Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold returned under center in the first quarter of the Sooners’ game against South Carolina on Saturday, replacing freshman Michael Hawkins and burning his redshirt in his first action since Sept. 21.

Arnold, a former five-star prospect, had not played since being benched in the first half of Oklahoma’s Week 4 loss to Tennessee. He entered Saturday’s game with the Sooners trailing the Gamecocks 21-0 after Hawkins committed turnovers on each of Oklahoma’s first three possessions.

With his fifth appearance this fall, Arnold will no longer be eligible to redshirt until 2024, leaving him with two years of eligibility remaining after this season. When asked earlier this week if Oklahoma had considered redshirting Arnold, coach Brent Venables made it clear that the second-year passer was still in the Sooners’ plans.

“What Jackson was told is that if we put you in, it’s because we need you to help us win,” Venables said Tuesday. “We’re certainly sensitive to everything. We’re not sitting here with our heads in the sand or naive about what it is. But man, he’s a great teammate. He wants to be the starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma.”

Venables reiterated this week that he did not consider using Arnold for Hawkins during Oklahoma’s 34-3 loss to No. 1 Texas in Week 7.

But the switch came early on Saturday. Hawkins threw an interception on the Sooners’ opening possession and then recovered a fumble for a touchdown. On the next possession, Hawkins threw a pick-six.

Oklahoma entered Saturday at 4-2 with a 1-2 conference record in its first SEC campaign.