Brent Venables Says Jackson Arnold Is Back As Starter Ahead Of Ole Miss

OU Head Coach Brent Venables says that Jackson Arnold will be the starting quarterback for Saturday's game against Ole Miss.

This comes after the Sooners scored only one touchdown against South Carolina on Saturday, falling 35-9 after switching back to Jackson Arnold as quarterback when Hawkins Jr. (who recently replaced Arnold) and the OU offense began the game with three straight possessions leading to turnovers.

What happened on Saturday?

Oklahoma was down 21-0 after just over five minutes of game time.

The Sooners lost two fumbles and had two interceptions, while the South Carolina defensive snacked Oklahoma nine times.

Jackson Arnold finished 18/36 for 225 yards and a deep passing touchdown to Brenen Thompson in the third quarter.

Hawkins Jr. was 3/5 with two interceptions and a fumble that was scooped up for a touchdown by South Carolina before being replaced.

This week, OU travels to play Ole Miss.

Oklahoma fans are getting restless after a blowout loss to rival Texas last week.

The Sooners have played strong defense this season, but their offense is one of the nation’s worst — an unusual position for a program used to posting big numbers.

A loss here, especially if the offense struggles, raises more questions for Oklahoma coach Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Seth Littrell. South Carolina is coming off a close loss to Alabama.

A win here would soothe some of the disappointment.

Saturday's Takeaway

South Carolina: The Gamecocks proved that hanging tough with Alabama the previous week was no fluke. They entered the game having forced 12 turnovers, good for 12th nationally, and forced four more on Saturday.

Oklahoma: The Sooners couldn’t protect their quarterbacks, a constant theme throughout the season. Oklahoma had open receivers at times, but no time to throw to them. South Carolina had nine sacks by nine different players. Oklahoma’s defense was up to the task, holding the Gamecocks to 254 yards.