Late in the first half, the frustration inside Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium turned personal.
OU fans had already let the offense hear it after four straight punts to open the game, but once play stopped for a South Carolina injury, the chants shifted toward the sideline and the man calling the plays.
“FIRE ARBUCKLE. FIRE ARBUCKLE. FIRE ARBUCKLE.”
Ben Arbuckle, the Sooners’ second-year offensive coordinator, took the heat as OU’s offense stumbled through a first half in which it was outgained 307-71. Brent Venables put the situation plainly before halftime on SEC Network.
"We've got a lot to fix and not much time to do it,” Venables said.
That message fit the day, and maybe the season, as much as the scoreboard did. Oklahoma never found enough answers and fell 42-25 to South Carolina on Saturday. The Sooners finished with 359 yards, though plenty of that came after the game had already tilted away, while the Gamecocks rolled up 521.
The second half didn’t bring much relief. After OU opened the half with a three-and-out, the boos returned from the fans who were still around to hear them. By the fourth quarter, the scene had thinned out so much that the few people left near the top of section 26 on the east side started waving shirts, a familiar move in the modern misery playbook for struggling programs.
Even with the offense sputtering, there were a couple of bright spots. John Mateer completed 26 of 43 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns after what may have been his best outing as a Sooner the week before. Ivan Carreon, who had not logged a stat all season before Saturday, caught five passes for a team-high 88 yards and two scores.
But the bigger story was how badly South Carolina controlled the game, and how much OU’s defense finally bent after spending two months keeping the team afloat.
LaNorris Sellers was the difference. Oklahoma had trouble bringing him down all afternoon, and the missed tackles piled up as he carved the Sooners up both through the air and on the ground. Sellers completed 19 of 24 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns, and he added 96 rushing yards and two more scores on 13 carries.
There was at least one flash of the old game-changing energy from OU’s defense. Kip Lewis delivered it in the second quarter, picking off Sellers and taking it 30 yards for a touchdown to tie the game.
Lewis finished with five tackles and half a sack. It was the kind of moment he has made a habit of producing, including his 63-yard pick-six that helped seal a road win over Auburn in 2024.
Michael Boganowski also came away with a milestone play. Early in the third quarter, on third-and-10, Sellers overthrew a receiver and Boganowski snagged the ball for his first career interception.
The junior safety, who missed two games earlier this season because of injury, also had five tackles. The turnover didn’t change the outcome, though, because Oklahoma’s offense punted away the possession.
The loss marked OU’s second straight home defeat, something the program had not experienced since the 2024 season. Before that, the last time the Sooners dropped consecutive home games was 1998. If Ole Miss comes to Norman on Nov. 14 and extends the slide, it would be the first time OU has lost three straight at home since 1997.
Next up is Florida. The Sooners head to Gainesville to face the Gators at 6:30 p.m.
CT next Saturday, Nov. 7, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida lost to Georgia, 27-8, on Saturday.
In Other News...
Oklahomas Offensive Collapse Just Raised A Bigger Brent Venables Question
Oklahomas 42-25 loss to South Carolina was the kind of night that leaves a coaching staff with more questions than answers, and the Sooners offense was at the center of it. Brent Venables watched his team struggle to keep pace for much of the game while LaNorris Sellers put together a dominant performance for the Gamecocks, throwing for 301 yards and three touchdowns and adding 96 rushing yards with two more scores.
Venables was asked afterward about possible coaching changes, but he declined to get into that topic after the defeat. For a program trying to steady itself, the bigger issue now is whether this was just a bad offensive night or a sign that something more significant has to change before the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Loss To South Carolina Raised A Bigger Problem Than One Bad Night
The loss to South Carolina at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium was ugly enough on its own, but the bigger concern for Oklahoma was how many parts of the offense seemed to be fighting the same battle at once. Quarterback Mateer finished 26 of 43 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, yet the night also brought decision-making issues and protection problems that made it hard for the Sooners to settle in and build any rhythm.
Oklahomas ground game never really gave the offense a way to reset, with no running back topping 32 yards, and the offensive line spent much of the night dealing with South Carolinas defense and its own penalties. One bad result can be shrugged off in a long season, but this was the kind of performance that leaves the Sooners with a lot more to sort through than the final score alone. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Offense Just Became The Center Of Fan Anger
The frustration around Oklahomas offense boiled over in a home loss to South Carolina, a game that turned sour quickly as the Sooners managed only 71 yards in the first half. By the time the scoreboard had tilted to 42-25, the mood in the stadium had shifted from disappointment to open anger, with fans making their feelings known in no uncertain terms.
Ben Arbuckle became the focus of that backlash, as boos rolled through the stands and chants of Fire Arbuckle echoed during the game. The crowd thinned noticeably after halftime, a sign of how fast the patience had evaporated as Oklahomas offense continued to sputter in a defeat that only deepened the pressure around the unit. [Read more 🡒]