How Oklahoma will handle sudden QB problem after Jackson Arnold benching
09/23/2024 05:14 PM
This past Saturday, Oklahoma football (3-1) got the “welcome to the SEC” treatment from one of the league’s more unlikely members. Offensive juggernaut Tennessee (4-0) went against type and dished out a dominant defesnive showing on the road, winning 25-15 in Norman’s Gaylord Family- Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Beyond what the scoreboard illustrated, the evidence of its devastation comes in the form of Jackson Arnold.
The Sooners quarterback and former five-star recruit was utterly helpless, completing only seven of his 16 passing attempts for 54 yards. Among the lowlights were two fumbles in Tennessee territory, one of which was on the five-yard line, and an interception. Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables benched Arnold near the end of the nightmarish first half and stuck with freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. for the rest of the game.
The offense showed some life in the fourth quarter, but there is no clear solution at QB right now. Venables plans to “evaluate” the position and “figure out who the best guy is to get us to No. 4, find our fourth win,” per ESPN’s Dave Wilson.
Oklahoma football has to get things in order ASAP
With the team beginning SEC play for the first time, the clock is ticking. The Sooners must quickly solve this quarterback quandary, or risk falling flat on their faces in front of their new roommates.
What is most concerning is that there even is such a dilemma in the first place. Arnold was tapped to be the future of the program and one of the best signal-callers in the country in 2023. His arm talent and mobility seemingly made him an ideal choice to usher in this new era of Oklahoma football. That promise has been difficult to spot through the first stretch of the season.
Jackson Arnold has thrown for 538 passing yards and seven touchdowns in four games while completing less than 60 percent of his passes. Michael Hawkins Jr. was 11-of-18 for 132 yards and a touchdown versus Tennessee. There is no obvious path forward.
A home loss to a top-10 team like the Volunteers (now ranked No. 5 in AP Poll) does not spell disaster on its own, but the manner in which the Sooners earned this loss is distressing, to say the least. Brent Venables must make the necessary adjustments to prevent another offensive fiasco from occurring in 2024, whether that be via the depth chart or game plan.
Oklahoma and its fans should be grateful that its next opponent, Auburn (2-2), has perhaps an even more worrisome QB problem on its hands.
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