Brent Venables: Dillon Gabriel suffers 'upper body injury' against BYU

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When Oklahoma came out of the locker room for the second half against BYU, it was Jackson Arnold getting reps with the first team. Dillon Gabriel was nowhere to be seen, causing a bit of mystery in Provo. Eventually, reports surfaced of Gabriel suffering an injury and being ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Oklahoma found a way to get the win and now, all attention is on their quarterback’s health. Brent Venables provided the initial diagnosis on Gabriel, saying it was an “upper-body injury.” A broad term not giving too much information at this time.

Gabriel should be back on the field “pretty quick” according to his head coach. A high sigh of relief for Oklahoma fans as their Big 12 Championship game hopes are still alive.

A short week is upon Venables and his team. Instead of playing on the traditional Saturday, Oklahoma will host TCU on Black Friday for an 11 a.m. kickoff. An unusual game day to already begin, Venables is not exactly sure if Gabriel will be able to play.

“Venables says it’s realistic that Dillon Gabriel could be back for TCU, but says he doesn’t know for sure,” George Stoia of On3’s Sooner Scoop said via X. “He says he talked to anyone yet about it.”

Injuries have been a problem for Gabriel since arriving in Norman. He missed multiple games in 2022 but to this point of the 2023 season, Gabriel has been able to stay healthy. Everyone will be hoping he can return for the TCU game and if not, the Oklahoma bowl game.

Jackson Arnold to play if Dillon Gabriel is not healthy

If Gabriel is not able to play, Arnold will get his first-ever start at quarterback. The true freshman had a ton of hype coming out of high school but after playing four games, Venables originally wanted to redshirt him.

Arnold played high school football at Denton (TX) Guyer, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 8 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Now entering the game on Saturday, the redshirt opportunity has been burned. He finished with just 33 passing yards, completing five of his nine pass attempts. Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby got Arnold involved in the ground game too, going for 24 yards on eight carries.