Heading into a critical Oklahoma-Tennessee matchup in Week 4, sophomore quarterback Jackson Arnold will look to make big things happen for the 15th-ranked Sooners.
ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum spoke with Oklahoma beat writer Colton Sulley about Arnold’s importance in the upcoming top-15 SEC matchup.
‘This game is so much about Jackson Arnold,” Finebaum said. “He just has to be consistent. I like him very much. I had a chance to talk to Jackson two weeks ago and was impressed with his poise, his demeanor, what he said, how he said it, but that doesn’t scrape away what he’s done so far, and he’s not been great.”
Jackson Arnold is the key for the Oklahoma Sooners
Finebaum thinks Arnold is the key to Oklahoma’s chances at upsetting the sixth-ranked Vols, and that means Arnold will have to bring his A-game to his home turf.
“So, he has to play probably close to a perfect game, he can’t make mistakes, he can’t turn the ball over. He can’t give away points. The problem with Tennessee is they score. They score with abandonment. And as good as OU’s defense is, you can’t throw away a possession because you’re not going to get it back. And unless you get points on the defensive side, you’re in trouble.”
Arnold went beast mode with his legs in Oklahoma’s most recent win over Tulane, running for a career-high 97 rushing yards. He finished the contest with 266 yards from scrimmage en route to a 34-19 victory.
The Sooners will need Arnold to bring all of his dual-threat abilities to the table if they want to keep up with Tennessee’s elite offense.
