Oklahoma benches Arnold in loss to Tennessee

No. 15 Oklahoma benched quarterback Jackson Arnold late in the second quarter of Saturday's 25-15 loss to No. 6 Tennessee.

The Sooners signal-caller struggled in the first half, completing just 7 of 16 passes for 54 yards. He also committed one interception and two fumbles.

Michael Hawkins Jr. replaced Arnold. The freshman completed 11 of 18 attempts for 132 passing yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said that the team will evaluate the quarterback position this week.

"We got a good enough team to still have a really good year," Venables said, according to 247 Sports' Tom Green.

Venables added that Arnold is a "tough young man" who "knows he needs to be better."

Arnold was a five-star member of the Sooners' recruiting class and was rated as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the 2023 cycle. He primarily served as Dillon Gabriel's backup last season.

Arnold entered Saturday's contest having passed for 484 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions while completing 62.8% of his attempts.

Oklahoma (3-1) sustained its first loss of the season. It's unclear who the starting quarterback will be ahead of the Sooners' next game against Auburn.