Oklahoma's Venables downplays matchup vs. Auburn's Arnold

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables says Saturday's matchup against quarterback Jackson Arnold and Auburn is just like any other game.

"It's not about Jackson at all," Venables said on his radio show Monday, per the Montgomery Advertiser's Colton Sulley. "Certainly, we appreciate his time here and the things he was able to accomplish while he was here. ...

"This is about Oklahoma versus Auburn this week. There will be an Auburn quarterback, and he's very talented, as we know. But this is, for us, to find a way to get a win this week in our opener here in the SEC."

Arnold will return to Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium for the first time as a visitor after spending two seasons with the Sooners. He transferred to Auburn in December.

The 21-year-old Arnold committed to Oklahoma as a five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. After serving primarily as a backup to Dillon Gabriel in his freshman year, the Denton, Texas, native won the QB competition to begin last season as the Sooners' starting passer.

However, Arnold was benched after four games for Michael Hawkins Jr. on the heels of committing three turnovers against Tennessee. The Sooners struggled to establish a consistent offense with most of the team's top receivers suffering injuries throughout last season. The 6-foot-1, 219-pound passer started several more games that season before deciding to enter the portal. OU finished with a 6-7 record.

Arnold passed for 1,984 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions with a 63% completion rate during two seasons at Oklahoma.

The junior passer is thriving three games into his tenure at Auburn. Arnold has racked up eight total touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 3-0 start entering Saturday's SEC opener for both schools. While the 21-year-old's return to Norman has created plenty of intrigue, the program didn't make him available to reporters during Tuesday's media session.

The Tigers quarterback's teammates said he doesn't appear to be treating this weekend any differently than usual.

"I think he's preparing like any other week," Mason Murphy said, per AL.com's Peter Rauterkus. "He's a dog. He's coming in with that mentality that he will not lose. So that's what he's going to do."

The Sooners are led by their own talented passer, John Mateer. The Washington State transfer has thrown for 944 yards and recorded nine scores over a three-game span.