Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold Was Knocked Around — But Not By Alabama

After Arnold rushed for 131 yards, Sooner Nation rushed the field as Owen Field turned into a mosh pit of celebration and long overdue joy.

Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold celebrates with fans after beating Alabama. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — There was nowhere for Jackson Arnold to go. The sea of crimson simply swallowed him whole.

Not the Alabama football team. The Oklahoma fan base.

“I am really sore,” the Sooner quarterback said late Saturday night in the Red Room, surrounded once again — this time by a small horde of reporters. “I feel like I’m more sore from the crowd just freaking grabbing my arms.”

That’s more than Alabama’s defense did to Arnold.

On the biggest stage of his young career, against a program that has lorded over college football with a crimson scepter for most of his life, Arnold looked more like one of Barry Switzer’s old option quarterbacks than he did the 5-star passing prospect, rushing for a career-high 131 yards in OU’s 24-3 victory over mighty Alabama.

Arnold passed for just 68 yards, throwing only 11 times. But he ran the football 25 times — gaining 199 total yards and committing zero turnovers.

“Jackson Arnold went out there and executed in a really efficient way,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “Jackson was outstanding. Career high rushing. Was 9-for-11, just efficient, made good decisions. Did what we needed to do to win.”

Venables said he wanted his team — a two-touchdown underdog and loser of four consecutive SEC games in their first year in the league — “to play a shortened game,” meaning fewer offensive possessions, made possible by an oppressive rushing offense that picked up first downs and stayed on the field and didn’t give the football away. 

“Alabama is one of the most explosive teams in college football,” Venables said. “We wanted to do exactly what we did and really play off of each other.”

Oklahoma’s offense played its best game of the season, and so did the Sooner defense. OU had just nine possessions, scored two touchdowns and a field goal, but also dropped a touchdown pass, missed a field goal and lost a fumble. This thing could have been a lot worse for Bama than a three-touchdown spread.

In addition to Arnold’s ground assault, the Sooners also got a career-high 107 yards on the ground from true freshman Xavier Robinson. After failing to record a 100-yard runner (or a 100-yard receiver) during the first half of the season, the Sooners had two on this night — against Alabama, of all teams.

“That’s what we’ve been doing best here the past couple of weeks,” said offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley. “Got a couple of good young running backs and a quarterback that can run. Really wanted to sustain drives and move the ball, so that our defense could get a break over there on the sideline.”

And Arnold was the trigger man, keeping the football for runs of 12, 6, 11, 28, 8, 5, 6, 12, 9 and 18 yards. The Alabama defense had no answers.

“It wasn’t on accident. I can promise you that,” Finley said. “But there was a lot of those that were reads. He had the option of give it or keep it. I think they were going to say, ‘We’re going to make him beat us.’ He ran tough all night. Took care of the ball. Extremely proud of him.”

“It was huge,” Arnold said. “Obviously all week, we had a bunch of stuff in the game plan but running was a big emphasis for us. There was some stat about Bama, like if you had over 200 rushing yards or you won the rushing battle against them, you’re gonna win the game. So we focused on our running game and we didn’t take as many shots today because the run game was working great.”

Robinson ran it 18 times, and peeled off gains of 40, 12, 6, 18 and 6. The Tide focused what it could on him, so Arnold had plenty of space — and made good decisions as OU amassed 257 rushing yards.

“I’m super proud of X,” Arnold said. “I think he stepped up and had a great game tonight, and our O-line stepped up and played their butts off tonight.”

Eleven games into the season, that offensive line may finally be rounding into form. With Logan Howland, Heath Ozaeta, Troy Everett, Febechi Nwaiwu and Spencer Brown clearing the way, Oklahoma averaged 7.2 yards per carry in the first half and 5.2 for the game. A

And Arnold, so often criticized for his turnovers and an unwillingness to throw the football downfield, was the catalyst. Even as Alabama needed stops in the second half, it was Arnold who slipped through holes up front and grounded out four third down runs.

“He’s running like a running back right now,” Finley said. “So proud of him. That’s not easy for a guy like that, who came out as a big 5-star quarterback throwing the ball all the time. What we’re asking him to do right now is asking him to be a tough quarterback and put the team on his shoulders, and that’s what he does.”

And when it was over, thousands upon thousands of starving Sooner fans poured onto the field to be next to their conquering heroes. OU fans hadn’t swarmed Owen Field like this since Bob Stoops, Josh Heupel and the 2000 squad beat No. 1-ranked Nebraska on their way to the national championship — the final, epic chapter of OU’s famous “Red October” run.

“This is the moment that these guys deserve,” Finley said. “It was a lot of fun on that field. I mean, I’m getting high fives from college students and grown men and moms and all that stuff. But I had a blast out there. And really just wanted to see the smiles on our guys’ faces.”

Arnold and the Oklahoma offense put one final stamp on this game, taking over with seven minutes left after Jalen Milroe’s third interception, and then eating up the entire back half of the fourth quarter with one long, agonizing drive that buried Bama’s last hope.

Then the Memorial Stadium stands emptied — not once, but twice. It was a false start, as the game was stopped for several minutes with 28 seconds left on the clock after both goalposts were collapsed and laid peacefully on the grass. When the fans cleared the field, the clock started again and things got weird again.

“It was kinda crazy,” Arnold said. “They stormed the field before the game was even over. I was talking to some of my friends before the game was over on the sideline. It was awesome. I knew once they had the ball with seven minutes left, I knew time was running out and we were gonna win the game. It’s a surreal feeling.”

There will be no national championship this year, of course. But there’s an upside in 2024: no fans were maced by stadium security this time. Anyway, October was last month. This Oklahoma team is trying to forge its own identity at last.

Maybe this was the moment. Maybe, with Venables hugging his two daughters and fans tugging Arnold in all directions and Finley high-fiving moms, this is where it begins. 

“It was cool,” Venables said. “It was pretty magical.”

“It’s huge,” Arnold said. “I’ll say this’ll be a signature win in my playing career. You don’t have many like this. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the field rushed again when I play, but it’s special.”