t burdened by those expectations against South Carolina.

“(That’s) just how it works at this university,” he said. “There were a lot of high, perhaps even unrealistic expectations placed on me and that really took a toll on me. But at the same time, I don’t want to use that as an excuse. I’m honestly grateful.”

“…I think it’s just about staying level-headed through the ups and downs. Temple was obviously a really good first game. My skills have been great the last couple of weeks.”

The road ahead for Oklahoma’s quarterbacks is once again rocky. Venables declined to name a starting quarterback during the postgame press conference, just as he did after the loss to the Volunteers.

“We will talk about it when we are clear about what happens next,” he said.

Last time out, Venables announced Hawkins as the starter the following Monday.

It will be a crucial decision in Venables’ term. Whatever one thinks of the offense in 2025, it would be helpful for this staff or the next group building the program to have a quarterback in place — especially one who has gone through the growing pains of a first-year starter has.

Arnold will get a chance to show that he is still the man to lead OU going forward when he competes in practice and in the final five games of Oklahoma’s schedule.

Regardless of what the schedule looks like this week, Arnold will be ready to fight for his job.

“I still play for free. “You have nothing to lose here either,” he said. “We’re 4-3 now and we’ve just lost two big games. We have nothing to lose, just go out there and give it your all over the next few weeks. Great test this week. Nothing beats going away and getting a win.” .”