Peyton Bowen channels Kobe Bryant moment ahead of Jackson Arnold reunion, game vs. Auburn

Evidently, Oklahoma defensive back Peyton Bowen doesn’t plan on taking it easy on former teammate Jackson Arnold. On Saturday, Arnold will be returning to Norman for the first time since transferring from OU to Auburn this offseason.

With both teams at 3-0, there’s more than a revenge narrative on the line. On Friday, Bowen hinted at his mindset by posting on Instagram a clip from the Netflix documentary, The Redeem Team, which centered around the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball team.

In the clip that went viral after the documentary aired, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade reflect on Kobe Bryant telling them his plans to intentionally run through his Lakers teammate Pau Gasol on the first play of their Olympic matchup. Bryant wasn’t bluffing. In less than 24 hours Oklahoma fans will find out if Bowen isn’t either.

From Peyton Bowen's IG story 👀 pic.twitter.com/DWPBZeLU6Z

— Seth Oliveras  (@SethOliveras) September 19, 2025

Bowen and Arnold have extensive history. Before playing together at Oklahoma, their two were teammates at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas. Together, the pair led the school to a 2021 Texas 6A Division 2 state championship appearance and a 2022 semifinal showing.

Arnold played a significant role in Bowen coming to Oklahoma. Bowen initially committed to Notre Dame, but eventually flipped his commitment to Oregon. On the very next day, Bowen committed to Oklahoma instead, opting to reunite with Arnold.

After two seasons at Oklahoma and 10 total starts, Arnold transferred to Auburn. Now, Bowen is ready to welcome his old friend back to Memorial Stadium with some tough love.

Bowen has nine tackles this season. He boasts 29 career appearances, including 10 starts. However, Arnold won’t make it easy for Bowen.

Arnold has completed 69.6% of his pass attempts this season for 501 yards and four touchdowns, without throwing an interception. Arnold isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, either.

The junior standout has already amassed four rushing touchdowns this season. While Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables doesn’t hold any ill will toward Arnold, he wants his Sooners to dominate him on Saturday.

“Two things can be true,” Venables said. “He can be an amazing young man and a tremendous talent and we want to whoop him tomorrow afternoon. If we’re gonna do that, he’s gonna have a bad day and that goes with it. But I’m a big fan of Jackson Arnold. He’s raised the right way by his mom, Todd and Sharon. Just an amazing family. He’s got tremendous talent.”

Oklahoma and Auburn will square off at 2:30 CDT on Saturday. The game will air live on ABC.