South Carolina heads to Oklahoma on Oct. 31 with a shot to keep its SEC surge rolling and push itself back to even in conference play.
The Gamecocks enter Week 9 at 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the SEC, while the Sooners are 4-3 and 2-2. Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m.
ET on SEC Network. A South Carolina win would put the Gamecocks one step away from bowl eligibility and move them to .500 in league play after opening SEC action with three straight losses.
That turnaround has been built on a pair of ranked wins, first against Florida and then Tennessee. The victory over the Vols came on a walk-off 48-yard field goal. Oklahoma, meanwhile, is coming off a 23-15 road win over Mississippi State.
The matchup looks like a strength-on-strength test on paper, but the numbers tilt toward South Carolina’s ground game. The Gamecocks rank third in the SEC in total offense and are averaging an SEC-best 218.3 rushing yards per game. Matt Fuller has piled up 513 rushing yards and five touchdowns, while LaNorris Sellers has added 507 yards and four scores of his own.
Oklahoma’s defense has been its calling card. The Sooners rank second in the SEC in total yards allowed and first against the pass, helped by a pass rush that has produced 22 sacks, tied for third in the league.
But there’s a crack in that front. Against the run, Oklahoma allows 117.4 yards per game, which ranks eighth in the SEC, and that could matter against a South Carolina offense that lives on the ground.
The Sooners’ offense has been more uneven. The run game sits at the bottom of the SEC, and while the passing attack has flashed at times, it has also come with turnovers.
John Mateer has thrown for 1,591 yards with a 66.7% completion rate, along with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions, tied for the second most in the SEC. Isaiah Sategna III has been the top target, ranking sixth in the conference with 578 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
South Carolina’s offensive line will have to handle pressure if the Sooners turn up the heat again. The Gamecocks have allowed 15 sacks, tied for sixth in the SEC, and Sellers’ mobility gives them another layer when plays break down.
Oklahoma does have a path of its own, though. South Carolina’s defense has been vulnerable, especially against the pass, where it gives up 222.7 yards per game and has only four interceptions. That leaves the door open for Mateer to find a rhythm against a unit that sits as a bottom-five SEC defense in points allowed.
Both teams are dealing with injuries, and the lists are long.
South Carolina lists DB Quay'sheed Scott and RB Jawarn Howell as doubtful, with WR Jayden Sellers, EDGE Kobby Sakyi-Prah, OL Josiah Thompson, OL Dayne Arnett and OL Seth Smith all out.
Oklahoma’s report includes RB Xavier Robinson and OL Heath Ozaeta as probable, DB Peyton Bowen, DB Eli Bowen, OL Jake Maikkula and OL Fred Hinton as questionable, and WR Elijah Thomas as doubtful. The Sooners also have LB Taylor Heim, DB Dakoda Fields, WR Trell Harris, LB Cole Sullivan, TE Trynae Washington, DB Jacobe Johnson, OL Eddy Pierre-Louis and OL Ryan Fodje out.
South Carolina has looked sharper on defense over the last two weeks, holding Florida to 19 points and Tennessee to 24, both teams that average more than 30. If that recent form holds and the offense keeps leaning on the run, the Gamecocks have a real shot to make it three SEC wins in a row.
Prediction: South Carolina 24, Oklahoma 21.
In Other News...
South Carolina Suddenly Has A Huge Backfield Problem After Oklahoma
South Carolinas backfield took a major hit against Oklahoma when Matt Fuller went down in the first quarter with an ankle injury, a sequence that ended with a broken bone in his foot and a likely season-ending surgery. Fuller had been one of the Gamecocks most productive runners, piling up 513 rushing yards and five touchdowns before the injury, and his absence immediately changed the feel of the offense.
Jabree Coleman, Christian Clark and Isaiah Augustave were the backs asked to absorb the workload after Fuller exited, and the staff now has to sort out how to replace both production and reliability moving forward. For a team trying to keep its ground game steady, losing a back who had become such a central piece of the rotation creates a problem that is hard to patch quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Beamer Was Still Angry During South Carolinas Rout Of Oklahoma
South Carolina had already put together one of its sharpest offensive halves of the season against Oklahoma, piling up 322 yards and taking a 28-10 lead into the break, but Shane Beamer still found plenty to correct. Even with the Gamecocks controlling the game midway through the third quarter, the head coach was dissatisfied at halftime, pointing to the 10 points his team had handed away through mistakes while still acknowledging how well the offense handled Oklahomas defense.
Beamers reaction fit the tone of a coach who wants more than a comfortable margin, especially in a game that had already tilted so heavily in South Carolinas favor. The scoring cushion was there, the production was there, and the matchup was unfolding the way the Gamecocks wanted, but the frustration served as a reminder that Beamer was looking at the bigger picture rather than just the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolinas Late-Season Surge Just Got Hard To Ignore
South Carolinas late-season push picked up another jolt in Norman, where the Gamecocks handled Oklahoma 42-25 behind a big day from LaNorris Sellers. The quarterback threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns while adding two more scores on the ground, giving South Carolina the kind of balanced punch that can travel well this time of year even after a pair of interceptions and the early loss of top running back Matt Fuller.
What made the result stand out was how the Gamecocks absorbed the mistakes and still kept control. Oklahoma won the turnover battle, but South Carolinas defense made the Sooners work for everything and the offense kept finding answers, leaving the home team unable to climb back into the game. For a program trying to build momentum down the stretch, this was the sort of road win that gets noticed. [Read more 🡒]