NORMAN — Jackson Arnold might’ve been a little nervous before Saturday’s game against Arkansas State. But by the time pregame warmups began, he settled in.
Even when he learned he was starting at quarterback to open the second half, the true freshman really didn’t feel much pressure.
Why? Because Dillon Gabriel and the Sooners offense had already built a 45-0 lead.
“Dillon went out and did his job,” Arnold said after the game. “I knew there was no pressure on me. Of course, I want to play good. But I didn’t feel like there was any pressure on me to perform. Just wanted to go out there and show what I can do.”
It was Gabriel’s performance in the first half that gave Arnold the freedom to perform well in the second half. And both of their performances played a big role in the Sooners’ 73-0 win over the Red Wolves at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Gabriel led the offense right down the field on the opening drive, scoring the first points on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Drake Stoops at the 13:51 mark of the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, he found Gavin Freeman for a seven-yard score to push the Sooners’ lead to 28-0.
In the second quarter, Gabriel alluded defenders and scored on a five-yard touchdown run. By halftime, Gabriel’s job was finished — he completed 19-of-22 passing attempts for 308 yards and three total touchdowns.
Gabriel flashed an all-around performance in the first half. He showed his ability to throw down the field — he found Andrel Anthony for a 45-yard gain on the opening drive — and he made several passes for short and intermediate gains.
“He’s showed savviness, experience, poise, execution,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “His decision-making, his accuracy, ability to take care of the football, throw the ball on time, read what’s going on from a defensive structure standpoint, just fantastic. He’s just a smooth guy.
“Our charge for him is take another step when demanding excellence from everybody around you and helping everyone else get better. He’s taking that on himself. I’m really proud of him. He’s a great teammate.”
After Gabriel got things rolling, Arnold took over in the second half and didn’t skip a beat. All four of his second-half possessions ended in touchdowns.
His first collegiate touchdown came on a 21-yard pass to Jayden Gibson, who made a nice catch in traffic. Later in the third quarter, Arnold called his own number and found the end zone on a seven-yard run.
Arnold finished the game with 114 passing yards and two total touchdowns while completing all 11 of his passing attempts.
“I thought it was really good for him to be able to go, operate, play cleanly, take care of the football,” OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said, “have some throws to where he was able to push it down the field and it wasn't all just really easy stuff. Just proud of him being able to go out and be clean, be efficient.”
Arnold didn’t just want to throw passes. He asked for Lebby to call plays for him to run the ball.
Lebby was happy to oblige.
“I wanted to get him dirtied up a little bit, get him playing football,” Lebby said. “I didn't want him coming into the locker room with a perfectly clean outfit on. He needed to go play ball, and that was our goal for us, and it happened.”
The two quarterbacks helped lead the Sooners to 642 total yards, 422 passing yards and 11 consecutive scoring drives. Their combined completion percentage of 90.9% also set an OU school record.
While there may not be many more opportunities for both quarterbacks to see significant playing time, Arnold knows his job this season is to learn from Gabriel and prepare to be the Sooners’ future starting quarterback.
“I just keep my head down and grinding, keep working my butt off, soak up everything I can while Dillon’s here,” Arnold said. “I’m learning from him and just learning from his success and his mistakes will only help me in the future.”
