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The one-time wunderkind quarterback, a can’t-miss 5-star prospect who chose Oklahoma and by the end of his first year in Norman was the Sooners’ starting QB, encountered and overcame a multitude of adversity against Arizona in the Alamo Bowl.
Arnold was equal parts bad and good in his first career start, just as much raw freshman as he was Johnny Fivestar, three crippling interceptions and two dazzling touchdowns, a steady diet of self-inflicted wounds early and late and two quarters of really strong football in between.
In the end, Oklahoma was beaten 38-24 by a Wildcats team that was gifted six turnovers — four by Arnold.
He’s come a long way — a verbal commit two years ago now, an early enrollee just 12 months ago, the third-stringer at the start of last spring, the backup this fall, and the starter in San Antonio — but Arizona showed how far Arnold still has to go to be a starter in the Southeastern Conference.
“He had some phenomenal moments tonight,” head coach Brent Venables said, “and gave us a chance going into the fourth quarter having a chance to win.”
Arnold passed for 361 yards, the fourth-best total by a Sooner quarterback in OU bowl history, completing 26-of-45 passes.
But he locked onto targets early, relied too heavily on Drake Stoops at first, was frequently indecisive in the pocket and, quite simply, underestimated the speed of the Arizona secondary. His first two interceptions were badly underthrown as he tried to force touch passes into Stoops, and his third one was a simple short slant on which the linebacker stepped unseen into the passing window.
