[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] had a strong home debut for the Oklahoma Sooners. He didn’t put up the big yardage numbers that some of his [autotag]SEC[/autotag] counterparts did, but he threw for four touchdowns and had an adjusted completion percentage (taking away drops and throwaways) of 83.3%.
He showed off his arm on the first drive of the game, connecting with Jalil Farooq on a 47-yard strike before finding Bauer Sharp for his first passing touchdown of the day.
Later, he connected with transfer wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] on three beautiful touchdown throws to highlight Arnold’s day. After his performance, and with what happened across the SEC, Saturday Down South’s Matt Hinton moved Arnold up one spot to No. 8 in his SEC quarterback power rankings.
Good luck trying to discern much from Arnold’s Week 1 line against Temple, which you could describe as prolific (4 touchdowns!) or underwhelming (5.6 yards per attempt?) depending on which stat you prefer to linger on. In real time the verdict was more straightforward: Kid can sling it. – Hinton, Saturday Down South
Arnold comes in just behind Garrett Nussmeier of LSU at No. 7, Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava at No. 6 and Missouri’s Brady Cook at No. 5.
Nussmeier played really well in the Tigers’ loss to USC right up to his final two plays on a critical drive late in the game. But still, he showed he’s more than capable of directing LSU’s offense.
Like Arnold, Iamaleava was making his first home start as the Volunteers starting quarterback. He wowed those in attendance with 300 yards and three touchdowns. Like Arnold, Iamaleava was a five-star quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class. The pair will likely be forever linked as they’re on a similar timeline.
Then there’s Cook, who, like Arnold, wasn’t asked to do a whole lot for the Tigers in their win over Murray State. But he accounted for a pair of touchdowns and is one of the more important players in the country. If he continues to play like he did in 2023, the Tigers could be in for a playoff berth.
Arnold no doubt has the talent to be one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, but with just two starts under his belt, there’s still a lot to prove for the former five-star prospect.
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