Oklahoma coach Brent Venables was noncommittal on the immediate future of the Sooners’ quarterback position after he benched first-year passer Michael Hawkins Jr. and returned to sophomore Jackson Arnold in Saturday’s 35-9 loss to South Carolina, the latest low in the program’s 1-3 start to life in the SEC.
Oklahoma stood by Hawkins in Week 8 after the Sooners’ 34-3 loss to Texas on Oct. 12. But after Hawkins committed turnovers on each of Oklahoma’s first three drives Saturday — helping the Gamecocks build a 21-0 lead in just 5:20 — Venables & Co. turned back to Arnold, a former five-star prospect who had not played since he was benched in the Sooners’ Week 4 loss to Tennessee.
Arnold completed 18 of his 36 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown in relief as Oklahoma suffered its largest home defeat since a 45-24 defeat to Ohio State in September 2017. With his fifth appearance this season, Arnold is no longer eligible to take a redshirt year in 2024, leaving him with two years of eligibility after this season.
After the game, Venables gave no indication of how the Sooners plan to move forward at quarterback ahead of their Week 9 trip to No. 18 Ole Miss.
“We’ll talk about that when we figure that out as far as moving forward,” Venables said. “But three straight drives with turnovers — that’s a pretty easy decision.”
