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Commentary: Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold's Run Package Needs a Nickname – and Better Execution

The Sooners' 5-star freshman ran the ball four times for 11 yards on designed keepers, and it was mostly unsuccessful against SMU.

John E. Hoover

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NORMAN — Oklahoma fans, the Sooners need a little help.

Jackson Arnold’s quarterback run package needs a nickname. Something that makes sense. Something clever. Something that sticks.

Because what they apparently call it now … needs work.

“Sub,” head coach Brent Venables calls it. “ … Just a sub package.”

Well that won’t do. Not for a program that birthed “Belldozer” when 6-foot-6, 250-pound Blake Bell came into games just a decade ago to move the line of scrimmage.

“We just get into a specific personnel grouping,” said offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.

Yeah, that won’t work.

OK, to be brutally frank, the formation itself probably needs a little higher success rate before it gets a nickname — at least if it’s going to stick around. The Sooners brought in their 5-star freshman QB four times on Saturday night against SMU and, well, didn’t exactly show a ton of imagination. Arnold came in and ran the football on direct snaps – it's commonly called a "wildcat" formation – four times and picked up 11 yards.

A lot of that may be the coaching staff’s desire to show certain looks and hide others as the season unfolds. No need to show all your cards against SMU, right?

Then again, this was a 14-11 game with 12 minutes to play. Lebby and his offense needed to show something.

Arnold carried it for 2 yards on first down in the first quarter, then came back with it three times in the third quarter — a 1-yard run on third-and-3, then an 8-yard run on fourth-and-1, followed four plays later by a no-gain on fourth-and-1. That’s four rushes into heavy traffic for the 6-foot-1, 214-pound Arnold, and just one first down to show for it.

“Obviously we wanted to convert on that fourth-and-1,” Lebby said. “Us not being able to do that is a critical part in the game. That drive was nine or 11 plays where we chew up a ton of clock. I’m being a little bit more conservative than maybe I need to be and we’re not able to pick up that fourth-and-1.

“It’s invaluable for him to be able to get that rep and get that work. It’s a great teaching moment us and for him. I’m proud of him for his toughness and his edge.”

As one of the top dual threat QB recruits in the country coming out of Denton Guyer High School, Arnold can obviously run the football, but he’s not exactly a classic short-yardage threat. In last week’s season opener — a 73-0 win over Arkansas State — he debuted in the second half and completed 11-of-11 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown while also running five times for 39 yards for a score. Having Arnold take a direct snap and plow into the line seems both predictable (SMU certainly sniffed it out) and counterproductive (he has a laser-guided rocket launcher for an arm).

Still, Arnold’s teammates love to see the rookie get playing time and impact the game.

“It's amazing,” said starter Dillon Gabriel. “I’m a selfless guy. Someone who just wants the team to win, whatever it takes. I know he's a talented kid and does what he does and just how hard it is to prepare for us when we're able to do packages like that. And likewise, whether it's in the red zone, short yardage or being able to just be very versatile. I think that can be something that we use to our advantage. So I'm all about it.”

“It’s great,” said linebacker Danny Stutsman. “I’m under the tent, trying to get as much fluid in me as possible, and when I look up on the screen, it’s pretty cool to see him come in with those packages. Even when the whole stadium knows it’s a run, we’re able to pick up those crucial yardages. But it’s great to have him out there, man. It’s really a 1-2 punch.”

And hey, although it hasn’t gotten out yet, apparently the “sub” nickname isn’t really what the Sooners call it.

“We do have a nickname for it,” Gabriel revealed. “I don’t know if I can say it. But we do got a nickname for it.”

Published
John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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