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Jackson Arnold records first career passing, rushing touchdowns just minutes apart

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz09/02/23

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Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold
© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to draw up a better start to Jackson Arnold’s college career. After immediately leading a touchdown drive to begin the third quarter, he threw his first touchdown in an Oklahoma uniform — and Jayden Gibson made a highlight-reel play to do it.

Gibson fought off an Arkansas State defender in the corner of the end zone to haul in the 21-yard touchdown reception from Arnold. It was only two drives, but the star freshman gave Oklahoma fans plenty of reasons to be excited about what could lie ahead in his college career.

Arnold completed his first eight passes for 102 yards, including the touchdown to Gibson, as he helped Oklahoma grow its lead to 59-0 over Arkansas State.

It didn’t stop there, though. After the Oklahoma defense forced a turnover, Arnold ran in a seven-yard touchdown to not only make it a 66-0 lead, but also add to the hype around his debut.

All told, on his first three drives, Arnold went 8-for-8 for 102 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown.

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Out of halftime, Brent Venables told ESPN’s Taylor McGregor fans would see Arnold “soon” as the game started to get out of reach for Arkansas State. Not long after the interview aired, he stepped onto the field for the first time and got a rousing ovation from the Sooners faithful.

Arnold’s first drive went perfectly as he went 4-for-4 for 40 yards to set up a rushing touchdown from Tawee Walker to make it a 52-0 Oklahoma lead. He picked up right where he left out his next time on the field as the Sooners offense continued to put on a clinic in the season opener.

Jackson Arnold was the crown jewel of Oklahoma’s highly rated recruiting class this year. A Five Star Plus+ recruit, he was the No. 8-ranked player in the nation and the No. 4-ranked quarterback from the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Oklahoma took a commanding lead in the first half against Arkansas State as Dillon Gabriel and the offense were flying to start the year. He completed 19 of 22 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns before halftime, opening the door for Arnold to make his collegiate debut. Walker also had a touchdown in the first half, as did Marcus Major, showing the Sooners offense was firing on all cylinders as the 2023 season officially got underway.