Brent Venables credits Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma's toughness after BYU win

On an afternoon where Oklahoma had to clear one unexpected hurdle after another, Brent Venables was proud of his team for finding a way to beat BYU in Provo.

In a rare noon kickoff and the first and only trip to BYU during the teams’ crossover time as Big 12 compatriots, Oklahoma needed a 100-yard pick-six and had to play a true freshman backup at QB in the second half of what was a very up-and-down win for the Sooners. But that’s the important fact, that OU is walking away from that beautiful mountain view at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Afterwards, sideline reporter Quint Kessenich caught up with head coach Brent Venables to break down the win. He was just happy to get the victory, no matter how it looked at times.

“Our guys just found a way. I’m not much for hangin’ on on defense, but our guys showed toughness, belief and a great job by Jackson (Arnold) there in the second half with the offense, running it, throwing it. Great catch there by (Jahlil) Farooq to really kind of seal the game. But yeah, enough stops in the second half to kind of make the difference. We got a lot to improve on, a lot to clean up.”

Of course, the major storyline was starting QB Dillon Gabriel going down at the end of the first half and not returning, leaving five-star freshman Jackson Arnold to lead the way in his fifth game appearance of the season, effectively burning his redshirt possibility. But that’s a worthy sacrifice after he secured the huge win vs. BYU.

“Well, I mean, it’s two-fold. First and foremost, you always hate it for, you know, your quarterback, when that happens,” explained Venables of the situation. “But I knew what No. 10 is all about, so none of that surprised me in any way. You know, we got two really great quarterbacks.”

To wrap up, the Oklahoma coach credited his team’s mettle but also held high praise for

“Yeah, just toughness, fight, let’s figure this thing out. That’s what it’s about, getting BYU’s best effort. They’re 4-1 at home this year, you know, new quarterback, this is his third start, they did a great job running the zone and the option and converting some passes on third downs. They did a nice job. Again, that’s no surprise to me. That’s what BYU is all about.”