Two unbeaten teams will clash in their SEC openers this weekend, with No. 22 Auburn traveling to face No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday, September 20. Last season, Brent Venables’ boys ensured to make Hugh Freeze’s squad taste a bitter medicine, handing them a 21-21 loss. More than excitement to find out who brings home a victory, the USP of the game is one quarterback. That’s none other than Jackson Arnold. Well, Arnold had a hard time in Venables’ squad last season and thought of starting things fresh in Freeze’s Auburn. So, the Saturday narrative revolves around Arnold to find out how well he handles an aggressive Sooners defense. But before the face-off, Venable brought out the biggest surprise by taking a subtle dig at his offense. But wait, wasn’t he the problem, too?

Arnold planned to redshirt in 2023 behind Dillon Gabriel, but was thrust into action at BYU after Gabriel’s injury. He entered 2024 as the starter, yet never found rhythm amid shaky play from the offensive line and receivers. No matter how much trouble Venables had to endure because of Arnold, maybe he still misses his former quarterback, who left him to address the cracks of his own unit.

On September 16, analyst George Stoia posted a clip from Venables’ interview. The caption read, “I asked Brent Venables about the conversations he had with Jackson Arnold after last season and where he’s seen Arnold improve from a year ago. #Sooners.” Even though Arnold swapped the wagon to Auburn in December last year, Venables kept track of his performance. The Oklahoma head coach said, “I’ll just keep that between you and I. Obviously, things worked out well for him and us both.”

The head coach continued, “Those sorts of things are never easy, but it’s just the environment that we’re in, and I’m really happy for him. I think he’s having a great success.” During his debut season at Oklahoma, Arnold played 7 games and completed 34 of 44 passes for 507 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Cut to 2025, he played 3 games and completed 48 of 69 passes for 501 yards. Arnold’s improved stats might have made Venables guilty of his offensive unit, which failed to give the quarterback the support he needed.

The head coach subtly critiqued his own boys while praising Freeze’s unit. “I think he’s the same guy. I think he’s got a healthy football team around him. He’s had great success running, throwing, being really efficient, taking care of the ball,” said Venables. “People around him are good. You can’t play quarterback by yourself, right? Offensive and defensive complement one another, and he’s really done a great job.” 

Oklahoma allowed an FBS-worst 50 sacks last season, as the Sooners’ offense sputtered under Venables. Till 2023, it looked fine, but as soon as the Sooners had to replace all five starters in 2024, they had hit rock bottom. In that case, Arnold had to pay the most significant cost as he did not receive enough support from the offensive linemen. But should Venables be pointing fingers only at his boys?

How Brent Venables’ defensive mindset clipped Jackson Arnold’s wings

Arnold’s stats were enough to prove that more problems lay with Venables and his boys. The quarterback ranked 74th in completion percentage (.626), 85th in completions per game (15.4), 95th in passer efficiency rating (124.8), 101st in passing touchdowns (12), and the list continues. Going by the Sooners’ history, these were all historic lows since the 1999 season.

Cut to the Tigers’ squad, Arnold is completing 64 percent of his passes and is running the football well with 192 yards (5.5 per carry) and four scores. So, the prediction that Venables was not the right fit for Arnold was accurate. Even before the 2025 season had pulled up the curtains, Cole Cubelic predicted that Arnold would fly high in Auburn. After all, during the SEC Media Days, the quarterback himself admitted to being shackled down by his former head coach, Venables, who carries the honor of a “fantastic defensive coach.”

Cubelic noted, “I am not trying to rip anybody, I’m not trying to drag another coach, but that’s accurate. The mindset of the defensive-minded coach usually he is, ‘Don’t screw this up, don’t make a mistake, don’t hurt a position, don’t turn the ball over here.’ As opposed to now, it’s ‘Attack, attack. Go get it, make this happen, make this throw, make this play, and I imagine Greg, for a quarterback, is a huge relief.”

But now that Jackson Arnold is in Auburn, getting a second chance in his career, things are much tougher for him. But Hugh Freeze got some advice for him. During his latest press conference, the Auburn head coach said, “I’ve had to go back in a place that I enjoyed coaching… We all understand people might cheer for him, boo him, whatever it is… My advice to him is to just keep the focus on our team.” That’s how Arnold’s ultimate proving ground is knocking loudly at the door.