Brent Venables was realistic after Jackson Arnold’s 1st start for Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.

Arnold had 361 yards passing with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in Thursday’s Alamo Bowl loss. Venables after the game offered his evaluation.

“He had some phenomenal moments tonight and gave us a chance going into the 4th quarter having a chance to win,” Venables said. “… I think it shows you, you don’t have to play perfect. As a matter of fact, you can play far from perfect and still have a chance to beat a top-15 team. At the same time, the game will punish you for turning the ball over.”

On top of Arnold’s 3 interceptions, Oklahoma also lost 3 fumbles. One of those fumbles came late in the game as the Sooners tried to tie the game at 31. Arizona scored on the next drive after the fumble.

Arnold may not have had a perfect start, but it sounds like Venables is confident in Oklahoma’s QB1 for the future. The Sooners end the 2023 campaign at 10-3 after the loss.