Oklahoma
Jackson Arnold Reveals Reason for Picking Auburn after Leaving Oklahoma
ATLANTA, Ga.- Former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold entered the transfer portal after the 2024 football season, after an up-and-down season in Norman. But what made the quarterback choose the Auburn Tigers?
“I think early on the coaches were immediately texting me as soon as I entered the portal or that day, opened up for the transfer portal,” Arnold said at SEC Media Days. “They were the first ones that texted me, communicated to me.
“Almost all of the offensive coaches texted me early on. Not only that, a day later I hopped on a zoom call with them all. They kind of laid everything out for me, showed me my fit in their offense, our offensive depth, depth in the team in general, not just offense.”
Arnold is a former five-star recruit and Gatorade National Player of the Year. Despite his struggles last season with Oklahoma, the 20-year-old was still going to have plenty of options in the transfer portal. The opportunity to take over a talented offense, paired with the Auburn defense, was a key selling point.
“They really prided [themselves] on their defense and a bunch of guys last year, and all the guys are coming back this year,” Arnold continued.
The Auburn defense was ranked 31st in total defense in the 2024 season according to NCAA.com.
Not only was Auburn in need of an experienced quarterback entering the 2025 season, but Arnold’s athleticism fit with what head coach Hugh Freeze likes to do with his offense.
“The biggest thing Coach Freeze sold me on with the scheme is, one, the RPO game, and, two, the deep shots,” said Arnold. “That’s something that I’ve been doing a lot since high school. And even my first couple of years in college was huge in the RPOs, huge in the deep shots.
“Coach Freeze isn’t scared to push the ball down the field, which I absolutely love. I thought with my experience running the RPO game, I think it meshed well with what Coach Freeze was wanting to do with his offense.”
Inconsistent quarterback play plagued the Tigers’ offense with turnovers last season. Auburn found themselves in very winnable games last season, including against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Winning deep in the fourth quarter, Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne tried to force a ball to wide receiver Sam Jackson V, but instead threw a ball directly to a waiting Oklahoma linebacker who then returned it for a touchdown. Auburn went on to lose this game.
Auburn’s -9 turnover margin was tied for 119th in the country out of 133 teams. Freeze knew bringing in more quarterbacks could help get the Tiger offense over the hump. Freeze also brought in former Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels and five-star freshman quarterback Deuce Knight to reinforce the room and hopefully rid themselves of inconsistent quarterback play.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State outlasts UCF in overtime, Houston next
The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball bounced back in a big way Tuesday night.
Anthony Roy scored 27 points and Kanye Clary added 23, including seven in overtime, as Oklahoma State defeated the UCF Knights men’s basketball 111-104 in Orlando.
The Cowboys controlled the extra period, finishing overtime on an 11-4 run and outscoring UCF 17-10.
Clary played a major role in closing it out. He hit a key 3-pointer and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in overtime to help seal the win.
The victory moves Oklahoma State to 18-12 overall and 6-11 in the Big 12, and gives the Cowboys two wins in their last three games after snapping a five-game losing streak. UCF, now 20-9 (9-8 Big 12), has dropped two straight.
Roy and Clary led a balanced offensive effort. Jaylen Curry and Christian Coleman each added 16 points, while the Cowboys shot 49% from the field (35-of-72) and 80% from the free throw line (32-of-40).
Themus Fulks led UCF with 22 points, while Riley Kugel added 18.
Late-game drama forces overtime
The final seconds of regulation were chaotic.
With 24 seconds remaining, Isaiah Coleman threw down a dunk to give Oklahoma State a 94-91 lead.
But UCF answered quickly when Chris Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, tying the game at 94-94.
Oklahoma State had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Jaylen Curry missed a shot, and John Bol blocked Roy’s attempt, sending the game to overtime.
Cowboys respond after tough loss
The Cowboys showed resilience after Saturday’s lopsided loss to Cincinnati.
The team traveled directly to Orlando following that defeat and was pushed through two intense practices by head coach Steve Lutz and the coaching staff.
The response was clear.
Led by Roy’s scoring and Clary’s clutch overtime performance, Oklahoma State delivered a gritty win and swept the season series against UCF
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon
YUKON, Okla. (KOKH) — Oklahoma City Police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon Monday night.
The shooting happened near Northwest 10th Street and South Yukon Parkway near the border of Yukon and Oklahoma City.
Police are on the scene, and officials said the victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the hip.
OKCPD said they have at least one person in custody.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma lawmakers consider bill to require annual fee for transmission lines on private property
As consumer electricity needs grow, lawmakers are discussing strategies to ease the burden on landowners who don’t want the towers and wires carrying that energy on their property.
As it’s written now, the bill would require transmission owners to pay landowners $2 per foot of line annually. During the committee meeting, Murdock said he introduced the legislation to “start a conversation.”
“ This is an idea of, maybe moving forward, if the landowners are getting a royalty off of the power being pushed across their property, it may make it a little more palatable for someone to have a transmission line go across their property,” he said.
Landowners can enter into easement agreements with companies to set aside portions of their land for the builds. But in some cases, eminent domain is used to obtain a right-of-way.
“ I’m not saying that this is going to do away with eminent domain,” Murdock said. “What I’m hoping is this just makes it a little more palatable.”
Murdock said he spoke with utility companies about the legislation, though he didn’t name them. The bill’s language could change after creating an alternative rate based on conversations with the companies, he said.
Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, said the bill could raise utility rates for consumers living in Oklahoma’s most populous counties if companies charge more to make up for the annual fee.
Murdock pushed back, noting the lines are necessary to deliver electricity to other counties.
“You understand that you flip that light on because — and have that ability to have electricity because — the people in my district have a transmission line that goes across them, getting you that power,” he said.
StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma’s public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online.
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