Oklahoma DTs Jayden Jackson and David Stone Made the Most of Their Lone Offensive Snap

The Sooners brought their talented pair of defensive tackles onto the field to play offense in a short-yardage situation against Texas.

Oklahoma defensive tackle Jayden Jackson | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

NORMAN — One of the most memorable moments for Oklahoma’s offense came when a pair of defensive players entered the fray on Saturday.

The Sooners were facing fourth-and-1 from the Texas 27-yard line with 12:43 in the first quarter. 

Defensive tackles Jayden Jackson and David Stone subbed into the game. 

Jackson was lined up on the left side of the OU offensive line, and he was brought in motion to deliver a blow at the point of attack. 

He hit his mark, helping to open up a small lane for running back Xavier Robinson to move the chains. 

“They did a good job,” Brent Venables said during his weekly radio show on Monday night. “How about Jayden Jackson, the Trent Williams impersonation? Not bad, and he hit the target, which is a lot easier said than done. And really stymied old boy.”

In addition to his offensive snap, Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone also finished with four tackles and one tackle for loss against Texas. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Four plays later, the Sooners settled for a 41-yard field goal to go up 6-0, but OU ultimately lost the contest 23-6.

 In that moment, however, Oklahoma’s wrinkle worked. 

“Something’s gotta give,” Venables said. “And unfortunately for us, man, we kind of almost popped it out of there. There was a nice gap inside that was a tight gap and Xavier did a nice job of kind of getting thin through it and getting a first down. But it was great to see those guys out there, no doubt.”

The Sooners have struggled to consistently run the ball this year, which led to offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle thinking outside the box. 

“I thought being able to bring in two bigger bodies, really explosive, strong guys, would to be our interest,” Arbuckle said on Tuesday. “Speaks to those kids, too. Not only are they having great seasons, they are great players, but everything in the 10½-11 months since I’ve been here, those kids are hard workers. They’re great kids to be around. They’re physical as can be.”

Six games into the season, Stone is second on the team with 23 tackles, including five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. 

Jackson has played one less game — he was held out of OU’s win over Kent State — but he still has 14 tackles and three sacks in 2025. 

Though Arbuckle doesn’t work with Jackson and Stone every day, their work ethic is apparent to their offensive coordinator. 

“They work in such a way that it builds trust,” Arbuckle said. “Here I am, I’m an offensive coach, and I see them from afar, and I’m like, ‘I like those guys.’ They loved it, they had a lot of fun with it, and they did a great job with it, too. But you know, just being able to get good football players in good positions to be successful.”

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Arbuckle has enjoyed working with the players on Venables’ side of the ball. 

Tight end Jaren Kanak moved over to offense after playing three years at linebacker this past offseason. At the halfway mark of the regular season, Kanak is still third on the team with 23 receptions, and his 348 receiving yards trail only Isaiah Sategna’s 420 yards. 

But the trades will likely only go one way this season, Arbuckle joked. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “Defense is a little bit trickier deal right there.”

The Sooners will get back to action this weekend at South Carolina (11:45 a.m., SEC Network), where OU hopes to bounce back from its first defeat of the season.