NORMAN — It's been a big question since halftime of Saturday's win over BYU: Will Dillon Gabriel play against TCU?
OU coach Brent Venables is optimistic he'll be available. The head coach gave an update on both Gabriel and Jalil Farooq during his opening statement on Monday.
"Dillon and Jalil, I feel like both of those guys, if they continue to progress throughout the week, they’ll be available this weekend," Venables said during Tuesday's press conference.
If Gabriel is able to go, that should be a boost for OU's chances. However, it's not a guarantee.
The veteran quarterback didn't return after halftime against BYU with an "upper-body" injury. Gabriel appeared to be injured on a play right before halftime, when he took a hard hit on a running play near the goal line. Gabriel completed 13 of 21 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns before exiting.
Instead it was true freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold who took the reins in the second half. Arnold, who hadn't logged a snap since the Tulsa game, completed five of nine passes for 33 yards while adding 24 yards on the ground.
There were struggles for Arnold, particularly early. He bobbled the opening snap on his second possession of the game and missed a few throws. But on the final drive, he had a six-yard run on second and five that moved the chains and then eventually found Farooq for an eight-yard gain on third and eight that sealed the win.
Farooq stayed down after that play and was checked out by the OU medical staff on the field, but he was eventually able to leave the field under his own power.
Venables bragged about Arnold's poise after the game and then in his press conference.
"I would say that the number one thing that stands out for me as I watch him and his growth is just his consistency," Venables said. "He's never too high, never too low. He's just always the same guy every day. Likes to compete, makes the most of his opportunity, values his opportunity, respects the game and what it takes to develop. So he's got great work ethic. And he understands as much as anybody you get what you earn."
However, the Sooners' game against TCU on Friday (11 a.m. Fox Sports) is a must-win matchup. To remain viable in the Big 12 title race, the Sooners need to win while also cheering for an Oklahoma State loss. That puts Gabriel's status as a massive question heading into the Sooners' regular-season finale.
Venables said both quarterbacks will see significant snaps in practice as the Sooners monitor Gabriel's health.
"The first and second-team guy are getting virtually the same amount of reps," Venables said. "The things that we’re asking (Arnold) to do, he’s good at. We don’t have to (say), ‘OK, now Jackson’s in, let’s do this.’ There’s some things that maybe he might be good at, but the game plan is going to be the game plan based on things you’re going to see from the opponent and then the things that we do every single week. It’s important that he has those things down, so that we can go execute the offense. And so we take advantage of his best skillsets.
"But I think him and Dillon are very, very similar in many ways. I don’t think, ‘Well, this guy’s a runner and this guy’s a thrower’ or ‘This guy can’t throw. This guy can throw.’ We don’t have that problem with those two guys.”
