Oklahoma didn’t panic when Dillon Gabriel, who has nearly 15,000 passing yards in his career, hit the transfer portal after two prolific seasons with the Sooners. Instead, Oklahoma rallied around former five-star recruit Jackson Arnold and turned an anticipatory eye towards the future.
That future finally arrived Friday in the No. 16 Sooners’ (1-0) season-opening 51-3 victory vs. Temple (0-1) as Arnold took the field for his first regular-season start and showed that his coaching staff’s faith might just pay off.
Oklahoma lost Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon, but may have gained what looks like one of the SEC’s top arms.
Sure, it’s fair to consider the level of competition. Temple has nine total wins since 2021. The Owls haven’t had a winning season in almost five years, a fact that probably won’t change anytime soon.
But Arnold, who completed 17 of his 25 pass attempts for 141 yards and four touchdowns in three quarters of play, made throws and displayed traits that are applicable no matter the opponent. He also did it with a relatively shorthanded supporting cast.
Top wide receiver Nic Anderson was held out with an injury. Jalil Farooq left early in the first quarter after breaking his foot, an injury that coach Brent Venables said will sideline him for six to eight weeks. The Sooners also entered the game without offensive tackle Jake Taylor, and lost starting center Branson Hickman early due to an injury of his own.
Not that any of it was enough to knock Arnold out of phase. On his very first pass attempt of the night, Arnold stepped into an oncoming defender and delivered a beautifully layered ball over two Temple defensive backs into the arms of Farooq — prior to his injury — for a 47-yard connection.
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