Jackson Arnold's Auburn Tigers debut couldn't have gone any better. He went for more all-purpose yards than Cam Newton did in his first Power 4 game wearing the orange and blue and led the team to a 38-24 win in Waco over the Baylor Bears.
It was never going to be good enough in Norman, though.
Stormin in Norman's Dekota Gregory believes this was just the smoke and mirrors Arnold showed last season with the Oklahoma Sooners before supposedly showing his true colors later on.
"Running back, I mean quarterback, Jackson Arnold is still the same player Oklahoma football fans knew he was," Gregory wrote.
"The Auburn Tigers handled the Baylor Bears 38-24 on Friday night in Arnold's debut with his new team after transferring from OU this past offseason. Arnold's performance, mostly on the ground, had social media buzzing throughout and afterward, but Sooner Nation, after already seeing the same thing for a season, saw right through the inflated hype as most blamed the Sooners for Arnold's shortcomings."
Gregory believes Arnold's brand of quarterbacking isn't conducive to winning football, citing the Sooners' collapse last season. And it's easy for an OU fan to see it that way.
Sooner fans can't comprehend the level of receiving talent the Tigers possess right now. Cam Coleman, Eric Singleton Jr., and Horatio Fields are levels above the healthy receivers Oklahoma had in 2024. Hugh Freeze's team of play-callers -- Derrick Nix on first down, Freeze on second, Kent Austin on third down, and apparently Deuce Knight could have a say on fourth down on occasion, to great success -- are also levels above Seth Littrell's from last season.
Asking what Arnold could've done with Ben Arbuckle is a fun thought, but John Mateer looks poised to leave no regrets on the table.
Arnold didn't overly impress as a passer, but he didn't need to. Nick Marshall may be known for the "Prayer at Jordan-Hare," but he also won many games as part of a larger ground-and-pound rushing attack. Arnold has a deep running back room and a sturdy veteran offensive line to help Auburn run the ball down opponents' throats. And, most importantly, the receivers to serve as threatening decoys, since any secondary could be caught asleep at the wheel with the Tigers' spectacular receiving corps.
Auburn is in a good spot with Arnold powering the engine. That's rubbing Oklahoma fans who swore he was overhyped as a prospect and don't want to see him thrive in his new home the wrong way.