Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is pressing down on his decision to put Jackson Arnold as the starting quarterback.
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables told the media on Monday evening that the Sooners will start Jackson Arnold at quarterback this weekend against Ole Miss.
He started Oklahoma’s first four games of the season but a few turnovers against Tennessee caused head coach Brent Venables to bench him in favor of freshman Michael Hawkins Jr., who has started every game since Saturday. Venables even considered redshirting Arnold owing to his eligibility with only four games played previous to Saturday.
Those plans changed. After falling down 21-0 against South Carolina due to three turnovers and two defensive touchdowns, the Sooners replaced Hawkins with Arnold in relief, burning Arnold’s redshirt as a result of a fifth game.
Arnold has completed 57% of his passes for 763 yards and tossed eight touchdowns against three interceptions.
On Saturday, he and the Sooners’ offense will also work with a new play caller.
Following the program’s dismal 35-9 home loss on Saturday, OU head coach Brent Venables officially fired offensive coordinator and primary play-caller Seth Littrell on Sunday. Following the original news of the coaching change, it was revealed that tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley will take over play-calling duties for the Sooners effective immediately.
Finley previously worked as Kiffin’s tight ends coach and passing game coordinator in 2020, his first season at Ole Miss.
“I don’t think that really matters,” Kiffin said when asked about the offensive coaching shift. “It’s one of those situations where I can see why people think it means so much. He did not call plays here, and his current situation is definitely different. He was the tight ends coach here. I don’t think his previous experience working here will help us figure out what he’s going to do. He will only have a week to call plays. People usually only play here and there, but they stick to the system. “You cannot reinvent the system in six days.”
The Sooners now have one of the SEC’s worst offenses, averaging only 22 points per game, 288 yards per game, 4.3 yards per play, 16 total touchdowns, 112 running yards per game, and slightly more than 1,200 yards passing between both quarterbacks halfway through the season. They have also allowed 29 sacks in seven games, the second-most among SEC teams.
This weekend’s game begins at 11 a.m. CT and may be heard on the Ole Miss Radio Network or seen live on ESPN.
“We have a lot of things to work on ourselves, which we worked on over the bye week, including continuing to play solid run defense, better pass defense, less penalties, and a better rhythm on offensively. “I feel like we’ve been out of rhythm for a little while here,” Kiffin said on Monday about his squad, which had a bye weekend.
